Six thousand families in Malta are headed by lone parents, according to research carried out by the Employment and Training Corporation.

Details of the findings were announced yesterday during a forum on lone parents and inclusion through employment.

The forum was opened by Education Minister Louis Galea and Family and Social Solidarity Minister Dolores Cristina.

The research carried out by the ETC is entitled Lone Mothers on Benefits and focused on a qualitative in-depth study of the lone mothers’ concerns related to employment.

The results of the research were presented by ETC CEO Sue Vella and Mariella Vella, executive with the corporation’s Monitoring and Evaluation Unit.

The research suggests that the dependency of lone mothers on social benefits is tied to a number of factors, such as low educational attainment, a lack of childcare services and low motivation to work.

The research findings were considered during a panel discussion chaired by Antonella Borg, senior executive at the ETC.

In his speech, Dr Galea said that employment was one of the means available to lone parents for improving their family’s financial and social situation, and in order to achieve this, they needed proper training and education at different levels.

The ETC played a vital role, he said, and the corporation already offered an array of schemes and subsidies, namely free training courses, employment schemes and subsidies for childcare, and these opportunities should be taken up by those who want to improve the situation of their family.

Dr Galea referred to research which shows that in Europe, 82 per cent of lone mothers were in employment while in Malta the rate is only 29 per cent.

He said the government was committed to improving the lives of families with lone parents by offering more a personalised service. This involves a one-stop-shop service that provides those who want to start working with all the necessary support to do so. Potential employees are helped with the necessary paperwork, and are guided as to what training or schemes they can apply for.

Another programme offered by the ETC is aimed at mothers. In the first phase they are given training, while in the second phase they are engaged in on-the-job training. These mothers are given subsidies on training on childcare and on transport through funds from the Government and the European structural funds.

Minister Galea said that one could not speak about the difficulties faced by lone parents without speaking about the need for quality childcare that is affordable.

He said that the ministry had been presented with a document by the working group which focused on Early Childhood Education and Care, that will be published shortly.

This document, said Dr Galea, will provide a good basis on which government will be shaping its policy in the areas of childcare, kindergarten and the first years of compulsory education.

He said that the government was pushing for more women to find employment and was also committed to providing equal opportunities for everyone. At the same time, education and training are a main priority for government, as was employment and the strengthening of the economy. The ETC has provided an important forum where most of these issues are discussed on an informed basis.

In her speech, Minister Cristina said the National Action Plan on Poverty and Social Exclusion had identified families with a single parent as being at risk of poverty.

She spoke about the difficulties faced by lone parents and described what the government was doing to help these families. Mrs Cristina insisted that there was still a lot to be done in this respect and that there was a need to offer a more personalised service to these individuals.