The Work Programme is failing single parents The research we've done tallies with the official report: that single parents are one group of people which is faring very badly on the scheme. In fact, single parents are largely invisible within the system. The lack of understanding amongst the system's providers of the specific barriers they face, or of how to overcome these barriers, means they are not getting the support they need. The latest statistics show 59 per cent of single parents in the UK are in work, far behind the proportion of mothers in couple-families who work, which stands at 71 per cent, and far behind the aspirations of single parents, who are highly motivated to work. Single parents face significant barriers to the workplace: a shortage of childcare and its crippling cost, combined with a lack of family-friendly jobs, such as those offering part-time work. They need a system that recognises their needs and offers tailored support. But all too often single parents are not getting this from the Work Programme. The first set of data for the Work Programme showed few participants ended up in lasting jobs, but single parents fared even worse, with job outcomes a third lower than other claimants. Why so low? Well, far from the Work Programme's aim of treating people like individuals, single parents tell us that they are not getting the support they need and that often their caring responsibilities are not understood. They report being under pressure to take any job, rather than a job that offers the stability their family needs. Single parents deserve better. The government must make a commitment to tackling single parent unemployment, with ambitious targets and a clear action plan. We need a Work Programme that offers intensive, targeted support, with advisers who are trained to understand and meet single parents" needs and a focus not on "job first" but on securing stable work. It's time the Work Programme delivered on its promises. Fiona Weir is chief executive of Gingerbread, a charity campaigning for more support for single parents.