Stuart Duffin, One Family, Welfare to Work Manager, was at the 66^th Labour Party Conference in Galway over the weekend promoting One Family’s course of   action in response to Budget 2012.  All 750 copies of the paper, One Family – Ten Solutions – Smarter Futures were taken and read. One Family is advocating cost neutral administrative and management approaches which would facilitate those parenting alone back into work and education. There is overwhelming support for our stance on flexibilites; that is, that lone parents who transition to Jobseeker’s Allowance should not be required to be available for fulltime work but rather for 15 hours per week during school hours. This should mitigate many of the child protection concerns and parental caring responsibilities that have arisen around 7 year olds being left on their own. A series of flexibilities or exemptions are required as per the UK and many other countries to allow for a lack of childcare, lack of transport, a child with a disability, separation, bereavement, etc, This is a first step in a journey to ensure that lone parents and in particular children in lone parent families do not suffer disproportionally in the current economic climate.

See the full document here Ten Solutions

For more information on flexibilities for lone parents who are in receipt of Jobseeker’s Allowance.

Look here

Here is some relevant Census 2011 data on Lone Parents in Ireland:

1 in 8 people in Ireland live in a one-parent family,  567,311 persons out of a general population of 4,588,252.

1 in 4 (25.8%) families with children in Ireland is a one-parent family, 215,315 lone parent families out of 834,266 families with children.

Over half a million people live in one-parent families in Ireland, 567,311 persons

13.5 per cent of one-parent families are headed by a father, 29,031 lone fathers as opposed to 186,284 lone mothers.

1 in 5 (21.7%) children live in a one-parent family,351,996 children in one-parent families, out of a national total of 1,625,975 children

Press Release

ONE FAMILY & EBS LAUNCH FAMILY DAY AND ANNOUNCE DETAILS OF THEIR FAMILY DAY ART COMPETITION AND A PICNIC TO BE HOSTED IN DUBLIN’S IVEAGH GARDENS ON SUNDAY 13 MAY

IRISH BROADCASTER, IAN DEMPSEY CALLS ON FAMILIES ACROSS IRELAND TO CELEBRATE FAMILY DAY

5 April 2012 – To mark International Day of the Family, One Family, Ireland’s leading organisation for one-parent families, and EBS are inviting all families in Ireland to attend a Family Day Picnic and a free day of fun and entertainment in The Iveagh Gardens from 11am – 5pm on Sunday 13^th May 2012. Those who can’t make the picnic can hold their own event or enter the Family Day art competition by logging on to www.familyday.ie.

Today FM offer media support to Family Day and, speaking at the launch, broadcaster Ian Dempsey explained: “Family Day is an annual celebration of the diversity of families and family life across the world.” He added: “Families come in all shapes and sizes and Family Day is a day for everyone to celebrate their family, no matter what its make-up, and to think about what family really means.”

At the Family Day Picnic there will be lots of free events for families to take part in including family sports day activities, children’s entertainment, face painting, arts and crafts workshops as well as storytelling sessions. For those who don’t have time to prepare a picnic there will be a food village on site for the day serving a range of quality refreshments.

EBS have partnered with One Family for three years to mark International Day of the Family. Speaking today Aidan Power, Head of Marketing and Communications EBS, said: “EBS is delighted to be partnering with One Family to celebrate International Day of the Family for the third year in a row. Over the years it’s been great to see so many families take part and mark the day in some way. This year we’re also asking people to enter the Family Day art competition. It’s simple – all you have to do is draw your family and drop your entry into your local EBS office or post it to One Family. I hope everyone celebrates the day in some shape or form and I’m looking forward to seeing many of you on the 13^th of May.”

You could win €500*for you and your family through the Family Day art competition by simply drawing or painting your family portrait. Entries will be accepted from those under 18. Just drop your portrait into your local EBS office or post it to One Family, 2 Lower Pembroke St, Dublin 2 and you will be entered into a prize draw.

If you can’t make it to Dublin then you can hold your own event and register it at www.familyday.ie. The type of family event you hold is entirely up to you and can be held any time during the week of Monday 7^th – Sunday 13^th May. Organisations may want to organise a family themed arts and crafts project, or a story telling hour or even a formal talk. Families may prefer to have a family outing such as a treasure-hunt, or a family X-Factor competition.

Karen Kiernan, Director of One Family, the national organisation for one-parent families, said: “This year is One Family’s 40^th anniversary – and now more than ever, we need your help. Lone parents were badly affected by the last budget and we can hardly cope with the number of calls to our askonefamily national helpline. So, we’d be delighted if people would consider turning their events into fundraisers for our helpline so that we can reach out and help even more people who parent alone or share parenting – and their children.”

*Terms and conditions apply

For further information about how to celebrate Family Day with One Family and EBS log onto www.familyday.ie.

Ends/

For photographs of children with One Family, EBS and Ian Dempsey at the launch or further information please contact:

Karen Kiernan, Director, One Family 01-6629212 /086 8509191

Suzanne Sullivan, Q4PR, 086-3797291

Notes to editors:

UN definition of the family: “any combination of two or more persons who are bound together by ties of mutual consent, birth and/or adoption or placement and who, together assume responsibility for, inter alia, the care and maintenance of group members, the addition of new members through procreation or adoption, the socialisation of children and the social control of members”.

For more information on UN International Day of the Family see www.un.org/esa/socdev/family/IDF.html

About One Family:
One Family is Ireland’s leading organisation providing specialist support services for people parenting alone and sharing parenting. Services include parenting and skills training, counselling, parent mentoring and a national helpline askonefamily which can be reached on 1890 66 22 12 or www.onefamily.ie

We got loads of press coverage for the launch of our new Child Contact Centre service which is great. Here is One Family Director Karen Kiernan on The Last Word with Matt Cooper explaining all about it at 15 minutes into the clip. http://media.todayfm.com/listenback/98/monday/1/popup

1 in 8 people in Ireland live in a one-parent family (Census 2011)

• 567,311 persons out of a general population of 4,588,252.

1 in 4 (25.8%) families with children in Ireland is a one-parent family (Census 2011)

• 215,315 lone parent families out of 834,266 families with children.

• We previously reported 1 in 6 families in Ireland were one-parent families from the 2006 census data; however this was counting couples who had no children. Normative conceptions of family presuppose the presence of children and including couples, whether married or not, in the calculation is potentially misleading. Therefore we have calculated the above 1 in 4 figure using a base of all families with children in Ireland.

Over half a million people live in one-parent families in Ireland (Census 2011)

• 567,311 persons
• 29,031 lone fathers as opposed to 186,284 lone mothers.

13.5 per cent of one-parent families are headed by a father (Census 2011)

 1 in 5 (21.7%) children live in a one-parent family (Census 2011)

• 351,996 children in one-parent families, out of a national total of 1,625,975 children.

Press Release

Barnardos and One Family launch much needed

Service for Children and Separated Parents in Ireland

Dublin, 2 April 2012 – A new service for children whose parents are separated and who are unable to agree safe and appropriate arrangements for contact was launched today by Minister for Children Frances Fitzgerald, TD. The first-of-its kind in Ireland, the Child Contact Centre service provided by Barnardos, Ireland’s leading independent children’s charity, and One Family, Ireland’s leading organisation for one-parent families, is operating on a two year pilot in three locations in Dublin: Ballymun, Clondalkin and Tallaght.

A Child Contact Centre is a safe, friendly and neutral place where children can spend time with the parent(s) they do not live with. The aim of the service is to enable children, where possible, to grow up enjoying a positive relationship with both of their parents, even when they don’t live together. Specialist contact centres for children and families involved in marriage and relationship breakdown are common in many countries throughout Europe including Northern Ireland.

The Barnardos & One Family Child Contact Centre service provides a range of contact options including, supervised contact – where contact is supervised for one family at a time; supported contact – where contact is provided for a number of families at the same time, and handover contact – where an arrangement is agreed for one parent to bring their child to the contact centre to be collected by the other parent, without the parents needing to meet. Parents are offered additional family supports like counselling and a key worker to assist them in addressing the issues that led to them to needing to use a Child Contact Centre service, so that they can move on to self-arranged contact over time.

Karen Kiernan, Director of One Family explained, ‘The need for the service was identified in research carried out by One Family (Supporting Child Contact: the Need for Child Contact Centres in Ireland – Family Support Agency, 2010) which clearly identified a significant level of unmet need in relation to children of separated parents. The report shows that based on international provision, Ireland could require 37 such centres throughout the country.’

‘During the course of that research we consulted parents, legal professionals and family support workers and there is overwhelming support for such services. They are particularly vital in situations where there are high levels of conflict between parents, where a parent has had little previous contact with his or her children, or where there are concerns over the safety of the child,’ continued Ms Kiernan.

Francis Chance, Assistant Director of Children’s Services at Barnardos said, ‘The service responds to a need for families who, up until now, have been largely invisible, experiencing a high level of pain, hurt and distress. Family Law courts and judges have had very limited choices as to where to refer parents and children who are having difficulties managing contact. The Child Contact Centres fill that vacuum.”

‘Unfortunately many children have to walk an emotional tightrope while the most significant adults in their lives are deeply entrenched in conflict. By supporting families to manage contact, we are relieving children of a heavy burden, one they often carry on their own. In many cases it can be difficult for the parents to shift their focus away from their relationship to that of their child’s needs. Our focus is the best interests of the children and we look to align the parents as partners working on behalf of their child’s needs. The service brings huge benefit to the parents too, enabling both parents to develop a positive relationship with their child and giving them the peace of mind to know that their child is safe and supported during their contact with the parent they do not live with. Without the provision of specialist supports for separated parents and their children, there is a risk that more children will lose touch with the parent with whom they do not live, most often their father,’ Mr Chance continued.

The Barnardos & One Family Child Contact Centre pilot service is now fully operational in Ballymun, Clondalkin and Tallaght, with significant demand for the service from families, many of whom are involved in court proceedings. Since opening its doors, the service is actively supporting 28 families to create opportunities to have quality time together, some of whom having been out of one another’s lives for many years.

Parents participating in the service have said about their children:

“He is much more settled and has developed a good understanding of having two homes and does not see his mum and dad fighting anymore.”

“I think the staff take good care of the children and parents too.  They are very interested in the children’s needs and try to make the time with the parents very enjoyable for all concerned.”

“I am delighted, my son is a year and a half now and this is the most time I have spent with him getting to know his buzz…” (after first visit)

Speaking at the launch, Frances Fitzgerald, TD said, “As Minister for Children & Youth Affairs, my ultimate goal to seek to achieve the very best for Ireland’s children. Positive interaction between parents and children is pivotal to help achieve this. The contact centre pilot project is an excellent example of what can be achieved when we work together in the best interests of children and families, especially those in difficult or crisis situations.”

”I wish congratulate all involved in getting this project off the ground including One Family and Barnardos, the HSE, the Family Support Agency, Ballymun Regeneration and my own Department of Children and Youth Affairs”

The pilot of the Barnardos & One Family Child Contact Centre service is supported by a team of 28 volunteers who have been trained to assist in the provision of supported contact. The service is funded by: The Department of Children and Youth Affairs, The Family Support Agency, The Health Service Executive and Ballymun Regeneration.

Ms Kiernan concluded, ‘We very much appreciate the co-operation and support we are receiving from Minister for Children Frances Fitzgerald, her Department and our other funders. We look forward to rolling out of this much needed service throughout the country, in the future.’

Anyone can make a referral to the service by contacting Barnardos & One Family Child Contact Centre at childcontact@onefamily.ie or on 01 4032085/89/80 on Tuesdays from 9.30am – 1pm.

Mr. Chance concluded, “It has been an intensely positive and rewarding experience for the children involved and their parents. We look forward to discussing our interim evaluation findings with our funders later this year.”

The service is also available to children who are living in the care of the Health Service Executive and who need support to have contact with their parent(s).

ENDS

For further information or to arrange an interview with a spokesperson:

• Contact Hilary Fennell, One Family – 087 2359515
• Contact Irene Lawlor, Barnardos – 086 3980441

Note to Editors:

For more information on the Child Contact Centres see http://www.onefamily.ie/families/parenting-supports/child-contact-centres/ or www.barnardos.ie/

Summary of Supporting Child Contact: the Need for Child Contact Centres in Ireland – Family Support Agency, 2010) available here http://www.onefamily.ie/professionals/policy-research/research-reports/

About Barnardos

Barnardos supports children whose well-being is under threat, by working with them, their families and communities and campaigning for the rights of children. Barnardos was established in Ireland in 1962 and is Ireland’s leading independent children’s charity.

About One Family

One Family has been providing specialist family support services to people parenting alone and sharing parenting for 40 years.  Services include parenting and skills training, counselling, parent mentoring and national information supports.

Programme for the launch of Monitoring Integration in Dublin City

Co-hosted by The Integration Centre
and the Office for Integration, Community and Enterprise Section, Dublin City Council

One Family is Ireland’s leading organisation for one-parent families. We provide expert support to people parenting alone or sharing parenting and their children through our services, our life-long learning and welfare to work programmes.

We are compiling a panel of tutors/trainers(from across Ireland) to assist us in delivering our FETAC accredited programmes which cover personal and professional development; career planning; employability; communications; work experience; study skills and learning management; positive parenting; family communications; shared parenting and Dad’s workshops.  It is essential that you are able to demonstrate that you are educated to level 7 NFQ or equivalent; are an accredited facilitator (level 6 or above); or can demonstrate tutor and/or teaching proficiency. You must be able to clearly demonstrate the following competences:

Essential:

• Planning and enabling learning
• Principles and practice of assessment
• Equality and diversity
• Understanding  challenges for those parenting alone
• Teaching and learning in the lifelong learning sector.

Desirable:

• Delivering employability skills
• Evaluating learning programmes
• Understanding  motivation
• Understanding  challenges for those parenting alone

If you are interested in tendering and would like to join our panel please complete the form attached asap by Friday, 30 March and return to: Stuart Duffin, One Family, Cherish House, 2 Lower Pembroke Street, Dublin 2 or email sduffin@onefamily.ie. Stuart can also be contacted on 01 662 9212 if you want an informal discussion before submitting. Interviews will take place in the week beginning of 23 April.

Or alternatively you can download an application form

Download here [download]Application for tender[/download]

Return to Stuart Duffin

Email: sduffin@onefamily.ie

Thank you.

Media release
Embargo: 1pm 13 March, 2012

Are we ready for Single Working Age Payment – Lone parents need flexibility, childcare and jobs

One Family welcomes the publication of the Report on the Single Working Age Payment (SWAP) Proposal by the Joint Committee on Jobs, Social Protection and Education. As one of the key organisations consulted in the crafting of the report we agree with the Committee’s call to the Minister not to proceed with the proposal for SWAP at this time.

Karen Kiernan, Director of One Family explains: “Lone parents have been working in part-time jobs for many years because there is insufficient access to affordable and quality childcare. Particularly important is access to before and after school times to support full-time work, this was not even achieved when the economy was in boom and there were job opportunities.”

She continues: “Budget 2012 delivered a series of harsh cuts directed at lone parents who are trying to move off social welfare. The cutting of the income disregard (ie the amount someone can earn whilst in receipt of the One-Parent Family Payment) and cuts in supports for Community Employment are retrograde steps which move poor families deeper into poverty and takes them further away from the labour market, especially at a time when the Government is going to make them seek work when their youngest child is seven years old.”

The recommendations of the report support One Family’s fundamental and  ongoing message that currently there are not enough accessible jobs in Ireland to introduce the SWAP and none of the services recommended to support families move out of poverty  are in place and are unlikely to be in place in the near future due to fiscal constraints.

As a result of this, Stuart Duffin, One Family’s Welfare to Work Manager comments: “For lone parents to have accessible and sustainable work and move their families out of persistent poverty parents need quality, affordable childcare and when they are moved onto a single working age payment the eligibility criteria for seeking work needs to be on a part-time basis as is best practice in other countries.” (see notes to editor)

He continues:  “There also needs to be some  flexibilities for parents where their child has specific needs; where the family  has recently suffered from domestic violence; they may have just separated; be studying full or part-time or in an approved training programme; or be caring for an ill or disabled person full-time.”                            Ends

Spokespersons:

Karen Kiernan, Director One Family.                 T: 01 662 9212          M: 086-850-9191

Stuart Duffin, Welfare to Work Manager           T: 01 662 9212          M: 087-0622-023

Notes to editors:

Report on the Single Working Age Payment Proposal by the Joint Committee on Jobs, Social Protection and Education                                                              (Source )

Exemptions from expectation to be available for fulltime work for lone parents in other jurisdictions:

New Zealand

You may have circumstances that make it unreasonable for us to expect you to meet your work obligations. If this is the case, you may be able to get an exemption. Exemptions are temporary and the duration depends on your individual situation, such as:

• your child has special needs
• you’ve just separated
• you’ve recently suffered from domestic violence
• you’re studying full time at level 4 or above or in an approved training course
• your spouse or partner has recently died
• you’re more than 27 weeks pregnant or have complications with your pregnancy
• you’re caring for an ill or disabled person full-time.                                  (Source)

United States

The federal legislation entitled, Family Violence Option, allows states to provide time-limited exemptions from welfare eligibility requirements for victims of domestic violence. (Source)

Nordic countries

Several countries in Northern Europe have a conditional work requirement policy towards lone parents that recognises that it is unreasonable to force those parenting alone into work if affordable childcare is not available to them.                                          (Source)

United Kingdom

Single parents and jobseeker’s allowance – special rules focused on access to part-time work options and childcare.                                                                                (Source )

One Family is looking for volunteers to help plan our Family Day which takes place on Sunday 13^th May in the Iveagh gardens from 11-5pm. Family Day is a national celebration of the diversity of families and family life in Ireland. ‘Mothers’ Day is for mums and ‘Fathers’ Day is for dads but Family Day is for everyone to celebrate all types of families. We are looking for enthusiastic and friendly people to fill four roles. Programme assistant – helping sell advertising space for our programme; Raffle assistant – helping find prizes for our raffle; Stage assistant – helping to organise great entertainment on the day; Arts and Crafts assistant – someone to oversee the arts and crafts area.These volunteer roles would be ongoing until May 13^t but could be mostly done in your spare time. Please contact noconnor@onefamily.ie if you can help us!

One Family Director Karen Kiernan was on RTE TV’s Frontline last night with Joan Burton TD. Karen was speaking up for lone parents and the Jobbridge programme set up by government last week. Karen got to make a few points about the activation of lone parnents, http://www.rte.ie/news/av/2012/0227/thefrontline.html at 44 minutes in.

 Volunteers Needed for Media Research and Project Co-ordination for One Family 40th Anniversary

One Family is Ireland’s leading organisation for one-parent families. Set up as Cherish in 1972, with Mary Robinson as Chairperson, we mark our 40^th anniversary this year and have a number of campaigns and projects planned. We are looking for skilled volunteers or interns to help with the below projects:

• 40 Stories – written project
  Job: Gather information and write up stories from former clients, of their experience of parenting alone or sharing parenting and of their experience with One Family.

• An Oral History of One Family – audio project
  Job: Set up, record and edit interviews with the founders, early members and supporters of One Family.

• Celebrating One-parent Families – major awareness-raising campaign
  Job: Gather together and write up profiles of 100 high profile people who live in or come from a one-parent family. To help change attitudes towards one-parent families, this campaign shares information on some of the many well known one-parent families that exist in Ireland and elsewhere.

If you are interested in volunteering your time free of charge for a great cause –  and feel you have the required skill-set for any of the above – please email your CV to comms@onefamily.ie.  Many thanks!

Here is the Briefing document on Changes to OFP  from DSP on the (final) changes to the One Parent Family payment following the budget. If you’ve any questions feel free to contact askonefamily helpline 1890622122. Several additional points that came up in the discussion were:

• OPFP recipients who move on to the back to education scheme would not return to OPFP as new claimants but retain their original relation to the phasing in of the age reduction.
• The non-cohabitation rule will not apply to new OPFP recipients who move on to a CE scheme, because with the loss of double payments the criteria applicable to them will be only those of the CE scheme. This is only for NEW applicants, those who are currently on CE scheme and in receipt of double payment (their OPFP) would need to meet the non-cohabitation rule.
• The loss of the double qualified child increase for those OPFP recipients on CE will have this change automatically applied to their payment and will not need to contact Social Welfare.
• OPFP recipients who move on to CE scheme will not lose their fuel allowance.
• And finally, in relation to the phasing in of the new eligibility criterion, the date that the payment is cut is the child’s birthday and not the beginning  of the year. So for example, if the cut-off is 7 years of age, and the child enters the year at the age of six, they will retain eligibility until they turn 7.

One Family is so grateful to The Culwick Choir and all who attended their wonderful Messiah concert in St Patrick’s Cathedral – thanks to you all we raised almost €10,000 for our askonefamily helpline 1890 662212. Hallelujah! Here is a short audio piece on the event…http://monicashamsterwheel.wordpress.com/2012/02/06/794/

Niamh rang our askonefamily 1890 662212 helpline, here’s her personal story of parenting alone in Ireland in 2012. It will make you think….

I work in the Kildare area and am a single mother with two girls.  One eight year old and a three year old.

My youngest child goes to a local private creche four mornings and one afternoon and my eldest child has to go to the creche’s afterschool club at 2.45.  I depend on the help of my friend to collect her from school those days and drop her over to the after school club.

The cost is €120 a week and I dread the holidays and school breaks as it is a nightmare.  I have to pay for extra childcare for my eldest child. This can bring my childcare costs to €250 per week.  My wages are €320 a week and I receive at the moment €157 One Parent Family Payment, to be dropped to €148, with the earnings disregard dropping to €130 per week.  My work is of a caring and administrative nature. The children’s dad cannot help financially but does collect the children for me and takes care of the 3 year old when she isn’t at creche and I have to work. I have to be flexible on a week to week basis and never know until Friday what my next week’s work schedule will be.  The pressure and stress of this is sometimes unbearable.  I cannot hassle the children’s dad for money as a. I know he has none as he is unemployed at the moment and b. if he wasn’t unemployed I would have to pay a lot more childcare c.  I have to keep quiet with him as he is doing me a favour by collecting the children and looking after them when I need him to.  d. If he didn’t do this for me I wouldn’t be able to afford the extra childcare on my wages.  He enables me to keep my job.

My mortgage is €450 per month and I have a loan for house renovations as I had to get a new roof due to a major leak, payback of €100 per week.  I have furniture on H.P as we needed beds and a cooker and fridge and this is taken from my account every month.  I have union fees of €20 every month also and house insurance of €460, approx €8 a week. TV licence €3 per week, Bins €6 pw. ESB €20 pw, not inclusive of food and clothes and heat and the basics of living.  Now I have the €100 house charge and most likely water rates coming.

My children never had a holiday.  I work all summer to keep my head above water.  I feel guilty when my child tells me of her friend’s holidays.  I couldn’t get extra work with my employer as if I did, I would have to pay the creche extra.  The time is not available at work anyway and there is talk that we may be losing hours to keep the costs down.

I refuse to let this hurt or stop my children having a good life.  I sit and help with homework every evening and am making sure my children have a very good start in like with a good work ethic.  They realise you have to work to get money to live.  I do not want them thinking you don’t have to work for a living.

Unfortunately, while my children are so young I cannot contemplate taking on more work as they need me and will for many years.  These are their vulnerable years.  I started paying creche fees in 2003 and have paid approximately  €7500 a year, this is covering school summer holidays and Easter and Christmas breaks.  I have also had to pay for minders to come in when the children are sick and the creche won’t take them.  Double payment, as the creche still has to be paid.

Where it will all end, I do not know.  Why isn’t the government encouraging us single parents by giving us creche credits or a voucher for the creche that our children attend.  In that way,  we would be spending the money only on childcare, it would keep the creche in full employment creating jobs, reduce the number of people on the dole and leaving people with money to spend, thus creating more jobs.

I do not know why the government thinks that cutting our money will encourage people to want to work.  Sometimes I feel when I’m running around at six in the morning to get myself and two children ready for work and school and creche, what is the point? Why don’t I stay at home and be there all the time for the children. Forget creche, forget work, forget the stress of it all. Sell the house, pay the bank and go on the housing list and get help with my rent.  I’m trying to do everything right and I feel I am cut down at every turn.

Sorry for the ranting, it’s good to get it off my chest. But, I must be doing something right though as both my kids are very happy and the eldest was the top of her class in her Christmas exams.

Niamh, 2012

Ciara Conway T.D. has kindly given us permission to share the following information. Following our meeting with Ciara and our two page budget analysis, she raised several issues about the budget cuts with Minister Burton. Minister Burton’s letter of response is enclosed here and this is One Family Director Karen Kiernan’s response to Ciara Conway:

Dear Ciara,

Many thanks for corresponding with Minister Burton on our behalf. Whilst the letter provides factual information and some of it is drawn from the letter that will shortly go to parents in relation to the One-Parent Family Payment unfortunately it is still not clear what the Department’s strategy is in this area, what policy and research this was based on and how they will ameliorate the poor education levels of parents, the lack of employment and the absolute dearth of afterschool care.

Regrettably it has become clear to me that these cuts were made without reference to policy or research but were simply a means of cutting the budget without touching the principal rates of social welfare payments. What is even more unfortunate is that so many of these cuts have fallen on the shoulders of the poorest families and children in Ireland. One Family and our members will continue to speak and advocate on these issues and we appreciate your assistance to date and we look forward to working with you in the future.

Best wishes, Karen