Josephine Franks, www.stuff.co.nz, 20 October 2020
For seven days in every fortnight, Kaye has her two kids in her care. But when she asks Work and Income for an emergency food grant, it’s like they don’t exist.
That’s because her ex-partner claims the sole parent benefit, and so the children come under his benefit as the “primary caregiver” – even though custody is shared evenly.
Kaye is one of tens of people who came forward in response to Stuff’s story about a solo mum who found herself unable to claim sole parent support because her ex-partner claimed it first.
