The Scottish Government

2003

This document is also available in pdf format (352k)

CONTENTS

1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1.1 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND
1.2 FURTHER EDUCATION SUPPORT
1.3 HIGHER EDUCATION SUPPORT
1.4 LONE PARENT HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENT PROFILE
1.5 CHILDCARE ISSUES FOR LONE PARENT HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENTS
1.6 FINANCIAL ISSUES
1.7 COMMUNICATION OF SUPPORT
1.8 MONITORING FRAMEWORK
2 INTRODUCTION
2.1 POLICY BACKGROUND
2.2 AIMS OF THE RESEARCH
2.3 OVERVIEW OF SUPPORT AVAILABLE
2.4 METHODS
3 FURTHER EDUCATION SUPPORT
3.1 MARKETING OF FURTHER EDUCATION SUPPORT
3.2 URBAN AND RURAL EXPERIENCES COMPARED
3.3 SEPARATION OF FURTHER EDUCATION AND HIGHER EDUCATION SUPPORT
3.4 SUMMARY
4 PROFILE OF LONE PARENT HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENTS
4.1 INTRODUCTION
4.2 GENDER AND AGE
4.3 TERM TIME RESIDENCE
4.4 MARITAL STATUS
4.5 DOMICILE BY MARITAL STATUS
4.6 PREVIOUS EMPLOYMENT STATUS
4.7 PAST EMPLOYMENT
4.8 QUALIFICATIONS - PAST STUDIES AND CURRENT STUDIES
4.9 REASONS FOR STUDYING
4.10 FUTURE EMPLOYMENT
4.11 NUMBER OF DEPENDENT CHILDREN
4.12 AGE OF DEPENDENT CHILDREN
4.13 AGE OF PARENT BY NUMBER AND AGE OF CHILDREN
4.14 PROFILE OF LONE PARENT CHILDCARE GRANT CLAIMANTS
4.15 THE DEMANDS OF BEING A LONE PARENT HE STUDENT
4.16 SUMMARY
5 CHILDCARE ISSUES
5.1 MAIN CHILDCARE ARRANGEMENTS
5.2 CHILDCARE ARRANGEMENTS OF LONE PARENT CHILDCARE GRANT CLAIMANTS AND NON CLAIMANTS
5.3 AGE OF CHILD BY MAIN CHILDCARE ARRANGEMENT
5.4 AGE OF PARENT AND MAIN CHILDCARE ARRANGEMENT
5.5 SUMMARY
6 FINANCIAL ISSUES
6.1 INSTANCE OF CLAIMING LONE PARENT CHILDCARE GRANT
6.2 HELPFULNESS OF LONE PARENT CHILDCARE GRANT
6.3 CHILDCARE COSTS PAID BY RESPONDENTS
6.4 COST OF CHILDCARE BY MAIN ARRANGEMENT
6.5 OTHER GRANTS OR BENEFITS CLAIMED
6.6 ISSUES RELATING TO GRANTS AND BENEFITS RAISED BY RESPONDENTS
6.7 HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENTS IN FURTHER EDUCATION COLLEGES
6.8 SUMMARY
7 COMMUNICATION OF SUPPORT
7.1 AWARENESS OF LONE PARENT CHILDCARE GRANT
7.2 SUPPORT IN FURTHER EDUCATION COLLEGES AND HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS
7.3 SUMMARY
8 MONITORING FRAMEWORK
8.1 INTRODUCTION
8.2 APPROACH
8.3 HIGHER EDUCATION LONE PARENT CHILDCARE GRANT
8.4 FURTHER EDUCATION CHILDCARE FUNDS
9 RECOMMENDATIONS
9.1 FURTHER EDUCATION SUPPORT
9.2 LIFE CYCLE STAGE, NUMBER OF CHILDREN AND CHILDCARE COSTS
9.3 FURTHER EDUCATION AND HIGHER EDUCATION SUPPORT COMPARED
9.4 CHILDCARE AVAILABILITY
9.5 TRAVEL COSTS
9.6 STUDENT LOANS AND BENEFIT COMPARED
9.7 LONE PARENT SUPPORT NETWORK
9.8 MONITORING FRAMEWORK
APPENDIX 1: QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH QUESTIONNAIRE AND RESULTS
APPENDIX 2: CHILDCARE FUND STATEMENT FOR FE COLLEGES

TABLE 1: SUPPORT FOR LONE PARENT HE STUDENTS (2002-2003)
FIGURE 1: AGE OF RESPONDENTS
FIGURE 2: RESIDENCE DURING TERM TIME
FIGURE 3: MARITAL STATUS
TABLE 2: DOMICILE BY MARITAL STATUS
FIGURE 4: EMPLOYMENT STATUS PRIOR TO THIS PARTICULAR COURSE
TABLE 3: PAST EMPLOYMENT STATUS BY QUALIFICATION STUDIED
FIGURE 5: PREVIOUS EMPLOYMENT
TABLE 4: PAST EMPLOYMENT BY QUALIFICATION STUDIED
FIGURE 6: REASONS FOR STUDYING
TABLE 5: REASONS FOR STUDYING BY PREVIOUS EMPLOYMENT STATUS
FIGURE 7: FUTURE EMPLOYMENT
TABLE 6: FUTURE EMPLOYMENT BY AGE
TABLE 7: FUTURE EMPLOYMENT BY QUALIFICATION STUDIED
FIGURE 8: NUMBER OF DEPENDENT CHILDREN
FIGURE 9: AGE RANGES OF CHILDREN
TABLE 8: AGE OF CHILD BY AGE OF PARENT
TABLE 9: NUMBER OF CHILDREN BY AGE OF PARENT
TABLE 10: LONE PARENT CHILDCARE GRANT CLAIMANTS BY AGE
TABLE 11: LONE PARENT CHILDCARE GRANT CLAIMANTS BY MARITAL STATUS
FIGURE 10: MAIN CHILDCARE ARRANGEMENT
TABLE 12: MAIN CHILDCARE ARRANGEMENT BY LONE PARENT CHILDCARE GRANT CLAIMANTS
TABLE 13: AGE OF CHILD BY PARENT'S MAIN CHILDCARE ARRANGEMENT
TABLE 14: AGE OF PARENT BY MAIN CHILDCARE ARRANGEMENT AND INSTANCE OF CLAIMING GRANT
FIGURE 11: REASONS FOR NOT CLAIMING THE LONE PARENT CHILDCARE GRANT
TABLE 15: REASONS FOR NOT CLAIMING BY AGE OF PARENT
FIGURE 12: HELPFULNESS OF THE LONE PARENT CHILDCARE GRANT
FIGURE 13: COST OF CHILDCARE
TABLE 16: COST OF CHILDCARE BY MAIN ARRANGEMENT (PRE-SCHOOL CHILDREN UNDER 5)
TABLE 17: COST OF CHILDCARE BY MAIN ARRANGEMENT (CHILDREN 5 YEARS AND OVER)
FIGURE 14: OTHER GRANTS AND BENEFITS CLAIMED
TABLE 18: GRANTS & BENEFITS CLAIMED BY DOMICILE
TABLE 19: GRANTS & BENEFITS CLAIMED BY PREVIOUS ECONOMIC STATUS
TABLE 20: BENEFITS CLAIMED BY AGE OF LONE PARENT
FIGURE 15: SOURCE OF HEARING ABOUT THE LONE PARENT CHILDCARE GRANT
TABLE 21: SOURCE OF HEARING ABOUT THE LONE PARENT CHILDCARE GRANT - CLAIMANTS AND NON-CLAIMANTS
TABLE 22: DATA COLLECTED BY SAAS
TABLE 23: HE MONITORING DATA COLLECTION FRAMEWORK
TABLE 24: FE MONITORING DATA COLLECTION FRAMEWORK

Further copies of this report are available priced 5.00. Cheques should be made payable to The Stationery Office Ltd and addressed to:

The Stationery Office
71 Lothian Road
Edinburgh
EH3 9AZ
Tel: 0870 606 5566
Fax: 0870 606 5588