51. The key development has been the release of the DWP's Green Paper on welfare reform.31 This paper contains proposals which include:
■ the extension of the Pathways to Work scheme, so that it covers the whole country by April 2008, and the replacement of Incapacity Benefit with a "simpler" Employment and Support Allowance. Those receiving Employment and Support Allowance will have to enroll in the Pathways to Work Scheme;
■ making unemployed, lone parents face a greater responsibility to find work - moving off Income Support and onto Jobseekers' Allowance -once their youngest child reaches the age of 12 (rather than the current 16);
■ making the New Deal more "flexible" and "personalised". Those facing particularly severe barriers to work would get fast-tracked help, and those who have a history of long-term reliance on benefit, could face tougher responsibilities at the start of the claim. Those who are still without a job after 12 months would be referred to a specialist return-to-work provider from the public, private, or voluntary sectors; and
■ a general movement towards more competition in welfare provision and a more outcome-focused service.
52. However, despite claiming that the private and voluntary sectors will be more closely involved in welfare provision, the emphasis the Green Paper is still on a centrally-provided New Deal:
■ according to the Green Paper, JobCentre Plus will "remain at the heart of our efforts achieve full employment"; and
■ private and voluntary sector organisations will generally only be used when a job-seeker has been out of work for 12 months.
53. The DWP is also wrong to retain so strong a focus upon lone parents in the effort to end child poverty.32 Although the risk of poverty is lower in two parent households, their greater number overall means they represent a larger proportion of all children in poverty. 60 per cent of children in poverty live in two parent families; as compared to 40 per cent in lone parent families.
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31 Department for Work and Pensions (2007), In work, better off: next steps to full employment.
32 Ibid. "Ending child poverty means that we need to help many more lone parents off benefits and into work."