THE CAMPAIGN

OPEN, Barnardos and the National Women’s Council of Ireland are partners in 7 is too young.

We have received support from a range of organisations and individuals who agree with our opposition to this major change to social welfare support for one-parent families.

Frances Byrne of OPEN, Senator Katherine Zappone, Norah Gibbons from Barnardos and Orla O’Connor from the National Women’s Council of Ireland at the ’7 is Too Young’ press conference, April 18th 2012.

You can see our supporters here

Why we oppose Section Four of the Social Welfare & Pensions Bill 2012

• There isn’t enough after-school childcare and no plan in place to provide it.
• There aren’t enough jobs.
• We don’t have a social welfare system that supports those in Jobseekers to work part-time which is a reality or a choice for many lone parents.
• We don’t have enough education & training places for those who are already on the Dole.
• We believe that poverty, especially child poverty, will increase among lone parents if this Bill passes.
• Unemployed lone parents will be at the bottom of the pile on the Dole. This means they will be the last grouping to receive active support to get into work.
• Employed lone parents will have to make the awful choice between trying to work full-time, with little childcare support or moving on to welfare.

What needs to happen

Our organisations support proper social welfare reform. We always have.

Section Four of the Bill is not reform. It will not help any lone parent to move out of poverty. It will not activate any unemployed lone parent. It will force thousands of lone parents to leave work.

We need reform which includes the following:

• Provision of affordable out of school childcare
• Facilitate part time flexible employment as a choice
• Provision of Support Services
• Training and Education
• Positive Activation and Conditionality