Single mothers who can't get child support from "deadbeat dads'' may form a group to advance their interests.

They have the backing of Health and Social Services Minister Harry Soares but the proposal only earned lukewarm support from Women's Affairs Minister Lynda Milligan-Whyte.

"It's not an easy area,'' Sen. Milligan-Whyte told The Royal Gazette . "I am more interested in long-term solutions than I am in short term lobbying.'' Ms Keivamae Smith, spearheading the group, said single mothers were not getting the they support needed to raise their children.

As a consequence she is urging other mothers to come together in an organisation.

"Locking them up will not help,'' she said. "Although the suggestion that deadbeat fathers are placed on the stop list has some merit.

"Alternatively, if money is found on them at the airport some of it can be taken off them and given for their children before they are allowed to leave.'' Ms Smith said it was hard for Government to keep track of deadbeat fathers because they often changed jobs or claimed to have done so.

Ms Smith, a divorced mother of three, said Government needed to keep a better record of negligent fathers.

"You have to go through such red tape before you can get anything at all from social services for the children,'' she continued.

"Most mothers cannot afford lawyers to fight their cases in court and this lands them back to square one again.

"Fighting and carrying on on the phone does not make any sense because it does not help either the mother or the children.'' Mr. Soares said:"I would welcome any such group because they can bring a perspective to the table that is very unique and very special.

"It would also give more weight to the issue because we would know that it is the opinion of quite a few people.

"One of the problems we have is that we usually get one person's unique story but we don't know how that is repeated in the community.

"I personally would encourage them and would want to work with them very closely.'' However, Sen. Milligan-Whyte said a single mother's support group would not get her support because the problem of parents who abdicate responsibility for their children was too complex.

Sen. Milligan-Whyte said she had already set up a task force with a broad membership and one of its jobs was to look at parenting in general and single parenting in particular, as well as problems within marriages and divorce.

"It's not really as clear cut as forming a support group and the problem is solved,'' she added.

Sen. Milligan-Whyte said Government must use education as a tool to change delinquent parents' behaviour toward their children.

"We want to change the behaviour of fathers toward their children so that they accept the responsibility to educate and care for their children.'' This she said started within the home and in the school system so that men are made aware of parenting responsibilities.

"I would have thought that in 1995 we would have specific courses available to young people to educate them on the role of parents. If we don't have them we should have them and I think that the Minister of Education needs to look into that.'' But Sen. Milligan-Whyte said blame should not just fall on men because raising a child was a dual responsibility.

"It's a female problem too,'' she added. "Why are these women in many cases having children out of wedlock at a very early age?''