Lone Parent Activation in Ireland: Putting the Cart before the Horses?

Abstract

Lone parents and their children are the biggest group at risk of living in poverty in Ireland, and activation is regarded as the solution to this problem by policymakers. While workfare requirements are now placed on lone parents whose youngest child is aged 14 or over, we question the capacity of the current activation policy to deliver an adequate income for these families. Drawing on evidence from other countries and the current Irish context, we argue that the absence of tailored support for lone parents, low levels of educational attainment, difficulties with childcare, the efficacy of financial supports to provide income adequacy and the failure to take into consideration their parenting responsibility mean that the implementation of the policy is fraught with difficulty.