ABSTRACT
The worlds of welfare and that of ‘the family’ are intimately connected. Open any newspaper, listen to numerous radio broadcasts, watch a range of television programmes and the issue of the family in the UK is likely to be among the most frequent topics of public debate. Among ‘experts’ and lay people alike arguments and speculations over the links between increasing diversity in family and household forms and those issues defined as ‘social problems’ rage on. Indeed, this increasing diversity in family and household forms is itself often defined as a social problem. Connections to the worlds of social policy and welfare practice are made in the form of whether or not lone mothers create delinquents and therefore should not be supported by having access to welfare benefits and services. Questions as to the moral messages which are sent to impressionable youth by such support are raised, whilst the potential this support for lone mothers offers fathers, to avoid their parental and conjugal responsibilities, is deeply regretted.
