From next week, parents in receipt of the One-Parent Family Payment (OFP) are due to be moved to different payments; mainly to the newly introduced Job Seekers Transitional Allowance (JSTA) when their youngest child reaches the age of seven, or to Job Seekers Allowance (JSA).
Labour TD Joanna Tuffy tells us that the purpose of the phased OFP reforms is to reduce poverty, social exclusion, and long-term welfare dependency among lone parents and to ensure that they have improved access to the Department’s range of education, training, and employment support programmes.
However, we also meet Andrea Galgey who tells Matt that under the changes she is no longer considered a lone parent, despite having three boys under the age of 18.
Andrea, who works part time says she will be down €63 per week, as a result.
To hear her story, listen back here:
