At the launch of their 2009 Annual Report Karen Kiernan, One Family Director reported that the national askonefamily helpline recorded a 24% increase in calls in 2009 as a direct result of the recession. Click here for more

Quiz Night @ Odessa Club

13 Dame Court, Dublin 2

July 27 @ 7.45

€15 per person and 4 people to a team.

Call to book today: 01-6629212  or  email: aokeeffe@onefamily.ie

Loads of great prizes and always great craic. Great way to spend a Tuesday night, and all in a good cause.

After our last successful night in Odessa Club in April we are holding another brain busting night to keep all you quiz enthusiasts content. Please help to spread the word by letting your friends know about our charity night.

Proceeds in aid of our Askonefamily National Helpline 1890-66 22 12.  Check us out on Facebook.

We want to take this opportunity to thank all our marathon runners who participated in Monday’s Women’s Mini Marathon.

We really appreciate both your physical and fundraising efforts. Although it was a wet day the turn out was fantastic. Everyone made it to the finish line safely and a little soggy. Nothing a good cup of tea and a hot bath didn’t cure.  So thank you! Read more »

Amy Petherbridge, a second year student at the Institute of Art, Design and Technology, gave us a glimpse of life  through a lens for one-parent families, with the photographs she showed at the recent IADT’s Loose Threads exhibition. Amy’s photographic project focused on young mothers under the age of 21 who are parenting alone. Through her work Amy sought to portray an intimate sense of each family and each mother’s personal strength.

Here are some of the images that Amy presented at the exhibition. To see more of Amy’s work visit her myspace page or flickr.

One Family has been working for the past four years with the Department of Social Protection (formerly Social & Family Affairs) to influence how lone parents on social welfare should be engaged with and supported towards attaining sustainable employment.

We conducted the only national survey ever done of people on the One-Parent Family Payment (OFP) and we found that 84% are working, seeking work or in education or training. This means that there is a huge willingness on the part of lone parents on social welfare to improve their circumstances and to move into sustainable employment.  For the summary and full report see: 

http://onefamily.ie/wp-content/uploads/Lone-Parents-Employment-Report-Summary12.pdf

http://onefamily.ie/wp-content/uploads/Lone-Parents-Employment-Research-Full-Report2.pdf

One Family will continue to work to influence the legislation as we still believe that these measures should not be mandatory and that has always been our position. It would be very helpful to our future work if you could share your concerns and ideas with us about what supports you think the government should put in place should they proceed with these changes. Please contact us on 01 6629212 or email info@onefamily.ie

You may have heard in the media of the plans to change the One Parent Family Payment and this has prompted lots of calls to our helpline Askonefamily* as parents are concerned and confused about what these changes will mean for them and their children. To find out more about what the changes will mean for you, click here.

For recent media on the topic see below:

One Family Director Karen Kiernan on The Last Word with Mike Soden, Today FM 31 May http://www.todayfm.com/Shows/Weekdays/Matt-Cooper/listen.aspx and go to The Last Word 5pm hour Monday: 31/5/2010 , click on the second item on that day’s show

Sunday Times 31 May http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/ireland/article7140295.ece

Irish Independent 31 May http://www.independent.ie/national-news/fury-at-heartless-o-cuivs-plan-to-cut-loneparent-payments-2200541.html

Irish Independent 31 May http://www.independent.ie/national-news/fianna-fail-under-pressure-anger-over-cuts-to-welfare-2201180.html

Thanks to everyone who helped to make our Big Night In and International Day of the Family celebrations such a huge success – and especially to everyone at EBS who supported us so generously – and also to those who sent their photos in to enter the draw for €1000. Families and friends held all types of events – from barbecues and marathon games nights, to music and story telling evenings – all in aid of the askonefamily helpline which is there to lend a listening ear and to offer advice and support to lone parents at a time when they really need it.  We got tons of great press coverage – so thanks to everyone on that too – and look forward to making the Big Night In an annual event. Check out our Updates page for more…