Children of jobless families 'face life on dole'

A total of 167,000 children in Yorkshire – more than one in six – live in a family where no one works. More than one in 10 young people expect to end up on benefits like their family, while a further 22 per cent feel their parents do not have the knowledge to help them find a job, according to a study published jointly by the Prince's Trust and Qa Research.

The authors say the stark picture means young people from workless families are significantly more likely to struggle to find a job themselves, as well as feeling far less confident about their future than their peers.

The problem is particularly acute in Hull, where a third of young people are growing up in a household where neither parent is employed. Barnsley and Rotherham were also highlighted as problem areas.

Across the country there are 1.9 million children living in workless households in Britain – the highest number in the European Union.

The Prince's Trust acting regional director for Yorkshire, Samantha Kennedy, said: "Too many of Yorkshire's young people are facing a cycle of worklessness and can't see a way out. It is a tragedy to think that so many feel condemned to a life on benefits.

"Only by giving young people skills, confidence and positive role models can we help them break out of this unemployment trap. If we fail to stop these disadvantaged young people becoming disadvantaged adults, this cycle will continue to blight these families for generations."

According to the report, carried out by social and market research agency Qa Research, growing up in an area of high unemployment also has a long-term impact on young people's prospects and confidence.

Thirty nine per cent of those living in communities with high levels of unemployment worry that they will never find a good job, while one in six fear that their children will not be able to find a job in the future. The study, Destined for the Dole? found that one in three young people in Yorkshire say they have no positive role models in their local area whose careers they look up to and respect.

The report also highlights that many young people in Yorkshire want to work, with more than three-quarters saying that finding a good job is their main priority for the future and 64 per cent stating that their main aim is to support their family.

Six out of 10 say that having more volunteering opportunities in their local area would give them the skills they needed to find a job.

Among those to have experienced the problems of a living in a workless family is 21-year old Amilah Mirza, from Bradford.

Her father worked until she was 10, at which point he fell ill and had to go on to benefits. The change in her home life meant her performance at school declined and she began experiencing depression and a lack of direction.

She said: "You see a lot of young people hanging out on the street. They don't have anything to do and lose all motivation. Then it's easy for them to get into things like drugs and gangs.

"We need more role models in the area – to show that if you work hard you can get results."

Eventually she became concerned about how her family would survive financially. She left college at the age of 17 and went through a number of temporary jobs before realising she wanted to become a youth worker.