In Britain, unemployment amongst lone parents remains persistently high. It does so despite government funded employment and training initiatives, and the tightening of welfare benefits. In October 1998, the Government launched its National Child Care Strategy, aimed partly at getting lone parents back to work. Whilst lack of affordable child care is a crucial barrier to employment for lone parents, without an understanding of the complexity of the transition from benefits to employment, the strategy will have little effect. This article looks at that transition in relation to the neighbourhoods in which many lone parents live.
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