“It’s not fair and it’s lazy social policy”

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Lone Parents: being asked to make more sacrifices, rather than those with broader shoulders

One Family, Ireland’s leading organisation for one-parent families expresses their reaction to Budget 2013, ‘We’re looking for tailored help for families with children struggling to make ends meet as living costs rise” explains Stuart Duffin, Welfare to Work Manager.

He continues, “Those parenting alone keep being short-changed. The lowest paid families – often parents working with little pay – yet again are near the front of the queue for cuts. Child benefit, PRSI increase for low income workers, fuel, transport, property tax –  all have been taken away from family budgets which are already on the bread-line.’

As Karen Kiernan, Director of One Family further explains, “Lone parent families are doing their very best. Lone parents who are working hard to keep their families out of poverty are finding that the Government is making it harder and harder for them to make ends meet.”

She continues, “It is a matter of great concern that spending decisions keep on asking the poorest families to make more sacrifices, rather than those with broader shoulders.”

“We need to build and invest in jobs, housing and childcare, which will stimulate the economy and meet the needs of lone parent families,” concludes Stuart Duffin.                                                             

For more information contact

Stuart Duffin, Welfare to Work Manager, 087 0622023

Don’t place the burden of the Budget 2013 on the shoulders of children and one-parent families

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One Family, Ireland’s leading organisation for one-parent families, calls on Government not to place the burden of the budget on the shoulders of children and one-parent families.

‘Children don’t have the broadest shoulders in our society, and yet again they are carrying the weight of the budget’ says Stuart Duffin, One Family Welfare to Work Manager, ‘Child benefit is an essential part of the income of one-parent families. It allows parents to do what are considered quite basic things by a lot of people – such as buying healthy food, paying  basic fuel bills and it is supposed to go towards supporting  childcare costs.’
He goes on to point out that ideally, the wealthiest households should carry the greater tax burden in our society, but that this will not be the outcome after cutting Child Benefit across the board.  “The real issue is that this will have a fundamental impact on child poverty and on families’ living standards more generally – on average  40% of lone parents already are struggling to make ends meet at the end of the month (GUI, Nov 2012 ). €10 cut per month will increase this figure to over 60% and further deepen poverty.

There’s no getting away from the plain fact that child poverty has risen as a result of the horrendous cuts aimed at one-parent families in Budget 2012. Ministers should be moving heaven and earth to protect children and vulnerable families from cuts and prevent child poverty growing.”

“65% of poor children live in a one-parent family, so Budget 2013 has to be balanced and show that the Government is truly on the side of these families who want to get out of poverty by supporting lone parents to get into work rather than making it more difficult by slashing Community Employment scheme payments and the earnings disregard.’

Karen Kiernan, Director of One Family urges Ministers, TDs and Senators to introduced flexibility in respect of working hours requirement for lone parents moved onto Jobseekers Allowance (JA), ‘The acceptance of part-time work as sufficient for JA when lone parents come off the One-Parent Family Payment  is vital ; it will take into account the hours needed for parenting responsibilities while helping to address some of the childcare, afterschool and child welfare issues.’

 She continues, ‘The need for such flexibilities has already been recognised in many European countries and without a flexible work requirement framework, lone parents are left exposed to precarious and low-paid work that fails to lift them out of poverty.’[2]

For more information contact:

Stuart Duffin, Welfare to Work Manager, One Family T: 01 662 9212 M: 087-0622023

 

[2] Mary Murphy, Reframing the Irish Activation Debate: Accommodating Care and Safeguarding Social Rights and Choices, Studies in Public Policy, 23, 2008, pp 1-112

President Michael D. Higgins congratulates One Family

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We are so appreciative and thankful for all the good wishes which we’ve been getting for our 40th – many thanks. We thought we’d share the message of support sent to us by President Michael D. Higgins which was read out on the night of our celebrations:

I would like to send my best wishes to Cherish as you celebrate your 40th anniversary. For many years single mothers in our society were an excluded group, a people without a voice. I thank you for all you have done in promoting an inclusive citizenship by ensuring that lone parents and their children are treated with respect and are valued as a family within our society. Your contribution to changing the landscape for lone parents in this county has been a significant one. I congratulate you for your dedication and commitment and I wish you every success in the future.
Michael D. Higgins
Uachtarán na hÉireann
President of Ireland
You can also read the message from our founder Maura Richards O’Dea here
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To celebrate our 40th, we’ve been collected experiences from some of our clients over the years. These stories form a precious and informative archive – thanks so much to Christine, Kiva and Melissa for adding to those stories.

More clients share their One Family stories, read them here…

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 Thanks to more clients – Louise, Tracey and Maria – for sharing their experiences of One Family and of parenting alone or sharing parenting – we will be posting more of these stories over the coming weeks, all to mark our 40th anniversary.