Lone Parent Obligations: early findings of implementation as well as experiences of the Income Support and Jobseeker’s Allowance regimes

RR 645 Lone Parent Obligations: early findings of implementation as well as experiences of the Income Support and Jobseeker’s Allowance regimes

by Rosie Gloster, Jo Casebourne, Sarah Culshaw, Lidija Mavra, Amy O’Donnell and Ann Purvis

This report presents early evaluation findings on the implementation of LPO and experiences of the Income Support and Jobseekers regimes. The findings are based on qualitative fieldwork in five case study areas. This included 75 interviews with Jobcentre Plus staff and 203 interviews with lone parent Jobcentre Plus customers split between four stages of the lone parent customer journey, as follows:

52 interviews with customers with younger children receiving IS and as yet unaffected by LPO;

51 interviews with customers six to eight weeks before their IS entitlement was due to end;

51 interviews with new and repeat claimants to Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) since LPO had been implemented;

49 interviews with customers who had moved from IS to JSA because of LPO.

This forms part of a comprehensive programme of evaluation research, using a mixed-methods approach, to assess the effects of LPO. It includes further in-depth interviews with customers and staff, large-scale surveys tracking customers over a period of time, as well as analysis of in-house and other data sources. The evaluation is being carried out by a consortium of independent research organisations, led by the Centre for Economic and Social Inclusion.

March 2010 218 pages 297x210mm

ISBN 978-1-84712-735-8

RR 645 Lone Parent Obligations: early findings of implementation as well as experiences of the Income Support and Jobseeker’s Allowance regimes (755 KB)

Research and Statistics

RR 645 Lone Parent Obligations: early findings of implementation as well as experiences of the Income Support and Jobseeker’s Allowance regimes