One Family has outlined below the main changes in Budget 2026 announced on 7th October 2025, which may impact on people parenting alone. If you have any further queries, please call the askonefamily helpline Monday-Friday on 0818 662212 or 01 6629212 or email us at helpline@onefamily.ie.

Social Welfare Supports

Core Social Welfare Payments

Maximum rate of all core weekly payments increases by €10 from January 2026 including One-Parent Family Payment, Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment, Jobseeker’s Allowance and Carer’s Allowance. There will be proportionate increases for people getting a reduced rate of payment.

• The Child Support Payment (formerly Increase for a Qualified Child) for dependent children aged 12 and over increases by €16, to €78, in all weekly payments from January 2026.
• The Child Support Payment for dependent children up to age 12 increases by €8, to €58, in all weekly payments from January 2026.
• €10 increase in Maternity/Paternity/Adoptive/Parent’s Benefit from January 2026.
• There were no changes made to Child Benefit.
• An increase of €5 to €32.50 per week top-up from January 2026 for those participating in the Community Employment Programme, Rural Social Scheme and Tús. This is in addition to an increase of €10 for most weekly social welfare payments.
• Return of full Christmas Bonus for those on certain social welfare payments has been confirmed. 100% Christmas Bonus will be paid in early December 2025.
• Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance extended to children aged 2 and 3, who are eligible for this allowance. The rate of €160 per year for children under 12 and €285 for children aged 12-22 years remains unchanged.
• No changes to the income disregard for Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment (JST) and One-Parent Family Payment which will remain at €165 per week. The disregard also continues to be unavailable to those in self-employment who receive JST.

Working Family Payment

• The Working Family Payment threshold will increase by €60 per week regardless of family size from January 2026 in line with increases to the minimum wage. This means more people may qualify for the payment. If you already receive it, you may see a small increase in your weekly payment, depending on your net household income. Please note any increases in your net take home pay or social welfare payments will be included in the means test at your next review. The new Working Family Payment income thresholds are:

One child- €765; Two children- €866; Three children- €967; Four children-€1058; Five children- €1184; Six children- €1300; Seven children- €1436 and Eight or more children- €1532

Fuel Allowance

• Fuel Allowance will increase by €5 to €38 per week from January 2026. This is paid from late September to April each year for a total of 28 weeks.
• Those getting the Working Family Payment will now automatically qualify for Fuel Allowance regardless of how much they earn or their household composition. This will be paid in March 2026 and backdated to January 2026.
• People moving from Disability Allowance or Blind Pension to take up work from September 2026 will keep their Fuel Allowance for 5 years.

Supports for Carers & People with Disabilities

• €10 increase in the maximum weekly rate of Carer’s Allowance, Carer’s Benefit & Disability Allowance with proportionate increases for people receiving a reduced rate from January 2026.
• Domiciliary Care Allowance will increase by €20 to €380 per month with effect from January 2026.
• Carer’s Allowance income disregard will increase by €375 to €1000 for a single person and by €750 to €2000 for a couple from July 2026. This is the amount of weekly assessable household income that is excluded from the means test.
• The income limit for Carer’s Benefit will increase by €375 to €1,000 per week from July 2026.
• People with children getting Disability Allowance or Blind Pension will be eligible for the Back to Work Family Dividend when taking up employment and coming off their primary social welfare payment.

Childcare

• 2,300 new Early Years places will be created through the Building Blocks Scheme, an expansion grant for existing childcare providers.
• No increases in childcare subsidies under the National Childcare Scheme.

Education – Primary and Third Level

• The Student Contribution fee is permanently reduced by €500 from €3,000 to €2,500 for higher education students eligible for the free fees initiative. The fee reduction will apply to the 2025/26 academic year. This replaces last year’s temporary cost-of-living reduction of €1,000 which effectively means that students will have to pay €500 more than they did last year.
• Household income threshold for SUSI grants increasing to €120,000 per year for the 2026/27 academic year.
• Funding announced for 1,717 new Special Needs Assistant (SNA) posts and 1,042 new teaching posts.

Taxation

• National minimum wage up 65 cents to €14.15 per hour, effective from January 2026.
• No increases to any tax credits in 2026.
• No increases to the Single Person Child Carer Credit.
• No increases to the income tax standard rate cut-off point.
• The ceiling of the 2% USC band will increase by €1,318 to €28,700. The change was made to ensure the salary of a full-time worker on the minimum wage will remain outside the higher rates of USC.
• The USC exemption for medical card holders stays in place.
• Petrol and diesel auto fuel prices will increase by approximately 2.5 cent per litre, effective immediately, due to an increased carbon tax. New carbon tax rate to be applied to other fuels such as coal, gas, home heating oil and briquettes, from 1 May 2026.
• Reduced 9% rate of VAT on gas and electricity bills to be extended to 31st December 2030.

Housing

• Rent Tax Credit of €1,000 per year for an individual is being extended to 2026, 2027 and 2028. All conditions pertaining to the credit and the value of the credit remain the same. This only applies to private renters who are not living in social housing or currently receiving any other housing supports such as Housing Assistance Payment or Rent Supplement. The credit applies to each tenant rather than each tenancy.
• The current level of Mortgage Interest Tax Relief is being maintained for 2025 and extended to 2026 for primary private residences. For 2025, the relief will be calculated on the increase in interest paid in 2025 over interest paid in 2022. For 2026, the relief will be calculated at 50% of the increase in interest paid in 2026 over interest paid in 2022. Relief for both years will apply at the standard rate of income tax (20%) and all conditions pertaining to the relief and the value of the credit remain the same. The maximum amount you can be refunded per year from the Mortgage Interest Tax Credit is €1,250 per residence.
• No increases to Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) limits.

Pension Auto-Enrolment

• While not announced as part of the Budget, starting 1 January 2026, contributions from employees, employers and the State will be collected through payroll for those in work as part of the planned Pension Auto-Enrolment. People who do not have a pension scheme, earn more than €20,000 per year and are aged between 23 and 60 will be automatically enrolled into the new system. In 2026, the employee contribution will be 1.5% of gross salary, employer contribution 1.5% and the State tops it up by 0.5%.

Last Updated 8th October 2025

The National One Parent Family Alliance (NOPFA) has outlined
essential actions government must take to address child poverty and the high deprivation levels experienced by one-parent families in Budget 2026.
 

With one-parent families continuing to experience disproportionate rates of poverty and social exclusion, NOPFA’s budget asks are practical, evidence-based solutions to improve financial stability for families, prevent further family homelessness and ensure thousands of children across the country can have their basic needs met.
 

NOPFA’s budget actions include:
 

• Invest in the Child Support Payment as a means to target the poorest children(previously Qualified Child Increase), by a minimum of €10 per week for children under 12 and by €20 for children over 12. This should be the start of working towards benchmarking of the payment to 45% of the primary social protection payment during this government term.
   

• Extend the Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment (JST),a specific payment to lone parents who have young children and cannot enter the workforce due to their care responsibilities, until the youngest child completes secondary school, for parents engaged in employment, education or training.
   

• Deliver commitment in Programme for Government to expand fuel allowance to all those in receipt of Working Family Payment (WFP). 

For NOPFA’s full list of budget actions, see here: https://onefamily.ie/wp-content/uploads/NOPFA-Pre-Budget-Submission_2026-2.pdf

Karen Kiernan, Chair of NOPFA and CEO One Family said:

“The current Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment (JST) creates a financial cliff-edge for parents once their child reaches ages 14. This is a systemic barrier that can be impossible for lone parents to overcome. We want this support extended until the youngest child completes second-level education, for parents engaged in employment, education or training. This support would ensure continued financial stability while lone parents work to improve their long-term economic prospects.”

Stephen Moffat, National Policy Manager, Barnardos said:
 

“40% of children we support live in one parent households. From our own experience, staff can see the disproportionate difficulty many have providing children with basic essentials. It’s vital that targeted supports are introduced in Budget 2026, such as increasing child support payments in line with inflation, to help pull families out of deprivation.”

Carly Baily, Policy Manager, One Family said:  

“It’s critical that government deliver on their commitment in the Programme for Government to include families who are in receipt of the Working Family Payment in eligibility for fuel allowance. Energy costs remain high and geopolitical tensions may further exacerbate energy prices. It is critical that one-parent families, many who are already living in deprivation and poverty, are not left to try and absorb high costs by themselves.”

ENDS

For further information or media enquiries, please contact Vicky Masterson, Communications Manager, One Family 083 447 0645/vmasterson@onefamily.ie

Notes to Editor:

About NOPFA

The National One Parent Family Alliance comprises the following national organisations including Barnardos, Society of St. Vincent de Paul,
One Family, National Women’s Council, SPARK, Focus Ireland, Treoir and Family Resource Centre National Forum. This Alliance was established in 2020 around a shared concern about the high levels of poverty experienced by lone parents and their children.

NOPFA’s proposals are grounded in recent research by the Child Poverty and Well-Being Programme Office, the Vincentian MESL Research Centre, and CSO data from the 2024 SILC report.
You can access NOPFA’s complete Pre-Budget Submission here: https://onefamily.ie/wp-content/uploads/NOPFA-Pre-Budget-Submission_2026-2.pdf  

One Family and Treoir backed FLAC’s call for the Bereaved Partner’s Pension Bill 2025 to be amended to delete its proposals to remove the entitlement of people who are divorced or separated to a survivors’ pensions if their former partner dies (such entitlement has been in place for almost 20 years). Collectively, we are strongly concerned at the impact these measures will have on lone parents and their children who were reliant on maintenance from a former partner.

The Oireachtas Social Protection Committee will undertake Committee State consideration of the 2025 Bill on 25 June at 9:30am. The Minister for Social Protection, Dara Calleary TD, will appear before the Committee. FLAC appeared before the Committee last week to outline its amendments to the Bill which have been tabled for consideration tomorrow.

FLAC Chief Executive Eilis Barry has written to members of the Oireachtas Social Protection Committee to inform them that “Two national organisations which are concerned with the rights of lone parents, Treoir and One Family, have endorsed FLAC’s amendments [toBereaved Partner’s Pension Bill 2025] and are joining us in asking the Joint Committee to adopt them. These organisations have first-hand experience of the discrimination and disadvantage that lone parents often encounter in Ireland. The death of a divorced or separated partner can still bring about a financial loss for families. The [2025 Bill] should be concerned with addressing that financial impact and no group of families should be arbitrarily excluded from the safety-net it provides.”

The O’Meara judgment [in which FLAC represented the O’Meara family] is, at its core, about equality between families. The provisions in the 2025 Bill concerning cohabiting families will have a significant positive impact for couples and families who, like the O’Meara family, suffer a bereavement and the emotional and financial impact that that inevitably entails. These provisions go beyond what is strictly required by the O’Meara judgment, and extend entitlement to bereaved cohabitants who do not have children. This compassionate and generous ‘levelling-up’ approach should be taken throughout the entire Bill.”

One Family CEO Karen Kiernan said:

“Only a very small number of people who were divorced or separated claim a survivor’s pensions in respect of their dependent children each year. These families may have been reliant on maintenance payments from a deceased former partner and the scheme is designed to ensure that this financial impact is addressed. We see no basis for removing their entitlement. It is highly concerning that the potential financial impact the 2025 Bill could have on this group does not seem to have been considered by the Department in what is otherwise a very positive piece of legislation.”

Treoir CEO Damien Peelo commented today:

“The Supreme Court’s ruling in the O’Meara case was a powerful affirmation that children should not be penalised for their parents’ marital status. It corrected a clear injustice in our social welfare system. However, the proposed Bereaved Partner’s Pension Bill risks replacing one inequality with another by excluding parents who are divorced or separated, including those who are supporting their child either financially or emotionally. This is a moment to extend compassion and support to all bereaved families, not to narrow the scope of protection. Any parent who has provided consistent financial or emotional support to their child should be recognised. Grieving children deserve equal treatment, regardless of their parents’ relationship status.”

ENDS.

Notes:

FLAC (Free Legal Advice Centres) is an independent legal, human rights and equality organisation, which exists to promote access to justice. It provides early and preventive legal assistance through a Telephone Information & Referral Line and Telephone Legal Advice Clinics. As an Independent Law Centre, FLAC takes on a number of cases in the public interest each year, and operates a Roma Legal Clinic and Traveller Legal Service. The organisation makes policy recommendations in relation to social welfare law, equality and anti-discrimination law, housing law, human rights and access to justice. This includes policy reports and submissions to national and international bodies, including Oireachtas Committees and human rights monitoring bodies.

Treoir is a free information service for parents who are not married to each other, their children, and anyone supporting them. In 1976 various agencies working with unmarried parents formed a federation to channel efforts to improve the quality of the services provided to unmarried parents and their children. Treoir is still a membership organisation. It works to promote the rights and best interests of unmarried parents and their children through: providing specialist information; raising awareness on issues affecting unmarried parents, and; campaigning for change.

One Family is a specialist service provider for people living in one-parent families. It works to capture the experiences of service users into policy positions so it can deliver social policy and legislative improvements for families. One Family works with individuals and families from diverse backgrounds who may be parenting alone, sharing parenting, separating, step-parenting or experiencing an unplanned or crisis pregnancy.

Location: Smithfield, Dublin 7 (Hybrid)
Hours: Full-time, 35 hours per week
Salary: €46,312.19– €48,627.80 DOE
Contract: Permanent
Application Deadline: Friday 30^th May 2025

Join Ireland’s leading organisation for one-parent families.

One Family is seeking a compassionate, skilled, and experienced Case Management Coordinator to join our Parenting Service team. This is a key role supporting families navigating separation, parenting alone, and parenting in complex circumstances. If you’re passionate about making a tangible difference in children’s and parents’ lives—and thrive in a dynamic, fast-paced environment—this may be the role for you.

About One Family

One Family is Ireland’s national organisation for people parenting alone, sharing parenting, and separating. We provide expert support and information to families and professionals, aiming for a future where every family in Ireland is equally valued and supported.

About the Role

As Case Management Coordinator, you’ll play a pivotal role in ensuring timely, effective support for families. Working closely with the Parenting Service Manager, you’ll lead on referral processing, case assessments, and service allocation, while supporting our multidisciplinary team with complex cases. You will work directly with families experiencing parental separation. You’ll also collaborate with key partners like Tusla and contribute to service development, funding proposals, and policy influence.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage incoming referrals and carry out comprehensive needs assessments.
• Direct work with parents and children.
• Allocate families to the appropriate Parenting Service pathways.
• Support the parenting team with complex cases and ensure best practice is upheld.
• Represent One Family in interagency networks and committees.
• Help develop innovative, evidence-informed services aligned with strategic goals.
• Support monitoring, evaluation, and reporting to funders.
• Maintain high standards of record-keeping, safeguarding, and GDPR compliance.

Essential Experience

• A third-level qualification in Social Care, Psychology, Early Years, or related field.
• Minimum 6 years’ post-graduate experience working with children and families in complex contexts.
• Deep knowledge of issues such as child safeguarding, family law, domestic violence, mental health, and homelessness.
• Strong communication, leadership, and project management skills.
• Experience working within diverse teams and an interagency environment.
• Familiarity with Salesforce or other CRM systems and GDPR practices.
• A proactive, flexible, and child-centred approach.

Desirable experience

• Experience in the voluntary/community sector.
• Understanding of challenges facing one-parent families and families experiencing separation.

Why Work with Us

• 25 days annual leave + 2 privilege days
• Hybrid working and flexible arrangements available
• Work with a passionate, mission-driven team
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Laptop provided
• Company pension contribution

How to Apply

Please email a CV and cover letter (clearly addressing the required competencies) to:

📧 akelly@onefamily.ie
📌 Subject Line: Case Management Coordinator Application
🕛 Deadline: Friday 30^th May 2025
 🗓️ Interviews: June 2025

Naomi Connolly from One Family’s Advocacy Project tells Social Inclusion Forum about her experience as a lone parent and changes she wants government to make

For immediate release
 Thursday 8th May 2025
 

Naomi Connolly, a parent representative in One Family’s Advocacy Project, today told the Social Inclusion Forum of the myriad barriers lone parents face when returning to education to try and build a better life for themselves and their children. Naomi has three children and has been parenting alone for 10 years. She returned to education five years ago and has just completed her thesis in Social Care.

In a powerful speech to attendees, Naomi outlined her experience as a lone parent, the difficulties facing her returning to education to improve her employability and lift her family out of poverty and the need for government to provide targeted and adequate supports for lone parents returning to education.  One Family welcomed the invitation from the Department of Social Protection for Naomi to speak at the Social Inclusion Forum and called on government to urgently address this issue as well as the chronic deprivation facing the majority of one-parent families in Ireland, with the following actions:
 

• Adopt an ‘education first’ approach providing tailored, long term supports to lone parents who wish to return to education including: enhanced financial grants, a public childcare model with free/heavily subsidised places for children of one-parent families, improved support and flexibility for lone parents when participating in course related mandatory work placements. 

• Mainstream the One Family New Futures Employability Programme which is an award winning, specialised bridging programme designed specifically for lone parents who wish to return to education and employment from social welfare
   

• Exclude child maintenance payments from secondary benefits including the means test for the SUSI grant, Students Assistance Fund, the National Childcare Scheme, for Social Housing assessments and Local Authority rents.
   

Naomi Connolly, Parent Representative, One Family Advocacy Project said:  

“When my marriage ended, our lives turned upside down. It was so hard trying to figure everything out and make sure my children have the life they deserve. I took a risk going back to education. I wasn’t sure how we would manage and really, a lot how we did manage was down to luck, help and support from my college and from different charities along the way. I am almost out the other side and now I can see a better future for us all, but it shouldn’t have been this difficult. It should never be a risk to return to education but for lone parents, it is.” 

Carly Bailey, Policy Manager at One Family said:  

“The odds are stacked against one-parent families and without government intervention, this will not change. Returning to education as a lone parent is daunting and demanding, but systemic barriers mean completing that education often feels impossible. It’s critical that government provides targeted, ongoing supports for one-parent families returning to education to ensure lone parents can complete their courses and succeed, including; improved financial support, flexible learning options and delivering a public system of early childhood education and care to remove the critical barriers faced by lone parents returning to education. Targeted measures not only empower parents, but they can also break the cycle of generational poverty as children experience better outcomes in terms of health, education, income and overall well-being.

There are almost 220,000 families headed by a lone parent in Ireland and CSO statistics2 tells us that almost half of all one-parent families are living in enforced deprivation. Returning to education can be a vital step for a lone parent to lift their family out of poverty, but too many lone parents are prevented from doing that because of the lack of supports available to them on that journey; we are calling on government to change that and put in place the supports needed to give lone parents the best chance at success.” 

Karen Kiernan, CEO of One Family 

“Through our new Advocacy Project, we were able to link Naomi with this opportunity to speak at the Social Inclusion Forum, to have her experience as a lone parent to be heard by the Minister for Social Protection Dara Calleary, senior Department officials as well as other civil society organisations.

It is critical that the lived experiences of one-parent families are listened to, recognised and valued in the spaces where policy and legislative changes can occur. While Naomi’s experiences are unique, there is a universal theme at play due to structural barriers faced by so many who parent alone: enforced deprivation for one-parent families, the struggle to survive day-to-day and the nearly impossible journey for a lone parent to navigate a return to education, along with their caring responsibilities and economic provision for their children.
These barriers are not unbreakable; they were designed by our systems and can be dismantled by our systems.  We are calling on government, and specifically Minister for Social Protection Dara Calleary, to use equitable, evidence-based policy making to improve the lives of one-parent families by ensuring every parent and child has a decent standard of living and can afford to have their basic needs met.”
 

[ENDS] 

Available for interview: Naomi Connolly, Parent Representative of One Family’s Advocacy Project; Carly Bailey, Project Manager, One Family; Karen Kiernan, CEO, One Family

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. 

1. 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 www.onefamily.ie. The askonefamily helpline can be contacted on 0818 66 22 12 or 01 662 9212 or helpline@onefamily.ie. 

1. The Social Inclusion Forum is an annual national event hosted by the Department of Social Protection. It provides people affected by poverty and social exclusion, as well as the community organisations representing them, the opportunity to come together with officials from relevant Government Departments and the Minister for Social Protection to discuss poverty and social inclusion policy and related issues of common concern. It also allows for discussion about the implementation of the Roadmap for Social Inclusion, the national strategy for poverty reduction and improved social inclusion. The event is organised by the Social inclusion Division, with the European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN) Ireland and Community Work Ireland (CWI) as event partners. 

One Family  joins 16 international organisations to launch new #SingleParentCommunity campaign

Friday 21^st March 2025
For immediate release

To mark international Single Parents Day, One Family has partnered with Trinity College Dublin and Glasgow Caledonian University to launch a new campaign highlighting the history, lived experiences and misconceptions facing one-parent families, and to call on governments globally to develop better policies to support one-parent families.

The #SingleParentCommunity campaign includes an international group of historians, policymakers and NGOs, led by Glasgow Caledonian University and Trinity College Dublin, and funded by Arts and Humanities Research Council. To launch the campaign, a powerful new short animation Time for a New Chapter, produced by Media Co-op, has been released, reflecting the history and the lived experiences of single parents, the pride and strength in single parenthood, and the misconceptions that many lone parents face.

This new campaign is calling on government in Ireland, and internationally, to develop adequate policies to support one-parent families including:

• Affordable childcare
• Secure housing and financial stability
• Fairer social security and greater respect

Members of the public are also encouraged to share their ideas of how governments can better support one-parent families at https://www.vopfn.org/timeforachange.

The project was co-produced with network members including Dr Janet Greenlees, Reader in Health History at Glasgow Caledonian University, Professor Lindsey Earner-Byrne of Trinity College Dublin, Karen Kiernan, CEO One Family and Terese Edwards of the National Council for Single Mothers and their Children, Australia.

TCD Prof of Contemporary Irish History, Lindsey Earner-Byrne said:

“Bringing historical research together with contemporary policy and NGO expertise was extremely powerful in enabling us to see the roots of the contemporary challenges faced by single parent families. We could track the punitive response of the workhouses of the 1830s through to the stigmatisation of lone parents in need of state support now. It became very clear to us that if Ireland centred the single parent in its policies, then all other families would benefit. In essence, this collaborative animation came out of our collective insights about the resilience of single parent families and the degree to which the historic shadow of stigma, blame and marginalisation persists. We want to stress that it is time for a new chapter!”

Karen Kiernan, CEO One Family said :

“We are delighted to have collaborated on the development of this important animation highlighting the joy and challenges of parenting alone. We plan to use this video to inform policymakers working to change hearts, minds and policies so that one-parent families can be supported to move out of poverty and into lives of dignity.

One in four families with children in Ireland are one-parent families, including over 356,000 children. One-parent families across Ireland continue to face severe financial hardship, as demonstrated by recent CSO figures, and deprivation is increasing for many families who are struggling to survive. On International Single Parents Day, we are calling on our government, and specifically Minister for Social Protection Dara Calleary, to use evidence-based decision making and targeted payments for the poorest children who live in one-parent families.”

[ENDS]

Available for interview: Lindsey Earner-Byrne, Professor of Contemporary History, Trinity College Dublin / Karen Kiernan, CEO One Family

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

Notes to Editor:

1. The Vulnerability & One Parent Family Network (VOPFN) is a shared forum for historians, archivists and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) working on one-parent families in the OECD countries of England, Scotland, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. Through participatory research it draws upon the collective insights and expertise of this group to explore the similarities and differences between these NGOs and the role of history in contemporary and future one-parent family policy and experience. The network was established through a grant from the Arts and Humanities Research
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. The askonefamily helpline can be contacted on 0818 66 22 12or 01 662 9212 or helpline@onefamily.ie.”

3. Lindsey Earner-Byrne is the Professor of Contemporary Irish History and the Director of the Centre for Modern and Contemporary Irish History at Trinity College Dublin. She has researched and published widely on modern Irish history with a particular focus on poverty, welfare, gender, sexuality, health and vulnerable and marginalised groups. Most recently she has co-authored a history of Ireland’s abortion journey with Professor Diane Urquhart of Queen’s University Belfast, The Irish Abortion Journey, 1920-2018 (Palgrave Macmillan, 2019). She narrated and co-authored documentary Forgotten: The Widows of the Irish Revolution(RTÉ One, May 2022), short film on gender violence during the Irish Civil War for Mná100, and was on the UCC editorial team for RTE’s landmark three part series The Civil War (2022).

Video links:

Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/1060925212/08ac1dc373

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQZ2P49eghg

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Grim statistics for one-parent families in Ireland once again show that Government policies designed to tackle poverty are failing

One Family, Ireland’s national organisation for one-parent families, has warned the rise in poverty rates in lone-parent families, (“single-adult households with children”), show Government policies designed to tackle poverty are failing. The warning comes as the latest Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC) for the year 2024 published by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) today confirms a pattern of consistent deprivation in one-parent families, rising to 46.3% from 41.4% in 2023. Once again, in 2024, the CSO Survey identified single-adult households with children under 18, as the most impacted families in Ireland. .

Lone parents across Ireland continue to face severe financial hardship. In 2024, over seven in ten reported difficulties in making ends meet. The data shows an increase in deprivation across key areas such as the inability to afford a Sunday family meal, new clothes and heating. Most stated they could not cope with unexpected expenses without borrowing.

Living standards for these one-parent families remain fragile. Almost half experienced enforced deprivation, one in four had arrears on mortgage or rent payment, and more than a third were were behind on utility bills and went into debt to cover everyday living expenses in 2024.

Last year’s findings once again highlight the persistent economic and social vulnerability of one-parent families in Ireland in recent times. From working with lone and separated parents and their children on a daily basis, these grim statistics are all too familiar to One Family, Ireland’s national organisation for one-parent families. The charity is calling on Government to urgently introduce targeted supports for these struggling parents and children.

QUOTES

Carly Bailey, One Family Policy Manager said,

“The CSO SILC data should be a wake-up call to the new Government. Unlike other groups, one-parent families have an increased deprivation rate, up a staggering 11% compared to last year. Worryingly, this tells us that almost half of all one-parent families are living in enforced deprivation (46.3%), a rate that is almost three times greater than it is for two-parent families (16.2%).

This comes as no surprise to us in One Family as this data fully reflects the growing numbers of families that have contacted us concerned about how to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table.

We are calling on the new Government to acknowledge that this cannot continue. We ask that Minister for Social Protection, Dara Calleary, meet with us as a matter of urgency to allow us to outline the targeted and long-term actions needed to ensure lone parents and their children do not go without heating, food and clothing again this year.”
Karen Kiernan One Family CEO said,

“There are a number of measures that must be taken if we are ever to see deprivation and poverty rates for one-parent families begin to decline. This includes greater supports to enable lone parents to access education and employment and improved support to be able to afford childcare, to name just a few. It is time for Government to acknowledge that it is simply not possible for one parent to afford the basic needs of a family in contemporary Ireland, especially those on a lower income.

One Family are ready and willing to work with the Government and relevant Ministers to ensure that they put in place evidence-based supports to ensure we see deprivation and poverty levels among one parent families fall. It doesn’t need to be this way, these disproportionately high levels of deprivation and poverty are not inevitable but are a result of policy decisions. Let us throw these children and families a lifeline, and support them to live with dignity and opportunity.”

ENDS

——————–

FURTHER INFORMATION

Key findings in the Enforced Deprivation Results from the Survey on Income and Living Conditions reveal:

“The groups most likely to experience enforced deprivation in 2024 were those living in single-adult households with children under 18 (46.3%); unable to work due to long-standing health problems (38.5%); unemployed (37.8%); and those living in rented or rent-free accommodation (31.5%).

The research also states that while,

“[…] CSO’s SILC 2024 show an overall decrease in the percentage of people experiencing deprivation in 2024. The release also highlights the higher incidence of deprivation amongst certain groups such as single-adult households with children […]. 

It further states that,

“More than seven in ten (73.0%) single-adult households with children under 18 had at least some difficulty in making ends meet in 2024, with two in ten (21.5%) reporting with great difficulty. In comparison three in ten (30.9%) households composed of two adults […].”

Detailed analysis of deprivation rates shows that,

– “the percentage of people living in households composed of a single adult with one or more children under 18 years who were unable to afford a roast joint (or its equivalent) once a week went up from 7.5% in 2023 to 13.5% in 2024, similar to their 2022 rate (12.1%).”
– “The percentage of people living in households composed of single adult with one or more children under 18 years who were unable to afford a meal with meat, chicken, fish, (or vegetarian equivalent) every second day also increased, going from 4.6% in 2023 to 8.0% in 2024.”
– “one in five (22.7%) people living in single-adult household with children were unable to afford new (not second-hand) clothes, five times the rate (4.4%) for people living in two-adult households with one to three children.
– “one in five (13.0%) people in single-adult households with children went without heating through lack of money”
–  “Almost half (46.7%) of people living in single-adult households with children were unable to afford to replace worn out furniture.
– “almost eight in ten (77.4%) people in single-adult household with children live in a household that could not afford an unexpected expense of €1,500 without borrowing.”

The research concludes that, in terms of living standards and the the ability make ends meet,

– “Almost half (46.3%) of people living in single-adult households with children were living in enforced deprivation“, which is defined as experiencing two or more areas of deprivation in life. This compares to a much lower rate for “people living in two adult households [who] were the least likely to be living in enforced deprivation (6.9%).”
– only “14.8% of single-adult households with children could maintain the same standard of living for at least three months if they were to lose their income sources.”
– “One in four single-adult households with children had arrears on mortgage or rental payments” and “were the most likely to have missed at least one mortgage, rent, utility or other loan repayments, in the previous 12-month period.”
– “one in four (25.6%) of single-adult households with children had arrears on mortgage or rental payments. Four in ten (38.7%) had arrears on utility bills and one in four (24.0%) had hire purchase instalments or other loan payment arrears.”
– “more than half (54.4%) of single-adult households with children regarded housing costs as a heavy burden, compared with approximately one in seven (13.8%) households composed of two adults”
– “nearly three in ten (29.0%) single-adult households with children went into debt to meet ordinary living expenses in 2024″

SOURCES

Link for data and quotes above: Central Statistics Office, Enforced Deprivation Results from the Survey on Income and Living Conditions for 2024, published 11 March 2025, accessible online here.

For press inquiries or to arrange an interview with our spokespeople,

contact us here.

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The Skill of Clear and Direct Communication

One Family is delighted to announce the relaunch of our newly updated and redesigned e-learning course, The Skill of Clear & Direct Communication. This course has been carefully developed to support parents in understanding healthy conflict and building positive relationships. Whether you are parenting alone, sharing parenting or navigating post-separation challenges, this programme offers essential tools to enhance your communication skills.

Why Take This Course

Clear and direct communication is the foundation of all healthy relationships. This programme equips parents with the skills to communicate assertively with their children, reducing conflict and misunderstandings – you will then find that the positive impact resulting from this will improve your general wellbeing and quality of life.

For people going through a separation or settling into a new life in the aftermath of a family break-up, this course provides guidance on maintaining effective communication with the other parent, ensuring that important conversations remain constructive and focused on the wellbeing of the child.

Designed as a standalone course, The Skill of Clear & Direct Communication is also a great introduction to our other  parenting programmes. Alternatively, it serves as a valuable follow-on course, reinforcing key concepts that support positive family interactions.

What To Expect

This course is structured into five modules, guiding participants through a step-by-step journey of self-reflection, choice and use of communication styles, emotional awareness and practical application.

The key areas covered include:

• Ways to Communicate – In this module you will learn about different approaches to communication and how to adopt a more effective, assertive style.
• Emotions and Needs – This module will help you explore the connection between emotions, needs and behaviours in communication and interactions, and how to develop techniques for self-care and emotional resilience.
• Managing Conflict – The content in this module will enable you to discover and create new ways to express yourself clearly, negotiate compromises effectively and approach disagreements with confidence.
• Practicing New Skills – Here you will learn how to apply your new skills to your every-day life, by working through real-life scenarios where you exercise what you have learned and see how it benefits your family dynamic.
• Reflection and Next Steps – In this last module, you will consolidate your learning and identify ways to continue developing your communication skills in your daily life.

How It Works

This programme is designed to be completed at your own pace, at your convenience and from the comfort of your home. You will have access to video content devised and produced by One Family‘s experienced staff, alongside additional learning resources to support your progress.

To gain the most from the course, we recommend setting aside approximately 40 minutes per day over a few weeks. Each unit takes around 20 minutes to complete, with optional exercises and journaling activities to deepen your learning. By engaging fully with the programme, you will not only develop new skills but also create meaningful changes in your relationships.

How To Enrol

The Skill of Clear & Direct Communication course is available for just €24.99, and provides unlimited continuous  access to course content and resources. Whether you are looking to improve communication with your children, strengthen co-parenting interactions or simply gain confidence in expressing yourself in your day-to-day social interactions, this course offers practical, tried-and-tested strategies that can be applied in all areas of life.

Learn more about how to enrol, register and pay
for the course by watching the explainer video below.

Discover our full range of parenting e-learning courses here.

If you are ready to take the first step towards healthier relationships and improve your parenting experience, click below to access a preview of the course and complete the enrolment process.

Share this post with someone who might be interested in taking this course.

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One Family is calling on parents from one-parent families across Ireland to help shape a brighter future by joining our Media Panel and Advocacy Panel. Together, we can ensure your voices are heard, stories are shared, and real change happens.

Join Our Media Panel: Share Your Story, Inspire Others

Journalists frequently seek stories from those parenting alone, co-parenting or navigating separation, and your voice matters!

We’re building a Media Panel of parents willing to share their journeys, either openly or anonymously. By sharing your experience, you can:
✔ Amplify the voice of one-parent families and highlight the diverse experiences of these families in Ireland.
✔ Empower yourself and others by making a difference for others who cannot speak out.

Join Our Advocacy Panel: Be the Voice for Change

This is your chance to inform decision-makers about the unique challenges you and your children face and push for better supports for one-parent families in Ireland. Through our Advocacy Panel, you can make your voice heard on policies directly affecting your daily lives.

Our advocacy work empowers you to:
✔ Influence Irish society and policymakers to address the real issues affecting families like yours.
✔ Gain skills, confidence, and connections to advocate for one-parent families.

Learn more here

One Family, Ireland’s national organisation for one-parent families, has been running a suite of specialist employability courses and programmes aimed at lone parents in Ireland for over 15 years. Its award-winning employability programme, which was twice recognised in the AONTAS STAR Awards for excellence in adult and community education is open to new applications for 2025 dates.

New Futures, an innovative employability programme run by One Family Programmes Service , has an average 75% participant progression rate to education and employment after course completion. The programme itself is but one of the ways in which we empower parents to progress personally and professionally. Parents often tell us that they don’t feel the challenges they face are understood in society – until they come to One Family. We are passionate about empowering and supporting lone parents to reach their education and employment goals.

‘Our New Futures employability programme is such a success because we understand the unique challenges that lone parents can face when considering a return to education and employment. As a trusted and specialised service, this bridging programme has been designed by us to take account of the parenting responsibilities lone parents have, to support them in learning new skills and build the confidence they need to progress towards secure, well-paid employment opportunities.’

— Valerie Maher, Programmes Manager, One Family

We were delighted that our New Futures Employability Programme again won the Aontas STAR award for projects funded by the European Social Fund in 2023, having previously won the same in 2019.

We are currently recruiting for our next programmes commencing February 2025, when the New Futures Employability Programme will be available as an online self-paced programme or through live delivery of online classes, two mornings per week. We will also provide in-person classes at a location in Dublin city centre from September 2025. Parents interested in participating in the programmes starting in February 2025 can contact Niamh by e-mailing: programmes@onefamily.ie.

Read what former participants have to say about their experience on this course:

View and share our poster for upcoming courses

Download here here.

20 December 2024

An innovative EU funded pilot programme supporting lone parents in the northeast of Ireland into education and employment was delivered in partnership between national voluntary sector organisation One Family and the Department of Social Protection (DSP) from 2021 to 2024. 

75% of participants successfully progressed from these specialist bridging programmes designed for lone parents on social welfare according to One Family’s Annual Report 2023. 

QUOTES

Karen Kiernan, One Family CEO, said,

“One Family have been running our specialist New Futures Employability Programme for 15 years. This highly successful programme was tested in the northeast region with the local DSP Intreo services in an innovative project where parents were offered courses from either their local Education & Training Board or with One Family. 

“We were delighted with the strong rates of progression to education and employment for 75% of the parents One Family worked with – these are very high rates for community education courses and speak to our specialist approach of individual support, parenting, practical and therapeutic supports, as needed. 

“We were also delighted that our New Futures Employability Programme again won the Aontas STAR award for ESF funded projects in 2023, our second time winning.” 

“We are delighted to have new short term funders until June 2026 for our Employability Programmes including Rethink Ireland, the Beachaire Fund and Community Foundation Ireland, but what we really need is a strategic, long term, multi-annual investment from the State to ensure parents all over Ireland can access this award winning and highly successful programme on an ongoing basis. Parents should not have to rely on private funders and a postcode lottery to access training to lift them out of poverty and into sustainable careers.” 

Carly Bailey, One Family Policy Manager, said,

“We are calling on the next Programme For Government to include a commitment to rolling out this award-winning programme nationwide. This would not only target state resources using an evidence-based approach but also demonstrate that the next Government is serious about tackling the unacceptably high levels of child and family poverty that exists in Ireland today.” 

Valerie Maher, One Family Programmes Manager, said,

“Our New Futures employability programme is such a success because we understand the unique challenges that lone parents can face when considering a return to education and employment. As a trusted and specialised service, this bridging programme has been designed by us to take account of the parenting responsibilities lone parents have, to support them in learning new skills and build the confidence they need to progress towards secure, well-paid employment opportunities.  

“But some good news is that we are currently recruiting for our next programmes commencing early next year. From February 2025, the New Futures Employability Programme will be available as an online e-learning programme or through live online classes two mornings per week. We also intend to return to face-to-face classroom delivery of our programmes in Dublin city centre from September 2025. Parents interested in participating in programmes starting in February 2025 can contact Niamh for further information at programmes@onefamily.ie” 

_____________________________________

New Futures Employability Programme participant, Caroline had this to say about the course and One Family’s approach: 

“As a single parent, I have always struggled to balance the demands of parenting and pursuing my own personal and professional growth. However, this programme has truly been a game-changer for me and has opened a world of opportunities that I never thought possible. 

One of the most valuable aspects of the programme is the group training delivered two mornings per week online. The sessions are engaging, informative, and empowering. Through interactive workshops, group discussions, and practical exercises, I have gained valuable insights into various aspects of personal growth, such as self-confidence, communication skills, and resilience. The trainer was highly knowledgeable and skilled at creating a supportive environment where everyone feels comfortable sharing their experiences and learning from one another and, on a week-to-week basis, friendships developed. 

Another highlight of the New Futures Programme is the individual 1:1 key-work sessions. These sessions provided personalised help, support and guidance tailored to my specific needs and goals. The keyworker I was assigned was incredibly supportive, offering valuable insights, helping me identify my strengths and interests, who championed me every step of the way and assisted me in creating a clear career plan. The individual attention I received made me feel valued and motivated to pursue my aspirations. 

Since completing the New Futures Programme, I have experienced a tremendous transformation in my personal and professional life. Not only have I acquired new skills and knowledge, but I have also gained a renewed sense of confidence and self-belief in myself. 

Without this programme, I don’t think I would have the confidence to really reach the personal accomplishments that this course has given me. The programme has helped me realize my full potential and given me the tools to navigate the job market with a clear vision of my career goals. I cannot recommend the New Futures Programme enough. It is a truly life-changing opportunity for single parents and those sharing parenting responsibilities.” 

For Editors

One Family 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. 

Further Information

One Family’s partnership with the Department of Social Protection and European organisations in Greece and Finland to support lone parents towards employability and social inclusion commenced in 2021 and concluded in April 2024. The project was funded by the European Social Fund ESF+ Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI) programme.  

Community Foundation Ireland and the Beachaire Fund commissioned research on the impacts of community education in supporting lone parents to fulfil their potential in education, employment, and society, undertaken by Centre for Effective Services and based on eight case studies of lone parents participating in community education programmes delivered by organisations across Ireland, including One Family. The research found that lone parents who complete community education are highly likely to progress to further and higher education, training and paid employment and the importance of wraparound supports was also highlighted. One of the final recommendations was to utilise community education to respond to employment needs and skills gaps by scaling up employability programmes targeted at lone parents, including by building on the success of the One Family’s New Futures Employability Programme. 

Link to Beachaire Fund research on community education: onefamily.ie/policy/research/ 

Link to One Family Employability Programmes: onefamily.ie/education-development/employability  

Link to One Family Annual Review: onefamily.ie/wp-content/uploads/Annual-Report 

For press inquiries or to arrange an interview with our spokespeople,

contact us here.

Benefits of a shared parenting plan at Christmas 

When it comes to making a plan for sharing parenting at Christmas the earlier you talk about it the better. Sharing parenting can be a very positive experience for children when parents are able to do it well. However, as a well renowned Psychotherapist, Gary Neuman said, ‘Out of the countless studies conducted to measure children of divorce, from their academic performance to their self esteem, one truth emerges repeatedly: it is parental conflict, not divorce itself that places children at risk in virtually every area of their life.’ Now is the time to plan how you will share parenting this Christmas and to ensure your child is at the centre of your agreement.

Importance of communication

Communication is usually the cornerstone of effective shared parenting or any relationship we have in life. For many parents sharing parenting, communication can be the area that you have not been able to master since separation. However it is never too late.

Assertive communication, also known as clear and direct communication, will support you to build a parenting relationship with the other parent of your child, allowing you both parent your child and ensure positive outcomes for your child as they grow and develop.

How to communicate directly 

There are four key steps to clear and direct communication.

• Say what you see happening with the other person’s behaviour. Do this in a factual and neutral way.
  
  
• Say how you feel underneath it all. It may take some time to check in with yourself and identify how you are feeling. If needed ask the person you are talking to for a pause or to discuss things later instead of getting into a discussion when you are not sure what you are feeling.
  
  
• State what need is behind you feeling the way you do.
  
  
• State what you would like to see happen in the other person’s behaviour. What is it you would like the other person to do to resolve the situation and address the underlying need?

When it comes to planning Christmas for your child, an example of clear and direct communication is, ‘I heard you tell Jack you would see him on Christmas Day. I feel annoyed when Jack is told things before we have talked about them. I need us to talk about the plan and then tell the children when we are clear what is happening.’

When you communicate in this assertive way, the hope is that it will support the other person to engage in a conversation with you. A conversation where you can over time find a compromise to an issue. If you communicated this message in a different way such as, ‘Why did you tell Jack you would see him Christmas day, you always do this? I am so sick of it.’ You can imagine what would happen. Most likely conflict, a breakdown in communication and finding a positive way forward would be hard as it would take time for both parties to recover from the upset of the communication that took place.

Applying direct communication 

The following are some tips to support you to communicate more assertively going forward:

• Take time to figure out how you are feeling. Put a name on the feeling.
  
  
• You do not have to justify why you feel a certain way. Keep your response short and to the point.
•  
• Be sure you know what change you want in the other person’s behaviour before you talk to them.
  
  
• Be willing to hear what the other person’s interpretation of events is and to the option of finding a change in behaviour that suits both of you that might be different from what you both had in mind.
  
  
• Say ‘I’ when talking about feelings and needs. In a confrontation it is tempting to say ‘you made me feel’ but others do not make you feel anything, you feel something in response to a situation.
  
  
• Do not talk about the person, talk about the behaviour.
  
  
• Be open to the idea that the other person may not be able to meet your request and that you may have to look elsewhere to meet the need.

Final thoughts 

• Remember as parents you are creating memories for your child. Children usually don’t just recall one day when they think of Christmas, it is normally the whole holiday period.
  
  
• This allows parents to take at least 10 days and work with that when sharing time with children over Christmas.
  
  
• Ask children to visualise what they would like Christmas to look like. Do not make promises; just tell them you want to hear what they have to say, so you, as parents can keep this in mind when agreeing a plan for them.
  
  
• Remember time with parents is a right of your child, not the right of the parent. (United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child).
  
  
• When children have a good relationship with both parents it is vital to find a way to support your child to spend valuable time with both of you over the holiday period.
  
  
• Explore, if you can, putting your feelings aside and step into the business of sharing parenting by sharing joint time at Christmas. Can you both visit Santa with your child? Can you both be in the one home on Christmas morning to open the gifts?
  
  
• Create your own traditions. It doesn’t matter what you did as a family at Christmas, this is your time now to create your traditions for your new family form. What would you like to create for your child? What memories do you want for your child? What would you like them to take forward in life with them from Christmas?
  
  
• Present your ideas in plenty of time to the other parent. Be open to their ideas. Negotiate and compromise. Ask yourself if you can live with the plan. You don’t have to love it, but can you live with it knowing your child’s needs are being met?
  
  
• Try to separate out your needs. A lot of the time when parents are trying to agree a parenting plan they confuse meeting a child’s needs in the plan with also trying to meet their own needs. The parenting plan is not the place to have your needs met. You need to find another way to meet your needs.

Need more help?

Our askonefamily helpline is open 10am – 3pm, Monday – Friday. We provide detailed, confidential information on social-welfare entitlements and finances, family law, housing, education, childcare and parenting.

We also offer a listening-support service for people who need help parenting alone, sharing parenting or separating. You can call the askonefamily helpline on 0818 662 212 or 01 662 9212, or email your query to 
helpline@onefamily.ie.

Key Asks for the next Programme for Government

One Family‘s manifesto for the Irish General Elections 2024 focuses on tackling persistent and acute challenges faced by one-parent families through comprehensive reforms. We propose a set of effective measures to raise the living standard of one-parent families through unifying welfare payments, reducing employment barriers and lowering the Working Family Payment threshold, for example. Other key measures include expanding Fuel Allowance eligibility, enhancing childcare subsidies and strengthening child maintenance enforcement. We advocate for equitable parental leave for lone parents, accessible and comprehensive out-of-court services, as well as coordinated, targeted initiatives to combat child poverty across Ireland. A child-centred housing policy aligned with the European Child Guarantee and a dedicated Family Homelessness Strategy will enable government and statutory structures to eradicate to homelessness and emergency accommodation issues.

Read our key asks for the next Government of Ireland here:

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2024 research reports confirm the continuous decline in living standard and basic supports for one-parent families in Ireland …

References to one-parent households with children highlight the key negative impacts affecting members of these families, and the evident gaps in addressing housing costs and childcare expenses:

• Income Adequacy: Many one-parent households experience persistent income inadequacy, and are unable to meet the Minimum Essential Standard of Living (MESL) requirements.
• Child Poverty: Specific measures are needed to reduce child poverty, especially in single-parent families, where it is disproportionately high.

While the report notes some improvements in welfare and income supports, it recommends the implementation of enhanced supports for low-income, lone-parent families, such as targeted welfare increases and affordable childcare.

Read the full report here:

The Ireland Country Report (pages 93–97) in the “Children’s Realities in Europe: Progress & Gaps Eurochild 2024 report on children in need across Europe” outlines persistent child poverty challenges, despite some improvements in social welfare measures. The report stresses the need for enhanced housing supports and affordable childcare in Ireland. It discusses the effects of income inadequacy on children’s wellbeing and education and recommends targeted welfare increases, better access to services, and policy reforms to systemic barriers for vulnerable families, and one-parent families in particular.

Read the Ireland country report here:

A prominent, long-term study entitled Lone parent transitions, employment transitions and poverty outcomes, published in October 2024 by The Economic and Social Research Institute study, in collaboration with the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth in Ireland, found that lone parenthood significantly increases economic vulnerability, which is measured by low income, material deprivation, and financial stress. Using data from the Growing Up in Ireland study (2008–2017), it highlights that lone parents face prolonged economic challenges compared to two-parent families. Key findings in the report highlight that around half of lone parents receive no maintenance from their former partner, 9% of two parent families become lone parent families, who are then faced with a higher risk of economic vulnerability.

Read the report here:

Another report launched in December 2024 by the The European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN) Ireland, the 2024 Poverty Watch Ireland stated that “one in five (19.2%) lone-parent households were at risk of poverty” in 2023. In 2024, Ireland “is characterised by a weak care infrastructure, with a high reliance on private or familial care rather than a public system of care. This has led to primarily female lone parents being disproportionately at risk of poverty.”

7 November 2024

Today, One Family, Ireland’s national organisation for one-parent families, has launched its first dedicated national survey aiming to document the experiences and challenges of lone parents and their children living in Ireland.

Further to recent ESRI research, which found that being a lone parent significantly increases the risk of financial stress and overall poverty, One Family invites people living in one-parent families to help gather important data to highlight the unique challenges experienced by these families. The organisation is looking to hear from anyone parenting alone, sharing parenting or going through separation. This includes parents, step-parents, kinship carers, guardians or foster parents. Their participation will help develop research that can build a comprehensive picture of the significant and sustained life challenges faced by one-parent families across the country.

The survey can be accessed through One Family’s website here.

Completing the survey also provides parents in one-parent families with the opportunity to participate in the One Family Advocacy Project, an initiative funded by Community Foundation Ireland, which aims to promote equality, enhance wellbeing, and support financial and social inclusion of the most disadvantaged groups in Irish society.

QUOTES

Karen Kiernan, One Family CEO, said,

‘We really want to make Ireland a better place for children living in one-parent families to grow up in and we know that many parents face big challenges, especially around their financial security. Hearing directly from parents themselves is an incredibly powerful way for us to understand exactly what is happening and therefore advocate more effectively to government for positive changes.  

As well as asking people to complete our survey, we are also seeking parents who would like to get more involved in our advocacy work. We know this can be extremely effective in influencing major changes to laws, policies and services. 

Carly Bailey, One Family Policy Manager and the Advocacy Project Manager, said,

‘Despite overwhelming evidence and years of data demonstrating persistent, long-term poverty and deprivation rates, successive governments have failed to provide an adequate safety net for the families we advocate for. We still have a social protection system that refuses to acknowledge the unique barriers they face and the potential trauma they may be experiencing. The system is also incredibly difficult to navigate, with poverty traps around almost every corner. 

Many of the families we work with continue to experience discrimination due to their family and parenting status and report high levels of shame and isolation as a result. We have a long history of treating lone parents and their children poorly in this country. It is high time it stopped. 

This is why we are calling on all parents in a one-parent families to participate in our National Survey. Decision-makers might ignore the evidence, but they cannot ignore the collective voice of the families impacted by their consistent failure to act.‘  

Parent, member of the new One Family Advocacy Project, said,

 ‘Like so many others parenting alone, I feel as if the State has abandoned my family and is ashamed of us. Why else is everything always so difficult? Like everyone else, I work really hard and do the best I can for my child, sometimes in very difficult circumstances. But with only one income coming in, I am never sure if I will be able to pay for everything each month which causes me huge anxiety. I am really looking forward to working with One Family as part of their new advocacy group and doing what I can, alongside other parents, to push for the change we deserve.’ 

For press inquiries or to arrange an interview with our spokespeople,

contact us here.

2 October 2024

— Ireland’s poorest children live in low-income, one-parent families but, yet again, they do not feature on the Government’s priority list  —

One Family, Ireland’s national organisation for one-parent families, has said that it is disappointed that the Government again failed to keep its promise to tackle child poverty effectively in its 2025 Budget and has not taken basic measures to support working lone parents. The organisation is of the view that the Government again opted for short-termist, once-off payments instead of structural interventions backed up by solid long-term strategies.

One Family has welcomed a number of positive steps taken towards tackling high living costs through universal measures such as the education-related hot school meals and free books programmes. It also welcomed an increase to the Single Person Child Carer Credit, but said it needs to be available to both co-parents post separation. Most importantly, the once-off payments that are again a strong feature of this budget will no doubt help many struggling families, but they do not solve anything long term.

One Family noted that one of the fundamental societal problems of the present day – child and family homelessness – does not appear to have been addressed by any specific universal or targeted interventions even though the latest homelessness statistics from the Department of Housing show that 58% of all families in emergency accommodation are now one-parent families.

In the context of rampant real-terms inflation and volatile cost-of-living conditions, One Family believes that core welfare payments have not caught up with inflation, are now worth less in value than in 2020 and are overall grossly inadequate in alleviating deprivation in both welfare-dependent and working families.

For low-income families with children, the double Child Benefit payments and electricity credits will only cover the festive gifts and the Christmas lights; the Government will effectively sponsor a brief holiday from the reality of running a household on constantly eroded incomes. When the sugar rush and the spare cash will have finished in January 2025, many families will be returned to the brutal reality of trying to juggle bills with the ongoing costs the budget did not address on October 1st.

The Government opted to give two costly bonus Child Benefit payments over just two months in 2024 at a cost of €371m. This is in contrast to the €78.5m spent on the Child Support Payment – a type of targeted support for the poorest children and families – over the entire year in 2025.

In its Pre-Budget Submission 2025, One Family proposed raising the Child Support Payment (formerly known as Qualified Child Increase) by a minimum of €6 and €15, respectively. This is to restore the age differentiation levels and combat inflationary cuts. In Budget 2025, the Qualified Child Increase payment is now worth €4 more for under 12s and €8 for over 12s.

Carly Bailey, One Family Policy Manager, said:

“Like other organisations and most experts, we recommended improving core social welfare rates and the Child Support Payment, which directly reaches the children most in need. The evidence is clear on this, Child Benefit is very expensive and has very little impact on child poverty rates. Since targeting is repeatedly recommended by researchers, it is genuinely difficult to comprehend the rationale behind this, especially when it seems that money is no issue.”

One Family also noted there is no increase in income disregard levels for One-Parent Family and Jobseeker’s Transitional payments. This is the amount of money lone parents can earn before it impacts on their payment; One Family recommended this needed to be increased to at least €205 to reflect increases to the National Minimum Wage.

Karen Kiernan, One Family CEO, said:

“It is inexplicable to us that Minister Humphreys and this Government did not support lone parents to move into or stay in employment by increasing the income disregard in line with national minimum wage increases. This makes it more difficult for parents to work – what they earn now is worth 12.2 hours of minimum wage, compared to the equivalent 26 hours in the year 2000.  

The Working Family Payment thresholds increased by €60 per family to align with the current national minimum wage – as is appropriate. However, this payment is not available to parents on Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment whose youngest child is over 7 years of age. We believe this should just be a normal part of adjustments to increases in the National Minimum Wage and we call on Government to rectify this oversight as soon as possible.” 

One Family has stated that Budget 2025 is another failure by the latest Government to make significant progress towards ensuring everyone in Ireland can have adequate living wages or social supports: once-offs and temporary top-ups will not last long and are very costly. While these pre-Christmas, pre-election give-aways are popular with some voters, they do not go far enough towards lifting the most vulnerable parents and children out of long-term poverty. In a year of anticipated surpluses and unexpected windfalls, Budget 2025 fails to find new ways to solve perennial problems, having shown that, yet again, decision makers refuse to stray from applying political solutions to real-life problems.

QUOTES

Karen Kiernan, One Family CEO’s statement:  

“We welcome some progressive Budget 2025 investments, such as the school meals programme, and the Government’s commitment to pilot holiday food provision – we know this is much needed, as One Family regularly provides struggling parents and children with weekly food vouchers. In the context of a lack of childcare, poorly paid part-time work and social welfare rates that unfortunately do not meet the real costs of today, most poor children living in consistent poverty in one-parent families are in dire need of such basic supports.”

Carly Bailey, One Family Policy Manager’s statement:  

“Throughout the year, we made it very clear to Government, that if they are serious about their stated desire to end child poverty, targeted long-term supports must be provided to one-parent families – it is these families in particular that continue to experience some of the highest rates of child poverty and material deprivation in Ireland.”

“We call on all political parties who are serious about ending child poverty to commit to engaging with One Family ahead of the General Election to ensure that all families are supported to keep their heads above water.”

CONTACT

For more information on or to arrange an interview with a One Family spokesperson, please contact:

Diana Valentine
Press & Communications
comms@onefamily.ie
Mobile/WhatsApp: 0834470645

FOR EDITORS

One Family is Ireland’s national organisation for one-parent families and people sharing parenting or separating. It offers 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, stepparents, new partners and other siblings, offering a holistic model of specialist family support services. These services include a national helpline service, counselling and training courses for parents and professionals.

For further information, visit onefamily.ie.

One Family, Ireland’s leading national organisation for people parenting alone, sharing parenting and separating, has today released its Pre-Budget Submission for Budget 2025. The proposals highlight the urgent need for targeted measures to address the challenges faced by one-parent families, with a focus on child poverty, income inadequacy and social supports.

As highlighted by recent data, Ireland is facing a worsening crisis in homelessness, energy costs, education under-investment and income inequality. A record 14,429 people in Ireland, including 4,401 children, are now in emergency accommodation. Meanwhile, energy debt continues to soar, with electricity arrears increasing by 46% in 2024, according to the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities. The last CSO Survey on Income and Living Conditions showed the real median household disposable income fell across all household types in Ireland, and the most for households with children aged under 18 – these families saw their real income fall by almost 8% last year alone. Amongst the other groups whose consistent poverty rates were greater than the national average, the figure for households with one adult and children aged under 18 years was 7%. Most recently, the Economic and Social Research Institute revealed that material deprivation for children has risen to 20%, with average disposable incomes consistently falling due to inflation.

These utterly shocking figures show that households with children, and one-parent families in particular, continue to face disproportionate levels of poverty. Currently, 25% of all families with children in Ireland are headed by a lone parent, and these families experience significantly higher levels of poverty and deprivation compared to two-parent households. Overall, lone parents experience the highest deprivation rate of any household type in Ireland: 2.5 times the national average.

Like other organisations in our sector, in its submission, One Family emphasises that addressing homelessness and housing insecurity, ensuring income adequacy and making significant investments in education and childcare should be top priorities for Budget 2025, as well as for the current and future Governments. Based on all the latest research, expert advice and public opinion polls, there is a clear need for targeted supports for the people most in need in Ireland.

Moreover, the well-documented budget surplus could comfortably cover the cost of more evidence-based, targeted social-support measures rather than the few standard cost-of-living temporary schemes currently considered. One Family urges the Government to spend these funds in a way that adequately addresses the most pressing challenges in society by directing supports and measures towards the most disadvantaged groups. It appears, however, that costly universal benefits and seasonal top-up payments that benefit energy providers rather than social recipients are still the Government’s preferred options – these were repeatedly proven to be insufficient for the purpose of helping the families on the lowest incomes as well as for tackling child and family poverty effectively, or at all, in real terms.

Our budget proposals reflect the urgent need for long-term, structural changes that will support the most vulnerable families in Ireland and prioritise one-parent households in particular. It is now time for the Government to make good on its promises to end child poverty and family deprivation overall by developing a budgetary policy that includes, among other things, adequate funding of the Government’s own Child Poverty and Wellbeing Office and its programme’s priority areas.

One Family‘s key recommendations for Budget 2025 call for a series of actions to alleviate child poverty and support one-parent families so as to ensure that they can live with dignity and security, including:

• Raising the Qualified Child Increase payment by €6 for children under 12 and €15 for children over 12.
• Increasing income disregards for One-Parent Family and Jobseekers’ Transitional payments from €165 to €205, in line with the National Minimum Wage.
• Expanding Fuel Allowance eligibility to all households in receipt of the Working Family Payment and increase its payable period from 28 to 32 weeks.

Click to read the Pre Budget Submission 2025

QUOTES

Karen Kiernan, One Family CEO’s statement:

“One-parent families in Ireland are at the highest risk of poverty and enforced deprivation. The government must take decisive action in Budget 2025 to address income inadequacy and make targeted investments that truly benefit these families.” 

Carly Bailey, One Family Policy Manager’s statement:

“Poverty is never inevitable, and we urge the Government to step up on the 1st of October. If they are serious about tackling child poverty and reducing deprivation rates, Budget 2025 must provide a genuine social safety net through which no family can fall through the cracks. Government now has the means to provide that safety net through targeted measures. There can be no more delays or excuses made.”

CONTACT

For more information on or to arrange an interview with a One Family spokesperson, please contact:

Diana Valentine
Press & Communications
comms@onefamily.ie
Mobile/WhatsApp: 0834470645

FOR EDITORS

One Family is Ireland’s national organisation for one-parent families and people sharing parenting or separating. It offers 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, stepparents, new partners and other siblings, offering a holistic model of specialist family support services. These services include a national helpline service, counselling and training courses for parents and professionals.

For further information, visit onefamily.ie.

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Following the launch of the latest Centre for Effective Services (CES) research report “The Power of Community Education: Supporting lone parents to fulfil their potential in education, employment, and society”, CES is hosting an Online Workshop for Practitioners on Thursday, 9th May at 10:30am.
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The 90-minute event is designed for people working with and/or with an interest in community education as a support for lone parents or other vulnerable groups. This includes community education providers, practitioners/tutors, academics and other interested people.
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The aim of the workshop is to share the research findings to inform practice and policy, particularly as it relates to community education as a powerful means to support lone parents to progress their education and achieve positive outcomes for themselves and their children.
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The research was funded by Beachaire Fund/Community Foundation Ireland and drew on the experience of 8 community organisations delivering programmes to lone parents across Ireland, involving over 135 lone parent learner participants and over 50 educators and managers from the 8 organisations, including One Family.
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Key learnings from the research included that lone parents who complete community education are highly likely to progress to further and higher education, training and paid employment and the importance of wraparound supports was also highlighted. One of the final recommendations was to utilise the power of community education to respond to employment needs and skills gaps by scaling up employability programmes targeted at lone parents, building on the learning from One Family’s New Futures Employability Programme. 
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The research assets including an Executive Summary, Thematic Report and 8 Case Studies will be circulated to all participants and can also be viewed at the links below.
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Register for this event via the button below: 
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l-r Breda Murray, board member One Family, Mary Kerrigan, founding member of Cherish (One Family), and Karen Kiernan, CEO at Dublin Castle for the Family Referendum result announcement
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One Family Devastated by No Result in the Family Referendum

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Dublin, Saturday 9th March 2024: 
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Karen Kiernan, One Family CEO said: “To say that we as an organisation are devastated by this result is an understatement. It is so disappointing that this opportunity to include unmarried and single parent families in our Constitution has been rejected by the Irish people.

Our founders have been campaigning for this for over 50 years. They started working in the 1970s to abolish illegitimacy, to get a small social welfare payment and to ensure single parents could no longer be fired or evicted. The fact that their heartfelt desire for their families to be included in the Constitution is no longer a reality in their lifetimes is a massive rejection to them.

I would like to thank the Irish voters for their consideration of these amendments, for all our amazing staff, Board, volunteers and spokespersons. It has been a pleasure to work with them all and now we will regroup as a coalition of civil society organisations to work in solidarity towards a more equal Ireland for all people – children, parents, families, disabled people, carers and others that are often left behind.”
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Further Information

Laura Curtin, Communications Manager

t: 086 8537043 | e: lcurtin@onefamily.ie
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Deprivation Levels Among One-Parent Families Remains Persistently High 

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41.4% of one-parent families are experiencing deprivation 

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Dublin, Thursday 7th March 2024: One Family, the national organisation for one-parent families in Ireland, welcomes the most recent Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC) released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
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Despite a decrease in some poverty rate measures for one-parent families in 2023 compared to the previous year, the SILC survey reveals significant disparities between one-parent families, the general population, and two-parent households.  41.4% of households headed by a lone parent with children under 18 are experiencing deprivation, which is more than double that of two-parent households.  One Family believes urgent action from the Government is necessary to provide support for struggling one-parent families.  
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Karen Kiernan, One Family CEO, stated“In a country as prosperous as Ireland, it is inexcusable that one-parent families continue to face poverty and deprivation at levels scandalously higher than other families.

These statistics represent actual children and families who are forced to navigate daily challenges to meet their basic needs such as food and shelter. Once-off cost of living measures may have provided temporary relief, but the reality of life for these families is that their struggles are ongoing. Given that the new Child Poverty & Wellbeing Unit was established by the Government in 2022, we expected to see a more significant impact on poverty rates for one-parent families.”   
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One Family warns that without long term, targeted government support, poverty rates will inevitably increase for those who are parenting alone.  
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Carly Bailey, Policy Officer with One Family said “The latest SILC survey clearly demonstrates that lone parents and their children remain one of the most disadvantaged groups in Ireland. This is due to ongoing structural barriers and a refusal by successive governments to respond to the unique challenges faced by people parenting alone.  

It is critical that the Government provide long-term support such as affordable childcare, secure housing and adequate income supports to one-parent families.  It is also crucial for the Government to hear the voices and concerns of lone-parent families and eliminate the many obstacles they face to escape from the grip of poverty.”
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Ends/ 
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Notes to editors: 
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For more information, visit CSO Survey on Income and Living Conditions. 
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Notes:
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One Family’s Pre-Budget Submission 2024
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Asks:

• Develop a National Action Plan that includes a sub target for one-parent families to reverse the tide of child poverty/ 
• Provide free (or almost free) access to childcare for families on the lowest incomes and eligible for a medical card, with a higher subsidy under the National Childcare Scheme 
• Extend Job Seekers Transitional Payment to parents in education, training or employment until their youngest child reaches the end of second level education. 
• Reduce the weekly work threshold for Working Family Payment to 15 hours a week for one-parent households. 
• Make the SUSI grant available to lone parents engaging in part-time and blended learning educational courses. 

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January homeless data which tells us that 56% of all families in emergency accommodation are one-parent households despite only making up 17% of the overall population. Click here to view.
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ESRI- Lone parents among most disadvantaged in Ireland’s housing system. Click here to view.

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ESRI- Poverty, income inequality and living standards in Ireland: First annual report. Click here to view.

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About One Family:

One Family 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 www.onefamily.ie. The askonefamily helpline can be contacted on 0818 66 22 12 or 01 6629212 or helpline@onefamily.ie.
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Further Information/Scheduling 

Laura Curtin, Communications Manager 

t: 086 8537043 | e: lcurtin@onefamily.ie 
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One Family calls for implementation of out of court solutions for Child Maintenance issues 

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Ireland’s national organisation for one-parent families’ response to the publication of the Review of the Enforcement of Child Maintenance Orders

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Dublin, Monday 8th January 2024: One Family welcomes the Department of Justice’s Review of the Enforcement of Child Maintenance Orders, which addresses long-standing concerns regarding non-payment. This action was prompted by the Government’s decision not to establish a Child Maintenance Agency, despite its recommendation in the Murphy Child Maintenance Review Group report.  
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Karen Kiernan, One Family CEO, stated, “One Family believes the only adequate response to the need to reform how child maintenance is administered in Ireland is the establishment of an independent child maintenance agency or analogous system. Given that courts instead will need to continue to shoulder the work of maintenance assessment and enforcement; we believe that urgent priority must be given to the development of new Family Law courts with specialist trained judiciary, shorter waiting times and an emphasis on out of court solutions. 
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“It is of particular concern to us that separated parents will continue to be forced into adversarial legal systems that are often slow and expensive in order to deal with basics such as child maintenance. We see constantly in our services that unpaid maintenance means the family must cut back on essentials, bills cannot be paid, and families can go into arrears or debt.  
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“Unfortunately, whilst this report recommends some positive changes, it falls short of providing families with an independent, non-adversarial process through which to assess and enforce child maintenance orders.”
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We hope that the planned development of guidelines for the Courts in enforcing maintenance orders and attempting to standardise assessments will hear the voices and experiences of parents who have direct experience of child maintenance. 
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It is encouraging that there will be a wider selection of enforcement tools available to courts for non-payment of court ordered child maintenance, and that the court will determine which one is most suitable in each case. However, the onus is still on the receiving parent to initiate another court case, which we know from their own testimonies can bring about added stress and expenses. 
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We are pleased that the Family Justice Forum will work together with the Department of the Taoiseach’s Child Poverty Unit to ensure there is a positive impact on child poverty levels.  This is an essential aspect that requires thorough monitoring and ensuring compliance with orders. 
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For more information, visit Review of the Enforcement of Child Maintenance Orders. 

Issued on behalf of One Family 

Date: 8 January 2024
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Ends/ 

Note to Editors:

One Family 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 www.onefamily.ie. The askonefamily helpline can be contacted on 0818 66 22 12 or 01 662 9212 or helpline@onefamily.ie.

For Media Enquiries:  

Laura Curtin, Communications Manager 

Email: lcurtin@onefamily.ie 

Tel: 086 853 7043 
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[av_heading heading=’Family Referendum Wording Announced’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote modern-centered’ subheading_active=” show_icon=” icon=’ue800′ font=’entypo-fontello’ size=” av-medium-font-size-title=” av-small-font-size-title=” av-mini-font-size-title=” subheading_size=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” icon_size=” av-medium-font-size-1=” av-small-font-size-1=” av-mini-font-size-1=” color=” custom_font=” subheading_color=” seperator_color=” icon_color=” margin=” margin_sync=’true’ padding=’10’ icon_padding=’10’ headline_padding=” headline_padding_sync=’true’ link=” link_target=” id=” custom_class=” template_class=” av_uid=’av-lptzperg’ sc_version=’1.0′ admin_preview_bg=”][/av_heading]

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The referendum to expand the definition of the family is a historic occasion which we welcome. For over 50 years our founders have been calling for equality for all families, as single parents who have fought against the odds to keep and raise their own children. Since its founding in 1972 One Family, previously known as Cherish, has been working to ensure a positive and equal future for people parenting alone, sharing parenting and those parenting around separation. The Family Referendum is a chance to offer symbolic reparation to one-parent families. All families deserve to be recognised, appreciated and cherished equally.  

Given the importance of this referendum we would encourage you and your community to register to vote. This is your chance to make a difference in the lives of one-parent families. 
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Press Release — NOPFA Demands Urgent Action on One-Parent Family Homelessness

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Three out of every four families entering homelessness are one-parent families since eviction ban has been lifted

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Dublin, Thursday 23rd November 2023

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Prior to the upcoming release of the Department of Housing’s monthly report on homelessness, the National One Parent Family Alliance (NOPFA) is calling on the Government to take immediate measures towards addressing the dire housing crisis affecting one-parent households. According to recent data from the department, one-parent families account for an alarming three out of every four families entering homelessness since the eviction moratorium was lifted last April.  

It cannot be denied that one-parent families, particularly those with lower incomes, face challenges when competing against higher income households in terms of securing rental properties and social and affordable housing. They continue to struggle with a shortage of rental properties, and additionally, they may also encounter discrimination due to their family status.  
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Karen Kiernan, CEO of One Family and Chair of NOPFA said, “It is shocking and unacceptable that in 2023, the housing crisis is disproportionately affecting young children and lone parents. Daily we see and hear from these vulnerable families on their constant struggles in very difficult conditions. It’s heartbreaking to know that these individuals are being disregarded by the Government, leaving them to fend for themselves. The lack of action from the Government only reinforces the message that they do not matter. Immediate action needs to be taken to address this pressing issue.”  
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As the calendar turns once more, it is disheartening to see that no significant steps have been taken by the Government towards addressing the challenges faced by one-parent families and those experiencing homelessness. These individuals continue to struggle with a shortage of rental properties, inadequate housing, a lack of necessary support services, an inability to compete with two-income households and a glaring absence of comprehensive national policies.  
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Louise Bayliss, Campaign Coordinator with Focus Ireland said, “It is unfortunate that there is currently no specific strategy or taskforce in place to aid one-family households facing homelessness. The fact that this is happening in modern times is truly regrettable. It is crucial to establish a cohesive method of assisting these families from the time they receive an eviction notice.”  
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Commenting on the imminent threat of homelessness a lone parent stated,   

“I am a lone parent, single mother on a low income and have faced so many barriers over the years, but this is the worst one, as it really affects my son. We have rented a property for thirteen and a half years and have been issued with two notices to quit in five years. I am at my wits end with it all, we have been on the housing list since 2005. We are now expected to get up and live a normal life outside of a looming eviction with no alternative accommodation. To be honest it’s not fair. And it makes me so angry. I feel there’s barriers that single-parent families have to face and battle everywhere, preventing anyone from progressing forward out of low income situations. 
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Fergal Landy, CEO of the Family Resource Centre National Forum said, “Family Resource Centres strive to empower and strengthen children, families, individuals, and communities throughout Ireland. It is incredibly frustrating to see scarce resources expended on dealing with the avoidable impact on children of living in emergency accommodation and experiencing homelessness. It is crucial for prompt measures to be taken in tackling the housing crisis, particularly for lone parents, to prevent the many costly adverse outcomes that will inevitably arise for children if comprehensive action is not taken.” 
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The National One Parent Family Alliance (NOPFA) urges the government to focus on the following actions specifically targeting one-parent families:   

• Remove Child Maintenance from means testing for housing supports such as HAP and Rent Supplement. It is a payment for children and when it is being paid, should be considered a means to support one-parent families out of poverty.   
• Establish a dedicated team in the Department of Housing to investigate the disproportionate increase of homelessness on one-parent families and offer practical solutions.  

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Ends/  

Note to editors:  

About National One Parent Family Alliance  

The National One Parent Family Alliance comprises of national organisations including Barnardos, One Family, Family Resource Centre National Forum, FLAC, Focus Ireland, National Women’s Council, Society of St. Vincent de Paul, SPARK, and Treoir. This Alliance was established in 2020 around a shared concern about the high levels of poverty experienced by lone parents and their children.  

Children in one parent families are four times more likely to experience poverty than children in two parent families. Prior to cost-of-living increases, 17% of one parent families lived in consistent poverty, 45% were experiencing enforced deprivation and almost 80% were unable to afford an unexpected expense. Despite making up only 20% of families in Ireland, one parent families account for 56% of homeless families. (EU SILC, 2022).  

For media inquiries, please contact:  

Laura Curtin, Communications Manager at One Family | t: 086 853 7043  
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