Single mother says she had to miss paid work to attend ParentsNext appointment

Woman says job agency administering program also asked her to attend face-to-face meeting after major surgery

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Single mothers have told of having to miss paid work to attend a ParentsNext appointment or being encouraged to sign up to unnecessary training by providers running the federal government's $110m-a-year program.

The scheme, part of Australia's sprawling outsourced billion-dollar welfare-to-work system, pays companies and charities to provide guidance and support to single parents on benefits whose children are aged between nine months and five years old.

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