Has your One Parent Family payment ended?

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Some people will no longer qualify for the One Parent Family Payment (OFP) from 4 July 2013. If you are getting no other payment you may qualify for other income supports. A Jobseeker’s Allowance transition payment is available, which aims to support lone parents with children under 14 years of age back into the workforce. You need to make a new claim for these payments.

If you are working and are already getting a Family Income Supplement (FIS) your FIS payment will automatically increase when your OFP ends. This will partially make up for the loss of the OFP.

If you are unsure of what you can access and are struggling financially, please call our askonefamily Lo-call Helpline on 1890 662 212 or email us.

Q&A

1.    Q. My payment is due to end in July as my youngest child is 18, can I avail of the Jobseeker’s Allowance – Transition scheme?

A:  No, the Jobseeker’s Allowance – Transition scheme will only apply to those whose youngest child is under 14 so if you are applying for Jobseeker’s Allowance you will be subject to the full conditionality of being available for and genuinely seeking full time work.

2.    Q. My payment is due to end in July and my youngest child is 11.  I am working 5 mornings a week from 10 to 12 noon, can I apply for Jobseeker’s Allowance – Transition?

A:  Yes, because your child is under 14 you can apply for Jobseeker’s Allowance – Transition and although you are employed for 5 days in the week you are still eligible for this payment, subject to the means test.

3.   Q. I started receiving OPF in November 2011. My child is 14 now and my payment is going to end as the age conditions changes from 14 to 12 in July.  What payment am I eligible for as I am job seeking already?

A: As your child is already 14 then you can apply for Jobseeker’s Allowance and you will need to meet the full conditionality of the payment of being available for and genuinely seeking full time work.

 

 

 

 

Public call to give one-parent families an equal chance for economic well-being in Budget 2014

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Press Release

(Dublin, Friday 19 July) Today One Family, Ireland’s leading organisation for one-parent families, calls on members of the public to email and connect with their local TDs to demand the implementation of One Family’s “10 Solutions for Smarter Futures,” a series of ten no-nonsense, low or no-cost actions that government must implement to better the lives of the adults and children in one-parent families who continue to experience the highest rates of poverty in Ireland. 2014 is the 20th anniversary of Family Day as proclaimed by the UN – the Irish Government should reflect this by giving one-parent families an equal chance.

There are over 215,000 one-parent families in Ireland today and over half a million people living in one-parent families. One Family calls on each of these families, and everyone who knows a member of a one-parent family, to join in the campaign by emailing their local TD to ensure that all of Ireland’s families can enjoy a higher quality of life.

One Family Director of Policy and Programmes, Stuart Duffin, commented: “The 10 Solutions are all about delivering some of the supports needed to enable lone parents to have Smarter Futures out of poverty, off social assistance and into quality sustainable jobs.  These solutions may not require a lot of money but they do require public services and policy makers to think and behave creatively in order to deliver more appropriate and effective services for their customers and constituents.”

10 Solutions for Smarter Futures is part of One Family’s Strategy 2013-2015, launched last month on the 28th.  These solutions are focused on improving the well-being of Ireland’s one parent families, and they are changes that will benefit everyone. Just over 87,000 people are in receipt of the One-Parent Family Payment (OFP).  Mr. Duffin explains: “The new Jobseekers Allowance payment, which responds to our call for Flexibilities, is designed to allow former recipients of OFP whose youngest child is under 14 years of age to avail  of Minister Burton’s activation services to return to work, education or training. The implementation of 10 Solutions for Smarter Futures would make a real difference for lone parents as they move into the workplace, education and/or training as the solutions fully recognise the particular difficulties that can be faced by those parenting alone such as lack of child care and long-term absence from the labour market.”

Mr. Duffin commented further: “To help some of the poorest children in Ireland have a better life, please champion and advocate for 10 Solutions.”

One Family’s Number 1 solution is:

Flexibilities: allow lone parents who are moving to Jobseeker’s Allowance to seek only part-time work during the school term in order to assist lone parents who have a child with a disability or lack of access to childcare or are coping with a bereavement or separation.

Others include: solution 5 – Responsive Learning; solution 6 – Progression Opportunities; solution 10 – Poverty and Parent Proofing.

Members of the public are invited to visit www.onefamily.ie to learn more about 10 Solutions for Smarter Futures and to add their voices to the campaign by availing of the facility there to email their TDs. For additional information, they may also email: solut10ns@onefamily.ie.

Notes for Editors:

  • 1 in 4 families with children in Ireland is a one-parent family
  • Over half a million people live in one-parent families in Ireland
  • Almost 1 in 5 children (18.3%) live in a one-parent family (Census 2011)
  • There are over 215,000 one-parent families in Ireland today (25.8% of all families with children; Census 2011)
  • 87,586 of those are currently receiving the One-Parent Family Payment.
  • Those living in lone parent households continue to experience the highest rates of deprivation with almost 56% of individuals from these households experiencing one or more forms of deprivation (EU-SILC 2011).
  • The full 10 Solutions for Smarter Futures document is available to read here.
  • Twitter #10Solutions

 

About One Family

One Family was founded in 1972 and is Ireland’s leading organisation for one-parent families offering support, information and services to all members of all one-parent families, to those experiencing an unplanned pregnancy and to those working with one-parent families. Children are at the centre of One Family’s work and the organisation helps all the adults in their lives, including mums, dads, grandparents, step-parents, new partners and other siblings, offering a holistic model of specialist family support services. These services include the lo-call askonefamily national helpline on 1890 622 212, counselling, and provision of training courses for parents and for professionals. One Family also promotes Family Day, an annual celebration of the diversity of families in Ireland today, with almost 10,000 people attending events this year on 19 May (www.familyday.ie). For further information, visit www.onefamily.ie.

 

Available for Interview

Stuart Duffin, Director of Policy & Programmes | t: 01 662 9212 or 087 062 2023

 

Further Information/Scheduling

Shirley Chance, Director of Communications | t: 01 662 9212 or 087 414 8511

 

One Family attends pre-budget workshop today, our key messages tracked

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One Family and the National One Parent Network attended the pre-budget workshop today – a much better interactive approach than previous years. One Family’s key messages and all of our ten solutions in our campaign 10 Solutions for Smarter Futures can be tracked in the Minister’s Department’s thinking about Budget 2014.

Work must pay; therefore in-work supports for those parenting alone must be delivered including:

  • the reform of FIS;
  • affordable, accessible and quality childcare;
  • tailored supports for families so that the most disadvantaged are supported;
  • outcome-based budgets which enforce departments to deliver joined-up thinking for the whole of Government prioritised. That helps to make public resources last, and aids decision makers in prioritising public and social investments that align with the services and supports that people, families and communities have told Government they need to achieve economic independence.

The Department of Social Protection’s budget is a key mechanism in delivering social investment.  Our recommendations are aimed at ensuring that better supports are provided for families. Helping people to better participate in and benefit from inclusion in the economy and community will both encourage economic activity over the short term and provide a strong foundation for longer-term economic growth.

One Family looks forward to working with the government and other stakeholders in this transformation of Ireland’s antiquated social assistance system. As the transformation begins, it is crucial that existing programmes and allowances be kept in place. New supports and programmes must be fully implemented before cuts or reductions in current benefits are made. Incomes for people on social assistance are so marginal that every Euro counts, and every Euro is spent in the local economy which contributes to sustained local economic development.

Annual Review 2012 and Strategy 2013-2015

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We are pleased to launch our Annual Review 2012 and Strategy 2013-2015, which may be read and/or downloaded by clicking on the links below:

One Family Annual Review 2012

One Family Strategy 2013-2015

Waiting lists for family supports grow, families get poorer and abortion is debated, again

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Press Release

Waiting lists for family supports grow, families get poorer and abortion is debated, again

(Dublin, Thursday 27 June) One Family, Ireland’s leading organisation for one-parent families, launches its Annual Review 2012 and Strategy 2013-2015 tomorrow, Friday 28 June. In addition, the achievements of participants of its training courses will be celebrated at a Graduation ceremony in the beautiful Pillar Room, Rotunda Hospital, Dublin.

One Family recorded an overall 5% increase in demand for services and worked with over 1,500 parents and children despite ongoing funding cuts as the struggles intensified for many families in 2012. People parenting alone, sharing parenting and families in transition availed of a range of specialist services from One Family including counselling, parenting supports, welfare to work training courses, information and Child Contact Centre services.

CEO Karen Kiernan, in speaking about the rise in client numbers in One Family’s Annual Review 2012 commented: “Across all of our areas of service, demand and delivery grew. These figures accurately demonstrate the reality of day to day existence for so many families in Ireland now. There is huge financial and emotional stress on many parents, which is often also experienced by children; and as One Family has seen at our Child Contact Centres, there is a notable increase in the need for supports for people sharing parenting following domestic violence.”

Ms Kiernan elaborated: “Given the ongoing debate on abortion you might be forgiven for thinking all children and families are wanted and well supported in Ireland. This is far from the truth. Poverty levels have increased, Budget 2012 hit poor one-parent families very hard, more people are separating due to financial stresses and resources are not getting to some very vulnerable families who need help. Despite the fact that we have delivered even more services with even less income, we now have waiting lists operating on most of our services and we cannot deal with the amount of families that need support to get through their particular crisis.”

One Family’s Strategy 2013-2015 is also being launched tomorrow. The organisation will continue to work to improve the quality of life for one-parent families and to leverage expertise nationally to reach isolated families around Ireland. It has called on government to implement Ten Solutions for Smarter Futures; ten no-cost or low-cost measures designed to facilitate lone parents to transition into the workplace or education which were developed in response to the harsh cuts aimed at lone parents in Budget 2012. Stuart Duffin, Director of Policy & Programmes, explained: “Ten Solutions is a proactive message to government detailing ten no-nonsense actions which could facilitate lone parents back to work, education and/or training while reflecting their caring responsibilities.”

Maura O’Dea Richards, founding member of One Family (established in 1972 as Cherish), will be welcomed as Keynote Speaker at tomorrow’s launch, and said: “I never could have imagined that in 2013 I would still be saying this same thing: it is time for an Ireland where every child born is welcomed and where every family type is honoured. I hope that another 40 years does not pass before our Constitution reflects the realities of family life in Ireland.”

Events tomorrow conclude with a celebration as over 150 participants graduate from One Family’s training courses of the past year and will be awarded their Certificates.

Notes for Editors

About One Family

One Family was founded in 1972 and is Ireland’s leading organisation for one-parent families offering support, information and services to all members of all one-parent families, to those experiencing an unplanned pregnancy and to those working with one-parent families. Children are at the centre of One Family’s work and the organisation helps all the adults in their lives, including mums, dads, grandparents, step-parents, new partners and other siblings, offering a holistic model of specialist family support services. These services include the lo-call askonefamily national helpline on 1890 622 212, counselling, and provision of training courses for parents and for professionals. One Family also promotes Family Day, an annual celebration of the diversity of families in Ireland today, with almost 10,000 people attending events this year on 19 May (www.familyday.ie). For further information, visit www.onefamily.ie.

Available for Interview

Karen Kiernan, CEO One Family | t: 01 662 9212 or 086 850 9191

Stuart Duffin, Director of Policy & Programmes | t: 01 662 9212 or 087 062 2023

Further Information

Shirley Chance, Director of Communications | t: 01 662 9212 or 087 414 8511