Single parents with children as young as seven are being forced to look for work.
The new rule comes into force today in which lone mum and dads are moved from income support to jobseekers' allowance.
It's thought around 111-thousand people will be affected.
Triumph Ayo-Isegun is the founder of Christian single parent group The HELP. She tells Premier many jobs don't allow for the flexibility needed to be a lone carer:
"How does a child get to school? Who picks up the child? What happens during school holidays? What if the child is sick?"
In 2008 mums and dads were moved from income support onto jobseeker's allowance when their youngest child was 12. In 2009 this dropped to ten. Nine out of ten of these are women.
Parents will be expected to find work of at least 16 hours a week, attend fortnightly jobcentre interviews and demonstrate they've applied for jobs.
The rules will take a further turn in January 2012 when the age will drop to five.
Parents who don't actively look for work have been warned they could have their benefits cut.
Source: Premier Christian Media
