UnitingCare Wesley says the effects of parenting payment changes are starting to emerge, with some single-parent families cutting back or rethinking their food budgets.

Last week, the relief group Foodbank said the need to feed hungry schoolchildren was increasing in regional areas.

Single parents now go onto the lower Newstart Allowance when their youngest child turns eight.

UnitingCare Wesley’s Andrew Cockington says there are problems for single parents in the mid-north and north, where there are higher food and transport costs.

Mr Cockington says some the higher costs make the problem worse and parents’ stress levels are rising.

“When they’re under stress there’s always a flow-on effect to their children in health and wellbeing, you know short temper, or it might be just living in stress means you’re not doing the positive things that your children need,” he said.

“So that does really concern us and it’s a bit of a focus of our work at the moment that people think that through and acknowledge that, so that hopefully it can reduce the impact on children.”