Surviving Poverty: The Impact of Lone Parenthood

via Poverty Alliance January e-news

research conducted by Fiona McHardy in partnership with community researchers from Fife Gingerbread
Published January 2013

This is the third piece of participatory research to be launched as part of the Poverty Alliance’s EPIC project and is the first to have worked with lone parents to look at their experiences of living on a low income in a rural community.

Specifically, the research has sought to better understand those factors that contribute to, or diminish, the well-being of lone parents. The research was carried out by lone parents who were involved with Fife Gingerbread and went through a comprehensive process of research training, which has not only help build their research skills but has also increased their confidence and ability to speak out on matters that are important to them.

Amongst the key issues to emerge from the report are:

• A number of factors contributed to well-being (family and support networks, emotional and physical health, choice and freedom), but underpinning many issues was that of low income;
• Parents spoke of the problems of stress associated with dealing with financial problems. This was compounded by fears about the impact of welfare changes;
• Rising costs, particularly in relation to food and fuel, were having a real impact. Some parents skipped meals to ensure that their children did not go without;
• Access to employment and employability services was hampered by a range of barriers including childcare and transport.
• Lone parents faced a range of barriers to services. This included public transport, digital exclusion and lack of knowledge of support available within their area.

The report provides further evidence on the needs and priorities of lone parents and reminds us of the importance of addressing these priorities if we are to effectively tackle child and family poverty in Scotland.

Full text (PDF 52pp)

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