PSI current research
Evaluation of Personal Adviser Meetings for Lone Parents
Project Leader: Steve Lissenburgh
PSI Researchers: Michael White, Dorothe Bonjour, Maria Hudson, Genevieve
Knight
Sponsor: Employment Service
Period: 2001-2003
Background and Study Design
The study evaluates the impact of mandatory Personal Adviser (PA) meetings
for lone parents in receipt of Income Support (IS). Specifically, it will examine:
- the extent to which PA meetings contribute to changing the attitudes of
lone parents to work as an alternative to life on benefit;
- the extent to which PA meetings contribute to lowering the numbers of lone
parents on IS, and increasing the numbers in (full-time or part-time) work;
- the extent to which PA meetings increase the proportion of lone parents
on IS who agree to participate in New Deal for Lone Parents (NDLP) with the
intention of finding work, or finding suitable work-related training as part
of a plan to prepare to join the labour market;
- the extent to which PA meetings help those lone parents who are unable or
unwilling to seek work and / or participate in NDLP now, to move closer to
the labour market by undertaking independently arranged personal development
activity which may stand them in good stead in the labour market in the longer
term; and
- the extent to which PA meetings help lone parents into sustainable jobs
(eg of 6 months duration or longer).
Importance of Research
Lone parents are a key focus within the government's welfare to work strategy,
which aims to promote sustainable employment among those groups facing disadvantage
in the labour market. Many lone parents are reliant on IS as their primary source
of income, with its consequent repercussions of poor living standards and a
high incidence of child poverty. The importance of this research lies principally
in its evaluation of a policy that may be able to assist lone parents in making
the transition from welfare to work.