Single mothers fear support cuts due to new regulations that force every single parent with children over seven to actively seek and find work.

The Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) contains that more than 110,000 parents must now demonstrate that they are actively searching for employment for at least 16 hours a week. If they fail to prove the ambition to find a job, they lose their income support in the long run.

The new welfare reform plan is expected to result in the greatest losses to single-parent families, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies. By reducing welfare and cutting family budgets the Government is expected to raise approximately £8.5bn.

Chief Executive of the charity organization Gingerbread, Fiona Weir states: "The coalition government says it wants to make work pay and to support single parents into work, but the reality is that today thousands of single parents are being set up to fail. Government needs to act fast to improve availability of jobs with flexible working hours, improve the job-search support provided from day one of a claim, and increase access to childcare.”

Single mothers who are receiving JSA have to show that they are willing to work and are obliged to take job offers that match their children’s day care schedule. If parents don’t show willingness to work, they are endangered to lose up to 40 % of their previous payments.