New rules introduced today mean that lone parents with children aged 10 and over will start to get help to look for work rather than stay on benefits.

Assuming they are able to work they will move onto the lower paid Jobseekers Allowance (JSA) rather than Income Support, where they will have access to specialist advice and support on finding work.

The government says it expects 75,000 single parents will be moved onto Jobseeker’s Allowance by the end of the year, and that by 2011, 270,000 single parents will be forced to look for work. The employment rate among single parents is 56.7%.

Lone parents with children under seven will not be required to seek work.

Lone parents with a child under the age of one will no longer be required to attend mandatory work-focused interviews, but can access the available support to help them into work if they wish.