Universal credit, lone mothers and poverty: some ethical challenges for social work with children and families

This article critically evaluates and contests the flagship benefit delivery system Universal Credit for lone mothers by focusing on some of the ethical challenges it poses, as well as some key implications it holds for social work with lone mothers and their children. Universal Credit was first introduced in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2008, and echoes conditionality-based welfare policies adopted by neoliberal governments internationally on the assumption that paid employment offers a route out of poverty for citizens. However, research evidence suggests that the risks of conditionality polices for lone parents can often include increased poverty, a deterioration in mental health or even destitution posed by paternalistic sanctions or precarious low-paid employment, which can undermine parenting capacities and children’s well-being. The article also critically appraises and questions challenges posed by an increased reliance upon contractual ethics by governments, alongside the wider behaviour modifying policies of the workfare-orientated state. This includes that working-class lone mothers can erroneously be stigmatised as representing a morally challenged dependent burden through activation policies and risk-averse social work practices.

Citation

Carey, M., & Bell, S. (2021). Universal credit, lone mothers and poverty: Some ethical challenges for social work with children and families. Ethics and Social Welfare, 16(1), 3-18. https://doi.org/10.1080/17496535.2021.1939756

Publisher

Taylor & Francis

Journal

Ethics and Social Welfare

URI

http://hdl.handle.net/10034/625023

DOI

10.1080/17496535.2021.1939756

Type

Article

Description

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Ethics and Social Welfare on 22/06/2021, available online: https://doi.org/10.1080/17496535.2021.1939756

Series/Report no.

n/a

ISSN

1749-6535

EISSN

1749-6543

Additional Links

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17496535.2021.1939756?src=