Are you a lone parent who has recently returned to work? Could you help One Family to pilot our new online programme on work-life balance for working lone parents this October and November? We are looking for: • Lone parents who are currently in work; • With reliable internet access via a computer or smart phone, and; • Availability to take part during October-November 2017. Modules included in this brand new free online course for lone parents who have just re-entered the workforce: 1. Communicate more effectively with your employer; learn to ask your employer the right questions to get what you need. 2. Your rights and[...]

One Family offers an exciting suite of training programmes for people who are parenting alone, or sharing parenting after separation, including a number of free courses; and also programmes for professionals who work with parents, children and families. Whether returning to education or employment, building on skills to strengthen family life, or continuing professional development, Autumn is the perfect time of year to start working towards something that can bring rewards now and in the new year to come. Our courses incorporate 45 years of experience in supporting parents. Your perfect training opportunity may be just a click away. Read on to find out[...]

One Family is hiring. We are seeking experienced facilitators to deliver our programmes for parents. One Family has developed manualised programmes which will be delivered by facilitators in both our Parenting and Programmes services. Our programmes aim to support lone parents to meet the challenges of parenting alone and progress into sustainable training, education and employment opportunities.   To find out more about the role and application process, please go to our Vacancies page here.[...]

Valerie Maher, our Policy & Programmes Manager, writes about some of our recent policy work. The Policy Service has been very busy over the summer. We attended the Social Inclusion Forum in June with a member of our volunteer Policy Panel who is parenting alone. The Forum encourages discussion on social inclusion issues between officials from Government Departments, Community and Voluntary Organisations and people experiencing poverty. In July, we developed our Pre-Budget Submission and attended the Pre-Budget Forum hosted by the Department of Social Protection.This year our submission is focussed on in-work supports, childcare, housing, child poverty, reforming our family law system[...]

The Department of Education has today issued a review completed by academics at Maynooth University which sought to identify the barriers lone parents face in accessing higher level education. The review also examined the trends in participation and completion rates by lone parents in higher education and the range of measures that are currently available to support lone parents. One Family was consulted as part of this process as a representative stakeholder group. The recommendations of the Report echo One Family’s recent Pre-Budget Submission. Lone parents need additional supports that recognise their parenting responsibilities in order to access educational opportunities. A summary[...]