THE Government risks severing the bond between vulnerable young dads and their children with benefits changes that leave many struggling to spend a night alone together.

In advance of Father’s Day, Barnardo’s is joining other charities to warn that dads who don’t live with children face being increasingly unable to have their child to stay overnight.

The welfare system is already designed not to support vulnerable fathers most in need. Since 2012 single people under the age of 35 have mainly been restricted to claiming benefits only for a single room in a shared house – with no exemption for an estimated 10,000 non-resident parents. The measure, which overwhelmingly affects dads, means that children are forced to share bathrooms with strangers if they want to stay overnight.

New plans will see housing benefit entirely removed from many people under 21 – potentially affecting 118,000 young people.

The new measures risk driving some dads back into unstable family homes where they may have witnessed violence and substance abuse – further jeopardising their chances of hosting children. Others may be driven to homelessness, encouraging them to lose contact with children altogether.

We are calling on the Government to urgently review benefits rules, putting the child first to make sure that parents of every age are supported to maintain a quality, independent relationship with their children. They can start by exempting all parents, regardless of whether their children live with them full time or not, from plans to cut housing benefits for young people.

The first few years of life are crucial to cementing the bond between parents and children and the Government should be doing its utmost to encourage contact between young dads and their children at this time.

The Government must urgently review the benefits system to ensure that every parent can access accommodation that nurtures an independent and stable bond with their child – regardless of age or income.

HUGH SHERRIFFE Director, Barnardo’s Midlands & South West