AS the government launches plays to try and get mums back into work, a Newport single mother-of-three gives her first hand account of the difficulties she faces trying to juggle childcare and employment.

"I am extremely angry at the governments approach to getting single parents back to work, the thing is I'm a single parent with three small children from the ages of 2 to 5.

"In September 2007 I decided I was fed up with claiming benefits and got myself a job with kind help from the job centre.

"Then I had to find childcare for the little ones, for all three of my children to attend a private nursery five days a week.

"Don't worry the nice lady said in the job centre, tax credits will help towards the cost, just think you will be much better off she said. "To my disbelief the childcare fee's were £441 per week, but don't worry I thought tax credits will help towards the cost I shouldn't be left with to much to pay, otherwise there would be no point working.

"Oh wasn't I so wrong, tax credits contributed £240 towards the cost so I was left to pay £201 a week. I was only earning £221 so that left me £20 pound a week to support my family. Luckily I had the child benefit to top that up a bit.

"Apparently the most tax credits offer for how ever many children is £300 and they only pay 80% of that at £240.

"I was a single mother who desperately wanted to work to support my own family and when I did go back to work it was costing me so much in childcare I was worse off and got myself into a lot of debt as a result, I was basically unable to keep our heads above water, by April this year I gave it up.

"I would like to know are the government going to offer more help to single mothers like myself who want to work but cannot afford childcare? "They've introduced a new scheme across the country, flying start, affordable childcare in fact it's free nursery placements for children from the age of two, great I thought maybe I could get my girls into one of these scheme's then I could find a job around the hours of the nursery.

"To my surprise my girls are not entitled to a place because we got the wrong postcode. Yes that's right it's just like the cancer drugs, a postcode lottery.

"So that are all the barriers in my way, I ain't bone idle lazy, I want to work, I've always worked until I had my children but I cannot afford to work and I'm even unable to be apart of the flying start. "Whoever can answer my question, what am I suppose to do?

Is there anyone else in the same situation because I am fed up with being frowned upon for being a single mother claiming benefits, it's not a life I choose but I'm forced into.

"Does anyone know why the flying start scheme is a postcode lottery?"

Deanne Sansome, 28 from Newport