There no longer seems to be a date on the calendar that is not marked or acknowledged or hailed as ‘The Day of’ something or the other.... From ‘National No House Work Day’ 7 April - a personal favourite, now to ‘Single Parent Day’ 21 March (yep Today) which has existed in the States since 1984. According to The Huffington Post, it’s said to be the brainchild of non other than Ronald Reagan - go figure!?!
That said, when The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Single Families introduced ‘The Day of The Single Parent’ in the UK last year to acknowledge and celebrate all households headed up by a lone parent, whether that be a mum or dad, it felt like a much needed turning point, perhaps even a shift in perception of single parent households.
Under Universal Credit, according to the official Parliamentary Report on ‘Universal Credit: Childcare’ the additional 100,000 working hours proposed under the reform, will fall heavily on the shoulder of single parents, especially mums. It claims 80% of the ‘heavy lifting’ so to speak will be done by single working mother’s such as Vikki Waterman (pictured) who already works a staggering 46 hour week and others like her.
We know childcare does not only affect SINGLE PARENTS but ALL PARENTS and FAMILIES - especially under UNIVERSAL CREDIT!
It touches the lives of Grandparents, wider family members and friends who so often step in to fill the gaps. This is a point we drove home and I even read some of your comments from this petition during our #MumsOnAMission Talk at Save the Children UK HQ.
“... it was the best lunchtime talk they'd been to in their 3 years of working here..” - Save The Children UK HQ
I read every COMMENT, I see every SIGNATURE and CONTRIBUTION - WE’RE IN THIS TOGETHER!
One of our proudest Campaign achievements thus far has been changing the public perception of families on Benefits - especially Single Mums.
With never ending Brexit negotiations, it is even more VITAL that we don’t lose MOMENTUM and we get our local MPs on board. All you need to do is click the link that applies to you below, as the clever folks at Save the Children have taken care of the rest for you!
If you are currently struggling with childcare through UC tell your local MPs about the issues you’re facing – simply click link here:
If you aren’t currently struggling with childcare (perhaps you don’t have children, or your children are grown up and flown the nest) but have signed and supported the petition in solidarity, and want to email your MP anyway to highlight the issues others in your constituency are facing – Simply Click link here:
That’s it. It really is that simple and nearly 100 people have already done just that! Why not join them?
As always, THANK YOU for your support, please continue to SIGN, COMMENT and SHARE this petition.
TOGETHER WE CAN DO THIS and ‘MAKE CHILDCARE WORK’ - FOR ALL!
To all our fellow single patents doing the very best that they can, every single day, often single handily, Here’s to ‘The Day Of The Single Parent’.
Thuto & Vikki xx
#MumsOnAMission