Systemic barriers keeping one-parent families in poverty, parents tell Taoiseach’s Child Poverty Summit

Lone parents from One Family’s Advocacy Project highlighted multiple, intersecting barriers that are negatively contributing to child poverty and well-being. Housing, childcare and access to social welfare payments were all highlighted by parents as critical issues that need urgent action if child poverty levels are to be reduced.

“I’m a working-class single parent and I really feel we are completely forgotten about” – Shauna*, lone parent of one child

Shauna spent five years studying for her degree and Masters, while caring for her child and maintaining a part-time job. When the landlord decided to sell the apartment she had been renting, she was forced to move county and stay with friends and family to avoid her and her child entering emergency accommodation. She now pays 25% of her income for social housing which is damp and mouldy and doesn’t have sufficient space for her child to play. Her medical card is going to expire soon and she’s not eligible for back-to-school support payments because she is working full-time.

“I followed the rules, I played by the handbook, and yet here I am, faced with another barrier… I do wonder if I would’ve been better off waiting to go back to work full-time. I’m a working-class single parent and I really feel we are completely forgotten about.”

“In the last year, my childcare has increased by nearly 200%” – Charlotte*, lone parent of one child

Charlotte drives 100km every day to access childcare for her child as she can’t find anywhere nearer to her. Without this childcare, she cannot work and is the sole provider for her child. On the days her or her child are too tired to get up two hours early to make the commute, her subsidy on the National Childcare Scheme is reduced, increasing the cost of her childcare. In the last two years, her childcare fees have increased by nearly 200%.

“I would be better off financially if I was on social protection payments as then I would entitled to go on the housing list” – Deirdre*, lone parent of three children

Deirdre spent three years on the housing list and was finally told she and her children were going to get a home. However, as part of her income assessment, her child maintenance was included as income despite it not being paid consistently and as a result, her income was slightly about the threshold for social housing allocation. The Department of Social Protection excludes child maintenance from income assessment, but the Department of Housing doesn’t
This inconsistent State approach is leaving parents like Deirdre trapped in housing insecurity and is having a devastating impact on their lives.

*Parents used a pseudonym to protect their identity

One Family called on policymakers and attendees to use the power they have to make positive systemic changes in Budget 2026 to address poverty and deprivation in one-parent families, including:

Housing

• Develop a Family Homeless Strategy in the next national housing plan and allocate the funding required to tackle record rates of family homelessness, particularly for one-parent families.
• Allocate adequate budget allocated for the Tenant in Situ (TiS) scheme to meet demand, until social housing delivery is ramped up.
• Increase Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) and Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) rent limits and discretionary rates in line with local market rents.

Childcare

• Provide free childcare via the National Childcare Scheme to lone parents returning to education or employment.
• Transition to a public system of early years childhood education and care, including pre- and post-school care.

Address income inequality

• Increase Child Support Payment by €10 for children aged under 12 and €20 for children aged over 12.
• Increase income disregards for One Parent Family Payment and Jobseekers’ Transitional Payment to 16.5 hours of National Minimum Wage.
• Increase Back To School Clothing & Footwear Allowance by€100 for children aged 4-11 and by €156 for children aged 12-22 who are in full-time second level education and repeat payments at 6-month intervals to accommodate needs of growing children.

 

Carly Bailey, Policy Manager at One Family said:

“Most of Ireland’s poorest children can be found in one-parent families. There are solutions to the unacceptably high rates of child poverty and deprivation, but we need the political will to action necessary change. The parents in our Advocacy Project powerfully highlight the multiple, overlapping barriers which create poverty and deprivation. These barriers are not unbreakable; they were designed by our systems and can be dismantled by the people in the room at this Summit. It’s critical that government learns from the experiences they’ve shared today and takes the urgent action in Budget 2026 to meaningfully address child poverty and well-being.”

Denise Charlton, Chief Executive of Community Foundation Ireland added:

“Rising levels of child poverty during a period when our national finances remain in good order are unacceptable. One Family is again highlighting the harsh everyday choices between meals, clothing or household bills which are being made in thousands of homes every day. It is time for these voices to be heard. The case for action is compelling, as a philanthropic hub the Community Foundation listens to the insights of partners like One Family, as we do to our research partners in this space, like the Economic and Social Research Institute. We cannot let child poverty be our legacy.”

[ENDS]
For more information, please contact Vicky Masterson, One Family Communications Manager on 083 447 0645 / vmasterson@onefamily.ie

Notes to Editor:

1. One Family’s Advocacy Project aims to embed the experience and voice of one-parent families in the areas where policy and legislation changes occur. The project gives lone parents an opportunity to share their experience and perspective on the social and economic challenges facing one-parent families and advocate for the changes needed to improve their lives. Panel members are given the opportunity to work with One Family to develop our policy and advocacy work and also with decision makers in the Dáil, our local councils, government departments and in Europe, as opportunities arise. This 2-year project is funded by UBIDAC via The Community Foundation of Ireland.

 

2. One Family Ireland was founded in 1972 as Cherish and is Ireland’s national organisation for one-parent families and people sharing parenting or separating, offering support, information and services to all members of all one-parent families, to those sharing parenting, to those experiencing an unplanned pregnancy and to professionals 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 askonefamily national helpline on 0818 66 22 12, counselling, and provision of training courses for parents and for professionals. For further information, visit onefamily.ie.

 

3. The Child Poverty and Wellbeing Summit bring together leaders, policymakers, practitioners, and change-makers from across sectors to explore how we can drive systemic change that delivers results for children. The Summit, which is also being live-streamed, will spotlight collaborative approaches, examine what’s working, and surface the bold ideas needed to address the structural barriers that keep children and families in poverty. The Summit will be livestreamed here.