The Department for Work and Pensions is taking lone parents off income support earlier in their child's life and returning them to work.
Lone parents, whose youngest child is aged five or more, will now be moved onto jobseeker's allowance, where previously the change occurred age seven. The change will affect up to 124,000 parents in the UK.
Maria Miller, work and pensions minister, said: "We know that work is the best route out of poverty, so we are determined to help more lone parents take their first steps into work. Getting a good balance between work and family responsibilities is important for every parent."
Some parents will continue receiving income support if they have a child in receipt of the middle or highest rate care component of disability living allowance, receive carer's allowance, or are fostering.
Ministers have allocated an additional £300m budget for childcare support under Universal Credit to support families wanting to work less than 16 hours a week.
Jobcentre Plus will offer support with childcare, job applications and part-time work routes.
According to the DWP, 600,000 lone parents in the UK relied on income support with 1.8m children living in households where nobody works.
