SINGLE parents participating in the Government's flagship back-to-work scheme are being told to leave children as young as nine at home unsupervised in order to attend, according to a North-East MP.

Labour's Jenny Chapman, the member for Darlington, told MPs some of her constituents undertaking the Work Programme had been to see her to raise their concerns about advice given to them.

Speaking during work and pensions questions in the Commons on Monday (December 8), she said: "Single parents in the Work Programme in Darlington have been to see me because they are being told to leave their nine and ten-year-old children at home unsupervised during the school holidays to be able to attend.

"Will you urgently look into this and make sure that this foolish, dangerous, reckless advice is never given to parents?"

Employment minister Esther McVey said it was key to ensure the right support was being offered to lone parents.

She went on: "Obviously, we work closely with charities like Gingerbread to ensure that when people are lone parents that actually the hours they have to work and the commitments they have to live up to are actually fit around their lifetime and also the children they are looking after.

"That is really key in offering the right support for those lone parents."

This Work Programme aims to provide support, work experience and training for up to two years to help people find and stay in work.

It was launched in 2011 with the goal of helping 2.1 million people by March 2016.

In a leaflet explaining the Work Programme, published in December 2012, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), said those with young children would have their benefits protected.

The leaflet said: "Reforms of benefits and tax credits are designed to improve work incentives

for all, and make financial support much simpler and more transparent.

"Benefit recipients will be expected actively to look for work, and where this is not possible to prepare for work – except for a few exceptional groups, for example those who are seriously disabled or have very young children."

It added: "Some people with health problems... continue to receive incapacity benefits; lone parents with younger children and some other groups are eligible for Income Support."

Were you given the advice outlined by Jenny Chapman? Call the newsdesk on 01325-505065 or email newsdesk@nne.co.uk