Powerpoint Sole Parents

Community & Family Studies

SOLE PARENTS

Renee Sillato + Grace Krapez

SOLE PARENTSA sole parent family consists of one parent living together with one or more children.

According to the ABS, 19.3% of children live in a sole parent family. These families may exist because of divorce, separation, death, illness, desertion, or by choice. However, the majority are the result of divorce, and this number is steadily increasing, as divorce rates consistently escalate. Most sole parent families (91%) are headed by a female and when in this situation the family is more vulnerable to poverty and crime.

THE NEEDS OF SOLE PARENTS

• In 2001, the proportion of single parent families in income poverty was 18% compared with 6% of couples with children.

• A single parent family with two school age children on social security must survive on just over $400 per week.

• Centrelink provides a parenting payment for sole parent families which is $500 per fortnight.

• Sole parents may also be entitled to Family Tax Benefit B regardless of their income.

• The Australian Government provides a Child Support Scheme to assist sole parents to access payments from the parent who is not the primary carer.

Financial

Support• Financial support is a significant need for sole parent families as

it is crucial in retaining necessities such as housing, childcare and access to services. In society, sole parent families are greatly disadvantaged when it comes to financial support, receiving $400 a week for Centrelink. After paying bills, rent, food, education costs and other vital resources, there would not be a sufficient amount left for leisure activities or other luxuries. This lack of financial support may decrease a sole parent family’s emotional well-being. The parent may feel that she is not efficiently providing for the family and is in a way, letting them down, which may induce feelings of guilt and low self-esteem.

Justification

THE NEEDS OF SOLE PARENTS•The reduction of income that accompanies being a sole parent increases the likelihood of needing to access welfare services. • Socio-economic status restricts their access to most services. • Sole parent families rely quite heavily on the government, other community services and extended family to fulfil their needs.•Emergency accommodation may be needed in the case of domestic violence. • Childcare provisions are important to assist sole parents to gain and maintain employment• May need access to external support services and networks such as counsellors to help both the parent and children cope with changes. • The National Council for Single Mothers and their Children (NCSMC) is a self-help group to fight for the basic and essential rights of all sole parent families•The Lone Father’s Support Service helps meet the needs of single fathers by providing emotional support, counselling, budgeting and financial advice and resource information.• Key resources that assist this group include; The Jobs and Training Program, Parenting Payment, Family Allowance, Legal Aid, Counselling Services, Women’s Shelters and the Child Support Agency.

Access To Services

• Access to services is a significant need for sole parent families as it includes access to health services, financial support, accommodation, support services and other services such as legal aid. It is important that sole parents have access to a broad range of services that help to meet their needs and improve their quality of life. Separation, divorce or losing a partner may mean that sole parent families require a range of services to help them cope with stress or grief that may be a result. The government, community services and the extended family are major groups that help sole parents meet and fulfil their needs. The more services available, the more likely that sole parent families will experienced increased emotional wellbeing as they feel valued and secure.

Justification


• Experiencing a marriage break up or the loss of a partner can cause serious feelings of insecurity.

• A child who doesn’t have regular contact with one of their parents may find it difficult to adjust and this can cause problems at school or in their relationships with others.

• Many children of families who have experienced divorce feel that it is in some way their fault and may experience guilt and insecurities.

• May find it difficult to provide for family due to financial instability.

• A single mother may feel anxious about protecting her family either physically or emotionally if there is no father to help perform this role.

Security and Safety

• Security and safety is a significant need for sole parent families as it is often difficult to adjust to change for all involved and so the need for security is high. For the parent as well as the children, separation, divorce or loss of a partner can cause serious feelings of insecurity and uncertainty. Also, having little financial support and access to services can cause feeling of anxiety and can result in feelings of financial, emotional and physical insecurity. For sole parent families that are a result of domestic violence, the parent may feel unsafe and may feel that they have placed their children in danger. It is vital that sole parent families have security and safety so that their physical, emotional and social wellbeing is maintained.

Justification


• Surveys show that most sole parents want to work but have difficulty finding work that fits with their family responsibilities.

• They face barriers such as affordable quality childcare, family friendly work places, effective tax rates and higher education debt repayments.

• Employment allows single parents to interact with other adults. • The emotional and physical stress of juggling family

responsibilities and work. • The cost of working such as transport, clothes, childcare and the

reduction of parenting payments have to be factored into the decisions about the type and number of hours of employment undertaken.

• The Australian Government introduced a ‘Welfare to Work Program’: From 1 July 2006, a sole parent who has been granted income support will have to seek part time work if their youngest child is aged between 6-15 years.

• In a survey the following barriers to employment for jobless single parents were identified:• 60% have only 10 years of schooling, reducing their job

prospects by half. • Just over 50% have spent the majority of their working lives

caring for children so have limited work experience. • Over 20% have experienced physical or sexual violence within

the past year.• Unresolved family court and child support issues, financial

difficulties, the need to move house and the effects of separation make it difficult for most sole parents to look for a job after separation.

Employme

nt

Employment is a significant need for sole parent families as it is a means of income for the family. Without this income, sole parent families only have funds provided

by the government and this is often very limited. However, though it is a crucial need for

sole parent families, there is all downfalls to it including, high costs of childcare, stress of

juggling work and family responsibilities, and many

barriers that prevent sole parents from finding employment (e.g. little work experience and only

10 years of schooling.)

JUSTIFICATION


• Sole parents are one of the largest groups in receipt of housing assistance.

• Access to affordable housing is an important factor in the residential location.

• Many are forced to move to low housing cost areas of major cities, to rural towns or to coastal centres where public housing is more available.

• Emergency accommodation is available through various charities and the Department of Family and community Services for those parents fleeing domestic violence.

• A family house may be sold in a divorce settlement, causing disruptions to a sole parent and their children.

Housing

• Housing is a significant need for sole parent families as it provides them with shelter, safety and security. For some sole parent families, housing can be a difficult need as at time, financial support can limit the range of accommodation that can be accessed. For example, if a female sole parent family was not employed as her husband was the source of income and they got divorced, she would probably struggle in finding adequate and satisfactory accommodation for herself and her children.

Justification

FACTORS AFFECTING RESOURCES

AGE DISABILITY- A young mother might not have had a full time job previously. - Young parents may not have finished school or attended university, which may limit their ability to get a job.- Long service leave and sick leave – haven’t accumulated as much.- Older sole parents may have to care for their elderly parents as well, which may mean they don’t have their parents to care for their children or for support.

- Having a disability would seriously hinder a sole parent from effectively caring for their children.- They may be unable to drive, which would lead to transport difficulties. - May be unable to gain or hold employment, which would be detrimental to the economic wellbeing of the family, who are dependent on this sole income.


EDUCATION GENDER- May not be able to access tertiary education because they need to look after child. - Some young parents may need to drop out of high school to look after children. - May take night classes at a university or TAFE.

- Men may find parenting a challenge, and may be discriminated against for being a single parent. - There are more support services for women than men. - Men may be more inclined to rely on nannies or child care, while women may attempt to juggle work and home responsibilities. - Women may find it difficult to raise their children without the authority of a man. - Single women and mothers are often the victims of scams or theft, due to their vulnerability. For example, tradesmen often overprice services for single mothers, because they may not know any better.- Carer’s Payments – some organisations allow employees to use sick days to care for sick children, although they may not be as willing to afford the same privileges to men. - Stigma attached to single mothers.

- Women are more likely to have lower income employment than men.


LOCATION ETHNICITY- Sole Parent families located in city or suburban areas may have better access to jobs, schools, child care services and public transport. They may also have friends, relatives or neighbours close by, who can help with child minding or other household duties. Other services, like food outlets, may help sole parents who do not have the time to cook themselves.- Sole Parent families located in rural or remote areas may struggle to access services like school, jobs, and child care. Schools for children may be located at a significant distance, which would be difficult, especially if there is no school bus. The sole parent would have to drive their child to school every day, which may not coincide with work commutes. Many sole parents will have to hold 2 or more jobs, which would be especially difficult for those living in rural areas, where jobs are scarce, especially in respect to getting to and from work, and organising child minding. There would be limited access to local child care, and neighbours are at such a distance it would be an inconvenience.

- Some cultures/religions may be morally opposed to people being unmarried with children. - People of non-English speaking background may not be aware that services are available or how to access them. - Translation may hinder individuals from effectively accessing services.- Discrimination may discourage them from accessing certain services.- Some cultures may have a moral opposition to some services offered, like professional childcare – it may be customary for the mother to rear the child herself. Although, this may not be possible if the family requires income. - Some religions or cultures may be opposed to health services and treatments.


SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS

- A single parent would have to work increasingly harder to maintain a sufficient income to support their family. - Sole parents may need to have more than one job to earn an income, which would be equal to a two parent income. - Sole parents of a higher socioeconomic status may find their role easier, as they could afford to utilise services like child care, nannies, private school, tutors etc. - Low income sole parent families may struggle to care for their children because they are working so often, but may not be able to afford child care etc. - Access to other services may also be limited because there is no income surplus.

JUSTIFICATION OF MAJOR FACTORS AFFECTING ACCESS TO RESOURCES FOR SOLE PARENTS

• The socioeconomic status of a sole parent family will have a major influence on their ability to access resources. Those families living in relatively impoverished states will greatly struggle to access resources to satisfy basic human needs. Their lack of sufficient income will be detrimental to their efforts to access basic resources, and especially specialist services like child care, health care, or private education. Conversely, those sole parent families of high socioeconomic stress will often struggle far less to access resources, have they have adequate funds to do so.

Socio-Economic Status

Gender plays a significant role in the ability of sole parents to access resources. Women who are single-handedly raising their children may struggle to manage both work and family responsibilities. They are more vulnerable to dangers like scams or theft, and are far more likely to enter poverty, as women are more likely to have lower paying jobs, especially if they were the primary carer previously. Men, on the other hand, may struggle with undertaking responsibility as a primary carer, as stereotypically, women are more nurturing and patient.

Sole Parents in Society.

The following Newspaper Articles relate to real issues affecting Sole Parent Families in today’s society:

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/sole-parents-lose-under-welfare-changes/2005/08/25/1124562981250.html

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,,25169348-5013404,00.html

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,,24821156-421,00.html


http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,,23804105-5005370,00.html

http://www.aifs.gov.au/institute/pubs/fm1/fm31/fm31rw.html














Relevant Linkshttp://www.community.gov.au/internet/mfmc/community.nsf/pages/section?opendocument&Section=Single%20Parenting

http://www.parentlink.act.gov.au/

http://www.makinglemonade.com/

http://singleparents.about.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPyUqArVaA0

http://www.community.gov.au/internet/mfmc/community.nsf/pages/section?opendocument&Section=Single%20Parenting











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