One in seven babies in Derbyshire born to single parents

New figures have revealed a total of 1,079 children in Derbyshire being raised by single parents in 2017 – 14 per cent of the births in the county.
One in seven children in Derbyshire are being raised by a single parentOne in seven children in Derbyshire are being raised by a single parent
One in seven children in Derbyshire are being raised by a single parent

Single parent charity Gingerbread said lone parents still face some stigma, but that recent reports debunk the idea that having only one parent can negatively impact children.

Office for National Statistics figures show that 697 babies were registered by just one parent.

A further 382 had two parents living at different homes.

One in seven children in Derbyshire are being raised by a single parentOne in seven children in Derbyshire are being raised by a single parent
One in seven children in Derbyshire are being raised by a single parent
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Across England, 52 per cent of babies were registered by parents who were married or in a same-sex civil partnerships, in line with the average for the UK.

In Derbyshire, it was just 44 per cent.

Rosie Ferguson, chief executive of Gingerbread, said single parents' aspirations for their children may be thwarted by circumstances out of their control.

She said: "The majority of single parents work, but many are still locked out of the secure, flexible employment opportunities they need in order to provide for their children.

"Low-paid and insecure jobs, as well as the lack of affordable childcare, mean that some single parents struggle to put food on the table for their children.

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"The Government must work with Jobcentres, employers and childcare providers to ensure that work genuinely provides a route out of poverty.

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"We need to strengthen the system of support for single parents to provide a decent standard of living for them and their children."

There were 3,134 babies born to couples who were living together but not married - 41 per cent of the total.

When counted alongside those who are married or in a civil partnership, it means that 86 per cent of babies in Derbyshire were born to a family with two parents at home.

In 2017, there were 7,563 births, 3,867 boys and 3,696 girls.

In 125 cases, mothers in Derbyshire went into labour at home.