Budget 2009 must not neglect Ireland’s most vulnerable families

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One Family, the leading provider of specialist support services for one-parent families in Ireland, today 19 September 2008 launched its Pre-Budget Submission 2009. At a time when cutbacks are inevitable One Family calls on the Government to ensure that those already experiencing high levels of poverty and social exclusion are not asked to also carry the costs of the economic slowdown. The organisation highlighted the already rising levels of poverty experienced by one-parent families in Ireland with 33% of lone parent households living in poverty; a rate more than 4.5 times the national average.
Candy Murphy, Policy Manager, One Family today said: “Many lone parents contact us because they are having real difficulty making ends meet for their families. Often parents find that social welfare benefits are simply too low to keep their families out of poverty. Meanwhile many lone parents want to go back to work or education but cannot afford the childcare and other costs that go with that decision. They are left in a catch-22 position and it is the family that suffers.”
Ms Murphy continued: “The government has stated its desire to reduce poverty rates for lone parents and their children and to remove barriers to employment for this vulnerable group. We are today calling on the government to institute immediate changes in order to start to make this a reality in 2009.”
One Family’s Pre-Budget Submission 2009 calls on the Government to include measures that will raise the income of one-parent families, increase payments to children living in low income households and remove barriers to employment and education for lone parents.
Importantly in the light of ESRI expectations that the economy will return to a growth path in the not too distant future, One Family also calls on the government to adopt a longer term strategy aimed at  significantly reducing poverty rates among one-parent families. The aim of this strategy would be to reduce poverty rates among one-parent families to 2% by 2012. The key elements of this strategy are increased educational provision; reform of lone parent state reports in a manner that supports choice and opportunity; greater access to social housing; and provision of the medical card for children.
To compliment the work-related programme of reforms, One Family also calls for such a strategy to support better work-life balance initiatives that do not result in loss of income; to fund parenting supports; and to ensure better access to family supports.
One Family is particularly calling on the Government in Budget 2009 to:
  • Increase the One-Parent Family Payment (OFP) by €16 per week to €213.80
  • Increase the Qualified Child Allowance to €32 per week (from €24/week) and introduce significant increases in  the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance
  • Provide real supports for lone parents wishing to increase their involvement in the labour market including an increase in the earnings disregard for OFP to €500/week, an increase in the income limit for Family Income Supplement and introduce disregards for childcare costs in calculating eligibility to Rent Supplement as this is a significant poverty trap.
One Family Director Karen Kiernan said: “Lone parents and their children represent a group in our society which is experiencing very high levels of poverty and social exclusion. Particularly in a time of economic difficulty the state needs to ensure that this vulnerable group do not slip further into poverty. In addition urgent reform is needed to remove barriers and support lone parents who wish to enter, remain in and progress in employment.”
ENDS
For further information please contact
Karen Kiernan, 01 662 9212/ 086 850 9191

One Family Calls for Parenting and Childcare Supports for One-Parent Families

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  • With the launch of its Annual Review 2007 One Family calls for the provision of quality parenting and childcare supports for lone parents to move out of poverty and into employment
  • One Family research on Lone Parents & Employment indicates that the majority (80%) of lone parents are currently in education, training or employment and that of those not currently employed 60% want to and are looking for work
1 SEPTEMBER 2008: A leading organisation providing support services to one-parent families in Ireland, One Family, is calling on the Government to ensure adequate childcare and parenting supports are available to lone parents moving from welfare to work. The call is being made to coincide with the launch of the organisation’s Annual Review 2007. One Family research on Lone Parents & Employment, begun in 2007 and due to be launched in November 2008, shows that the majority of lone parents want to work but also believe in the importance of their parenting role and may need support in parenting and childcare to ensure their family needs are met.
Preliminary findings from One Family’s research, supported by the Department of Social and Family Affairs and funded by the Combat Poverty Agency, show that 80% of the lone parents participating in the research are currently working, looking for work or engaged in education or training; 60% of those not currently in employment were looking for work and wanted to be in employment. However, many lone parents felt that participation in employment should not be at the expense of parenting but that it should accommodate and compliment an important parenting role.
Candy Murphy, Policy & Research Manager, One Family said: “These findings indicate that lone parents require a high level of flexibility in relation to employment. People parenting alone have to organise their work around parenting responsibilities and childcare options which means that most end up working part-time hours and experience limited financial reward in relation to employment. This creates a situation where work simply does not pay for lone parents; any government plans to move lone parents from welfare to work must address these barriers and provide substantial parenting and childcare supports to lone parents in order to make work viable for this vulnerable group.”

Definition of family in Irish Constitution no longer valid in today’s Ireland

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  • One Family calls for equal respect and value for all one-parent families under the Irish Constitution as the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, the Free Legal Advice Centre and the Irish Penal Reform Trust launch a Shadow Report for the UN Human Rights Committee’s examination of Ireland’s compliance with the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights.
  • Half a Million people in Ireland live in a one-parent family.
  • 1 in 6 families in Ireland are a one-parent family.

Monday 14 July 2008: A leading national support organisation for one-parent families, One Family, is calling for equal respect and value for all one-parent families under the Irish Constitution.  One Family welcomes today’s (14 July 2008) launch of a shadow report detailing Ireland’s compliance to the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). One Family along with many other NGOs have contributed to the production of this report which will be used to further the promotion of human rights in Ireland .The report, being launched by the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, the Free Legal Advice Centre and the Irish Penal Reform Trust incorporates recommendations on Article 23 of the ICCPR to the effect that the Irish Constitution be changed to give full equality to all families under Irish law and also to ensure an ending to  the practice where the welfare of the child is not given paramount consideration in all family law proceedings.
One Family has long maintained that the definition of a family as laid down in the Irish Constitution “is no longer valid in today’s society” and is completely “out of touch with reality” as it is defined traditionally through judicial interpretation to mean the family based on marriage.”
Candy Murphy, Policy Manager of One Family said “It is extremely important to recognise one-parent families for the strong family units they are and we are calling on the Government to change the Irish Constitution to reflect this.  In our view all families should be recognised within the Constitution and families in difficulties supported, particularly those that are especially vulnerable. It’s about equality for all families and particularly all children.”
One Family has being in existence for 36 years and provides a range of services for one-parent families in Ireland. Services include parenting and skills training, counselling and parent mentoring and a wide range of information supports.
ENDS
For further information please contact
Catherine Joyce, Communications Manager 01 664 0125/ 086 343 2542
Candy Murphy, Policy Manager 01 662 9212/087 293 3180
Editor’s Note: The UN Human Rights Committee’s examination of Ireland’s human rights record takes place in Geneva on Monday 14 July and Tuesday 15 July.
The examination is the first by the UN Human Rights Committee since 2000 and will provide a definitive assessment of Ireland’s human rights record.

One Family Expresses Condolences to the Family, Friends and Colleagues of Seamus Brennan T.D.

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One Family sends its sincere condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Seamus Brennan T.D. who the organisation worked closely with during his time as Minister for Social and Family Affairs. While in that role, Seamus Brennan T.D. was involved in progressing positive initiatives aimed at improving the lives of the most vulnerable people in our society through changes in the social welfare system.
Candy Murphy, Policy Manager of One Family said: “Seamus Brennan T.D. was actively engaged in a process of policy reform aimed at reducing poverty and social exclusion affecting one-parent families in Ireland and had a very positive relationship with One Family.”
Karen Kiernan, Director, One Family said “Everyone in One Family wishes to express our deepest sympathies to Mr. Brennan’s family, friends and colleagues.”

One Family’s Submission to the Joint Committee on the Constitutional Amendment on Children May 2008

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Introduction

In general One Family supports the submissions to the joint committee made by the Ombudsman for Children and by the Children’s Rights Alliance. One Family is therefore limiting its response to Clause 1 (Article 42(A).1), Clause 2 (Article 42(A) 2.1) and Clause 4 (Article 42(A).4.

Submission-PDF file -May-2008