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New National Survey To Help Schools Support Parental Separation & Family Change

Survey by One Family, The Separation Network and WHAT WORKS (Department of Children, Disability and Equality)

6th July 2026 – for immediate release

Parents and teachers across Ireland are being asked to complete a new, national survey which will be used to develop new guidelines for primary schools to best support families and children through separation, divorce and other family changes.

Parents can complete the survey if:

  • They live in Ireland.
  • Have a child/children currently in primary school or who attended primary school between 2022-2025.
  • Are a lone parent, separated, divorced, sharing parenting, a step-parent, a legal guardian or kinship carer.

School staff can complete the survey, including:

  • School principals.
  • Teachers.
  • SNAs.
  • School secretaries.
  • Any person working in the school.

The survey is open until Friday 31st July and both surveys are available here.

Aisling Kelly, Parenting Manager, One Family said:
“We’re really happy to bring this opportunity to parents nationally. We know for the direct support we give to one-parent families at One Family how necessary this survey is. The end goal is to develop guidelines for schools, so they can be supported to help families through times of transition and to also help families be supported during what can be a stressful or difficult time. One in four families with children in Ireland is a one-parent family, so it’s not uncommon. We want to make sure that schools are equipped and empowered with the tools to navigate times of family change and that families across Ireland can be met with understanding, empathy and help.”

Geraldine Kelly, The Separation Network said:
“Family separation can represent a profound loss for children, who may be grieving the life they once knew while adjusting to new family dynamics across two homes. These emotional experiences can significantly impact a child’s wellbeing, sense of belonging and ability to engage in learning. This research is a vital first step in supporting schools to recognise and respond to the diverse realities of children’s lives. By equipping teachers and schools with practical guidance, we can help ensure children feel understood, included and proud of their family form, while supporting both parents to remain meaningfully involved in their child’s school life. Ultimately, our shared goal is to strengthen school communities so they can better support children at vulnerable times of family change.”

Quote from What Works:
“The Department of Children, Disability and Equality’s What Works initiative, funded by the Dormant Accounts Fund, is pleased to support this new, national survey to support both families and schools through separation and changes to family form. Findings from the survey will support a coordinated, evidence-based approach to developing guidelines for families, schools and other professionals.”

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

Notes to Editor:

This survey is supported by the Department of Children, Disability and Equality as part of the What Works Initiative, which is funded by the Dormant Accounts Fund.

  1. One Family is Ireland’s organisation for people parenting alone, sharing parenting, and separating. We have been working with one-parent families for over 50 years. We provide a range of direct services to parents and children, along with campaigning and advocating for legislative and social change to deliver true equality for all families. Services include direct family support, parenting courses, New Futures employability programme, AskOneFamily helpline and counselling for those experiencing an unplanned or crisis pregnancy. You can learn more about One Family at www.onefamily.ie
  2. The Separation Network was established to ensure that the well-being and voices of children remain central to family separation, divorce, and relationship breakdown. You can learn more about The Separation Network at https://rainbowsireland.ie/separation-network/about-us
  3. WHAT WORKS is an initiative led by the Department of Children, Disability and Equality, with funding from Dormant Accounts, to support a move towards evidence informed prevention and early intervention services for children, young people and their families.

Government must prioritise targeted measures for children in one-parent families in Budget 2027

One Family launch Pre-Budget Submission

30th June 2026 – For immediate release 

One Family today launched their Pre-Budget Submission 2027, calling for urgent government action to tackle increasing inequalities for one-parent families. 

Featuring the lived experience of lone parents from One Family’s Advocacy Project, the submission highlights: 

  • That income disregards (the amount of money somebody can earn from work before their social protection supports are impacted) have not kept up with minimum wage increases, which is actively deterring lone parents from employment.
  • How the gap between Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) and real cost of rents is fueling poverty and deprivation.  
  • That high levels of in-work poverty for lone parents are driven by limited access to third-level education.   
  • There is insufficient funding for out-of-court supports to meet demand, including One Family’s Separating Well for Children, which supports families where there is domestic violence or high parental conflict. 

Karen Kiernan, CEO of One Family said: 
“We cannot normalise the year-on-year increases in child homelessness and poverty in one-parent families. Although the overall poverty rate dropped last year, for one-parent families, it rose. That is a clear warning bell to Government that Budget 2027 must deliver positive changes for one-parent families. Government can do better and must do better, and Budget 2027 is an opportunity to get it right for one-parent families. 

Our Pre-Budget Submission lays out key actions Government must take to address child poverty, family homelessness, access to education and family law reform. These are evidence-based, targeted solutions which will help the families who need it the most. We urge Ministers to prioritise targeting above universal measures in Budget 2027. It’s consistently shown that it’s higher earners who benefit most from universal actions, not families living in poverty or deprivation. Budget 2027 will show what families Government prioritises, and whether they can match their words of commitment to reduce child poverty in Ireland to 3%, with specific actions to reduce child poverty in this Budget.”

Aisling Kelly, Parenting Manager, One Family: 
“For many of the families we support through our Separating Well for Children service, there can be an impossible choice. Increasingly, separated and separating parents tell us they are forced to remain living in the one home as suitable and affordable accommodation is simply not available. In cases of domestic abuse many parents are faced with living in emergency accommodation, which can be unsafe and unsuitable for children, or return to the family home and risk further abuse. This is the desperate reality of the housing crisis. Insecure housing impacts everything for one-parent families, driving up poverty, deprivation and ability to move forward with their lives. We see this daily with the families we proudly support at One Family and our call to Government is simple: get it right for one-parent families in Budget 2027. 

[ENDS] 

For more information, please contact Vicky Masterson, One Family Communications Manager on 083 447 0645 / vmasterson@onefamily.ie  
You can read One Family’s Pre-Budget Submission here: https://onefamily.ie/policy-positions-submissions/  
 
Notes to Editor:

  1. One Family is Ireland’s organisation for people parenting alone, sharing parenting, and separating. We have been working with one-parent families for over 50 years. We provide a range of direct services to parents and children, along with campaigning and advocating for legislative and social change to deliver true equality for all families. Services include direct family support, parenting courses, New Futures employability programme, AskOneFamily helpline and counselling for those experiencing an unplanned or crisis pregnancy. You can learn more about One Family at www.onefamily.ie  
     

One Family’s New Futures Employability Programme at risk of closure due to lack of government funding

For immediate release – Tuesday 12th May

One Family’s employability programme, New Futures, is at imminent risk of closure due to a lack of government funding. 

The Class of 2026 will graduate from the programme in Dublin today and without urgent government intervention, they will be the last in-person graduates of the programme, which has run for over 20 years.  
 

New Futures:  

  • Has an average 75% progression rate for lone parents into education, training and employment.
  • Has supported over 300 lone parents through the programme in the last 6 years alone.
  • Provides an essential support for lone parents who are at high-risk of poverty and deprivation, but lack the self-esteem or skills to move from relying on social protection payments into education or employment. 
  • Is a proven, evidence-based solution to a government priority of moving people from social protection reliance into employment, yet government have, to date, failed to fund it. 

 
After 20 years of relying on philanthropic and EU funding for its survival, One Family says New Futures will run out of funding in the coming months, unless government intervenes.  
 
Karen Kiernan, One Family CEO said: 
“We don’t understand the lack of engagement from government. Our New Futures Employability Programme is highly successful and gives lone parents the wraparound and individual supports they need to move into education and employment, which is not only a benefit to them and their children, but it also financially benefits the State.  
 
The government says they are prioritising child poverty, but why aren’t they funding New Futures? Supporting lone parents into high-paid, secure work is a critical, effective mechanism to address child poverty. Quick fixes won’t solve the record rates of child poverty. But funding for targeted, effective measures, such as New Futures, will. We need urgent government funding for this programme to continue and be available to all lone parents who need it across Ireland.” 

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

  1. One Family 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. 
  1. New Futures Employability Programme is uniquely designed for lone parents in Ireland, to support them return to education or enter the workforce. Participants benefit from expert personal development and career coaching, peer support, and access to One Family’s wraparound services, including parenting support and counselling. For more information about New Futures, head to: https://onefamily.ie/new-futures/ 

One Family briefs TDs on crises impacting one-parent families and urge them to “Get It Right”

26th March 2026

One Family will brief TDs and policymakers in the AV Room at Leinster House today about critical issues impacting one-parent families across Ireland. Urgent political action is needed on issues including family law reform, child poverty, family homelessness and access to education for one-parent families across Ireland.

Event speakers include:

TDs will be given a policy brief outlining critical issues in these areas and actions they can take, including:

Professor Katriona O’Sullivan, Author of “Poor” said:
For far too long we have let the most vulnerable carry the brunt of the unequal distribution of wealth. Now is the time for this to stop. Now is the time for us to do better. We are a rich country; our GDP is one of the highest in the EU- yet the rate of children at risk of poverty is growing year on year; and the distance between the rich and the poor is expanding. Lone parent families are the most affected by poverty. They are the ones being left behind in terms of access to education and high status employment. As someone who benefited from excellent policies which were in place in the late 90’s I know first hand how important it is to support people out of the poverty trap. I know first hand how wonderful it is to be cared for by state policies, to be given the opportunity to achieve great things. One Family’s Get It Right campaign offers a clear blueprint on how to address these issues. We know how to solve these issues- the question is are we brave enough, do we care enough. We need the political will and courage of convictions from our elected representatives to action the steps being proposed by the Get It Right campaign.”

Naomi Connolly, Lone Parent, One Family Advocacy Project said:
“For many people fleeing abuse, the lack of available properties means that even with supports like Domestic Violence HAP, there is simply nowhere to go. Survivors are faced with an impossible choice: accept placement in homeless accommodation, which can be unsafe and unsuitable for children, or return to the family home and risk further abuse. This stark reality forces victims to weigh the fear and instability of homelessness against the dangers of remaining in a violent environment, highlighting the urgent need for genuine, accessible housing solutions for those escaping domestic violence.”

Karen Kiernan, CEO of One Family said:
“One-parent families across Ireland are being impacted by multiple, interconnected criseis. As the recent SILC data shows, enforced deprivation and consistent poverty rose for one-parent families in 2025, even with cost-of-living measures in place and these have now disappeared. 48.7% of children in one-parent families are living in deprivation and 58% of homeless families are one-parent families; this is a shocking statistic which should be prompting urgent political action. But there are solutions and we welcome the opportunity to brief TDs and policymakers on the evidence-based actions they can take to address, not only poverty, but family homelessness, family law and access to education.”

Sinéad Gibney, TD said:
“I raised my daughter as a single mum. One-parent families are a huge part of Irish society, but they’re often pushed out to the margins. Right now, we have too many lone parents and their children living in poverty, in homelessness, made vulnerable by a system that isn’t built for them. This is a chance to look at how we can create an Ireland where all families are cherished equally, where one-parent families are supported and celebrated.”

You can learn more about One Family’s Get It Right campaign by watching the campaign video.

[ENDS]

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

Notes to Editor:

21st March 2026 

To mark International Single Parents Day, One Family have launched their #GetItRight campaign, calling for urgent government action on family law, child poverty, family homelessness and access to education for one-parent families across Ireland.  

If Government gets services, policies and legislation right for one-parent families, then they will be right for all families in Ireland. 

We’re calling on government to: 

Invest in out-of-court supports: Not only would this address lengthy court waiting times, but it would also provide best outcomes for children. Families need support, parenting courses, mediation and counselling to avoid adversarial, traumatic court cases. This should include funding for specialised services that support families experiencing high levels of conflict or domestic violence, such as One Family’s Separating Well for Children service, and therapeutic services for children.   

Target Child Poverty: Most poor children in Ireland live in one-parent families and lone parents experience high levels of in-work poverty. If the government wants to reduce child poverty, they can do this by targeting one-parent families. An efficient way of doing this is by increasing the amount of income excluded for lone parents who receive One Parent Family Payment or Jobseekers Transitional Payment to €222.75 per week; the equivalent of 16 working hours at National Minimum Wage.  

Stop Family Homelessness: Government cannot accept monthly increases in child and family homelessness as normal. They need to immediately fund homelessness prevention, including the tenant-in-situ scheme, and increase housing assistance payments in line with local market rents. These payments were last increased in 2022 and the gap between the payment and rent that parents are forced to bridge is fuelling poverty, deprivation and increasing family homelessness. 

Improve Access to Education: Move from a “work-activation” government approach to lone parents on social welfare to an evidence-based “education-first” one. This would address high levels of in-work poverty and create long-term savings for government, along with financial security for families.   

Karen Kiernan, CEO of One Family said: 

“We have achieved huge, positive changes for one-parent families in Ireland since our organisation was founded 54 years ago and that is to be welcomed and acknowledged. But we’ve moved from putting lone parents in institutions to placing them in systems which harm them. This includes a family law system which doesn’t deliver a child-centred approach, a housing crisis which has created epidemic levels of family homelessness in one-parent families and a “work-activation” approach to lone parents and employment, which fuels high levels of in-work poverty.  

Throughout 2026, our #GetItRight campaign will highlight these issues and our solutions to solving them. These are fixable issues, but we need action from our government and commitment to positive change. We look forward to political engagement on these critical issues for one-parent families.” 

You can watch the campaign video on One Family’s website now.  

[ENDS] 

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

Notes to Editor:  

  1. One Family is Ireland’s organisation for people parenting alone, sharing parenting, and separating. We have been working with one-parent families for over 50 years. We provide a range of direct services to parents and children, along with campaigning and advocating for legislative and social change to deliver true equality for all families. Services include direct family support, parenting courses, New Futures employability programme, AskOneFamily helpline and counselling for those experiencing an unplanned or crisis pregnancy. You can learn more about One Family at www.onefamily.ie  

One Family Statement: Energy Crisis

10th March 2026

We are deeply concerned at the rapid rise in energy prices as a result of the war in Iran. One-parent families are still experiencing the impacts of inflation rises and the cost-of-living crisis triggered by the war in Ukraine in 2022.

46% of one-parent families are living in deprivation and 48% are living in rented accommodation, making them extremely vulnerable to any rise in energy costs.

Energy poverty is not a new phenomenon, but a persistent feature for families on low incomes, living in energy deficient homes, which they have no control to change.

We urge government to extend the Fuel Allowance to the end of April, in response to energy price increases. This is a highly targeted payment, which will provide urgent support to families most at risk.

[ENDS]

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

Notes to Editor:
One Family is Ireland’s organisation for people parenting alone, sharing parenting, and separating. We believe in an Ireland where every family and child is respected and cherished equally.

We have been working with one-parent families for over 50 years. We provide a range of direct services to parents and children, along with campaigning and advocating for legislative and social change to deliver true equality for all families. 

How To Explain An Absent Parent

Note: The term ‘absent parent’ refers to a parent whom a child has never met or has had very little contact with. This is different to a ‘non-resident parent’, ‘non-primary’ or ‘secondary carer’, or when parents co-parent/share parenting of their child. 

Children can grow up perfectly happily and successfully in a one-parent family. What they need are quality relationships with people in their life who like to spend quality time with them, people who understand them and who can support their needs. Once you can love your child and support them, they will and can be very happy and confident in their family form.

People find themselves parenting alone through a variety of circumstances. It is natural that children will become curious about their other parent and start to ask questions about them as they grow.

This can be very difficult to deal with as a parent, especially if processing our own feelings of hurt, rejection, anger or grief. What is most important is to be prepared for questions, to be consistent, honest and straightforward, in an age-appropriate manner.

Read our top tips for helpful guidance on how to explain an absent or missing parent to your child or children.

Tips

    • Starting school or crèche can be a trigger: children will usually start to ask about their absent parent once they start school and start to notice that many children have two parents. Questions can increase as they grow, especially if they are working on family trees projects in school. So try to be prepared in advance of this.

    • Be brave, be honest: Tell them that yes, they have two parents. Then start to tell them a little about the other parent.

    • Framing it: You can tell them that the other parent was not yet ready to be a parent, perhaps that they were scared and choose not to do it, or whatever is a truthful and age-appropriate response to explaining their absence. Reassure them that they have you and you are 100% committed to being their parent and to loving and supporting them and that will never change.

    • Simple, Honest, Consistent: There is no value in painting a negative picture of the parent who is absent for many reasons and young children don’t need negative information. Keep it simple and give the basic information that they need for now. Try to answer each question they have, without providing additional information. Children process things and then might come back to ask further information. Overwhelming them with all the information isn’t helpful. So if they ask “Do I have two parents”, answer “Yes, you do” and then answer any further questions they have. Often children just need basic information. They simply need to be able to say to other children, for example, “Yes, I have a daddy and his name is Jack.” Children are curious by nature so support them with this.

    • Creating connection: When the time is right, talk about any similarities the child might have to the other parent. Take out any photographs you have of the other parent or photos with both parents together, if applicable. Talk with your child about when you and their other parent loved each other or really liked each other (if that is the situation) and that you both made the child together. You can create a ‘shoe box parent’ for the child. This is a box where you can place anything which has a story about the child’s other parent. This could be photos, pictures you make together of what the parent looks like, what he or she liked to do or eat, or places you visited with them. Talk with the child about any contact the other parent had with them and make it positive for them. When children grow up they will know the full story but for now, keep it simple. Children need to identify with both parents.

    • Consider contact: Give some thought to making contact with an absent parent, if it is safe to do so. Allow the other parent an opportunity to explore some form of contact. If this can’t happen, then work with your child to help them understand that maybe the other parent will be ready to be a parent some day. Often when children are very keen to meet an absent parent, it is because they feel this parent will meet a currently unmet need. This often turns out not to be the case. Help your child to identify their needs so you can try to meet them. Think about contact with extended family members of the other parent if you feel it is helpful for the child. Just because a person may not want to be a parent, that may not be the same for their family members. If possible, enable grandparents or other family members an opportunity to engage with their grandchild.

    • Be Open: Always allow children to ask you many questions and talk with you. Expect that every three years or so, another round of questions will come. Be patient with your child and give them permission to talk about the absent parent and ask any questions. The more comfortable you are having the conversation, the more comfortable they will be in talking to you or confiding in you about their questions and thoughts. This can take some practice, so think or even speak-out conversations, to prepare yourself for how they might go.

    • Mind Yourself: Recognise that it may feel hard to talk to your child about this and go gently on yourself. Be brave when you need to, take a deep breath and do it, and then get support for yourself afterwards. Remember that your relationship with the other parent and what you experienced is not what your child has experienced. Most children do not feel rejected by not knowing an absent parent, it is we as the parents who feel rejection.

    • Get Support: If you regularly find it difficult to talk about the other parent, it’s okay to get support. Many people don’t deal with the hurt and pain of the past and find that it re-surfaces in conversations or situations with their children. Many of us benefit from professional support at some point, to let go of emotions or hurt and to move into a more positive space. This can bring great positivity for you and your child. One Family offer a variety of family supports that may be useful.

    • Dealing With Complex Relationships: If you became pregnant or a lone parent through an abusive experience or relationship, ensure you get support to deal with this. You can still support your child to have a positive healthy childhood, even if the history has complexity. Children don’t need to know the circumstances of how they came to be. Talk with them about who is in their life and how much they are loved. You can explore with them what they imagine life would be like with two parents and help them further explore the negatives and positives of that life. Talk with them about how wonderful that vision is for them. Don’t try to corrode it by being negative. Tell them that you are glad they shared that with you. You can’t make it different, so just be the best parent you can be for your child.

Further Support

We provide limited direct support to both parents and children of one-parent families. This support can be requested directly by parents, for themselves or their child, and by professionals who work with one-parent families. You can find out more about this support here.

Helpline

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.

Christmas doesn’t have to be a difficult time for parents who do not live together and share parenting of their child. There are, of course, things that will need to be worked out. What is most important is to do this well in advance, agreeing to solutions and a plan. Agree your plan as early as you can, to help ensure a happy, fun-filled Christmas for all members of the family, centered around your child. 

Achieving successful shared parenting over Christmas

Next you might like to read 10 Ways to Successful Shared Parenting.

Helpline

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.

For immediate release – Monday 20th October  

Lone parents are prevented from equally accessing higher education, due to systemic barriers and insufficient financial supports, thereby negatively impacting on their long-term employment.  

“Education first? Lone parents’ lived experience of the challenges and benefits of participating in Higher Education” by Dr Fiona Dukelow (UCC), Dr Margaret Scanlon (UCC), Edith Busteed (UCC) and Dr Joe Whelan (TCD) highlights: 

The research recommended that: 
 

Karen Kiernan, CEO of One Family said: 
 
“We are delighted to be a research partner for this critical report. One-parent families on low incomes experience some of the highest levels of poverty, deprivation, social exclusion and homelessness in Ireland. To exit poverty requires a clear pathway to further or higher education, and the current system prevents lone parents from doing that, due to a lack of supports and too many barriers to their education. Access to education is a critical anti-poverty measure for one-parent families and government need to recognise that. We need free childcare for lone parents in higher education, adequate financial supports to cover the full cost of their education, and improved supports tailored to meet the needs of students who are parenting alone, so that they are met with understanding and a supportive system that empowers them to achieve their goals.” 
 
Dr Fiona Dukelow, Senior Lecturer in Social Policy, University College Cork said: 
 

“Lone parent students are a largely invisible group in higher education. They are also a very diverse group of students. Despite being recognised as a group whose access and participation in higher education needs to increase, behind this policy commitment lies a lack of data, a lack of targets and a lack of policy supports that would make a difference to lone parents who are considering or who are in higher education. The research reveals the huge challenges lone parents face as students, but also the huge importance of higher education to their and their children’s wellbeing, and why improving policy supports across a whole range of areas, from financial supports, to childcare, to higher education supports, is critical to improving their access, participation and student experience”.  
 
Lynn Ruane, Keynote Speaker for the research launch said:  

“I really welcome this important research which should be read by every policy maker and politician who wants to see an end to poverty in this country. The research restates what we already know; that education can play a key role in ending child and family poverty through targeted, tailored and meaningful supports as well as guaranteed funding that dismantles the structural barriers faced by those parenting alone and their children. Whole families depend on adequate state and higher education interventions which provide choices, but they need to be clearly illuminated and easily accessible.”   
 
[ENDS] 
 
For more information, please contact Vicky Masterson, One Family Communications Manager on 083 447 0645 / vmasterson@onefamily.ie  
 
1. HEA (2022) ‘National Access Plan 2022-2028′ 
 
The full research report can be accessed here: https://onefamily.ie/policy/research/ 

  1. The research was conducted by a team of researchers at University College Cork, Dr Fiona Dukelow, Dr Margaret Scanlon and Edith Busteed, in collaboration with Dr Joe Whelan, Trinity College Dublin and in partnership with One Family. It was funded by Research Ireland under its New Foundations programme which supports research partnerships with community and voluntary organisations to conduct research that enhances services and their impact. The research was conducted in response to the inequities of the significant higher education attainment gap between lone parents and the general population. Through a survey across higher education institutions, interviews and diary keeping with lone parent students it documented the challenges and benefits lone parents encounter in accessing and participating in higher education. The policy implications for increasing the participation of lone parents in higher education to achieve equitable outcomes for lone parents and their families are also explored. 
  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. 

Tuesday 7th October 2025 
For immediate release

One Family welcomes the announcement of some evidence-based, targeted measures in Budget 2026, but highlights missed opportunities from government to deliver all actions needed to tackle child poverty and family homelessness.  

Strategic increases to the Child Support Payment and expansion of Fuel Allowance to those in receipt of the Working Family Payment are very welcome measures. One Family, and parents we work with, called for these in our Pre-Budget Submission to government and they are evidence-based, targeted measures which will help families who are struggling. It is also welcome that Back to School Allowance has been extended to children aged 2-3.  
 
However, government missed key opportunities to deliver more of the targeted measures needed to tackle child poverty and family homelessness: 
 

Karen Kiernan, CEO of One Family: 
 
“There are some positive measures in Budget 2026 for families, but government missed several opportunities to deliver more of the targeted measures needed to tackle child poverty and family homelessness. Increasing the Child Support Payment and expanding the Fuel Allowance for low-income working parents are critical, necessary steps towards the Government’s child poverty target and we welcome that government listened to One Family and the parents who came forward to speak on this issue.  

“However, the failure to increase other targeted payments, such as the Back to School Clothing & Footwear Allowance or the income disregards to One Parent Family Payment and Jobseekers’ Transitional Payment is extremely disappointing. Doing so would’ve helped the one-parent families most impacted by cost-of-living crisis, in a targeted way, and the while the Child Support Payment and Fuel Allowance expansion are extremely welcome, further targeting was needed to tackle the poverty and deprivation that many one-parent families are experiencing.”  
 
Carly Bailey, Policy Manager of One Family: 
 
“The lack of immediate action on childcare is really disappointing and will have a significant impact on one-parent families. It’s unclear how government intends to increase spaces when services are pulling out of core funding, waiting lists are rampant across the country and fees remain unaffordable for many parents.  
 
This budget also fails to deliver meaningful, immediate measures to address record rates of family homelessness, which is a one-parent family crisis; nearly 60% of families in emergency accommodation are one-parent families. The Tenant-In-Situ scheme is a critical anti-homelessness measure that, had it been expanded/sufficiently funded, would prevent more families from entering homelessness. Failure to increase Housing Assistance Payments in line with market rents will also further drive homelessness, particularly one-parent families who are disproportionately reliant on HAP due to the unaffordability of rent. The crisis of family homelessness is not new at this point, yet we’re still waiting on budget to be allocated to develop a Family Homelessness Strategy to tackle the crisis. One Family are deeply concerned that the inaction of Budget 2026 will further drive the month-on-month increases of family homelessness.” 

ENDS
 

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

Notes to Editor: 
 

  1. One Family 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. 
     
  1. One Family’s full Budget Submission can be accessed here: https://onefamily.ie/wp-content/uploads/Budget-Submission-2026.pdf  
     

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How To Tell Your Child That You're Separating

For a parent the thought of telling your children that you and their other parent are separating is incredibly hard to imagine. It’s common to feel overwhelmed and unsure of how to approach the conversation, what to tell them and what to not say. 

It can feel easier to avoid having the conversation or hope that your child won’t notice the change. But it’s critical that parents talk with their children as soon as possible once a decision to separate has been made.

Even if you are still living in the home together, but have ended your romantic relationship, you should tell your child. Children are very observant and as much as you might think they do not notice that things have changed, they do.

Children will be the first to notice and feel that something is different and they need your support to understand what this change is so they are not left feeling worried, anxious, scared and upset trying to figure out a feeling or a sense they have, but without the maturity or words to understand it. 

Young children need parents to sit with them and help them to understand that the family form is about to change.  They need support and to be told how much they are loved and how they will remain central in their parents lives and the decisions they make.

Tips for telling your young child (aged 2-4) that you’re separating

  • Use imaginative play: Young children both learn things and process things through imaginative play. Sit with them as you play with dolls or figurines  create two homes to play in. Introduce the concept of Mummy in one house and Daddy in the other house and then play a game of the child coming to spend time in each house. Help them to build the home, what it looks like, what they would have in each home to make it nice and safe, and a place they would like to be. What would Mummy need in her home and Daddy in his home? When the homes are built, talk with your child about what it would be like if there really were two homes and that one parent was going to live in a new house, just like in the game. Hear what your child has to say. Gently explore what they come up with.
  • Address the practicalities: Children will have many practical concerns at this age about living in two homes around toys, belongings etc. Remember children at this age are still very egocentric and life is all about them and their needs. Talk with them gently about how you might be able to meet those concerns for them.
  • Continue the conversation: It’s not about one big conversation, but lots of little ones. Keep talking about what is happening by using story books and art work. Draw images of family and home as you know it now and then again introduce two homes and what would they look like. Use imaginative play to create the two homes again and encourage your child to play the game over and over so they can process how this might all work for them. Playing this game with your young child will help you as a parent to understand what their needs are, what they are worried about and what you as their parent need to do in order to support them through this major family and life change.
  • Be honest: Always be honest with children, in an age appropriate way. Just answer the question that they ask, as honestly as your can, in the simplest way that you can. Don’t offer up additional information, just focus on answering the specific question they asked. Children will process and then return to you with more questions as they have them.
  • Don’t blame: Do not tell children one parent is to blame for the separation, even if you feel this is the truth. There is nothing positive that will be achieved for your child by doing this. This can feel difficult, especially during the first phases of a separation, so it’s critical that if you think you need support with this, you seek it. One Family provide a range of supports to families that may be useful. 
  • Stop the conflict: If conflict formed a regular part of life leading up to the separation, you need to seek professional support around how to learn to communicate more effectively with each other. Children do not suffer negatively because of family separation but they do with prolonged chronic parental conflict. One Family have a range of online parenting courses which can help parents with this. 
  • Parental presence: If one of the parents is leaving the family home, ensure that your child can see the other parent often and frequently, if possible. Children need constant reassurance during the early stages of separation that both parents are there for them and they need to see each parent to know they are okay.
  • Self-care: Separation can be exhausting, both emotionally and practically. It’s important to look after yourself and take moments when you can to mind your wellbeing. Exercise, meditation or watching your favourite TV show uninterrupted can all be helpful activities which top-up your resilience. Lean on friends and family for support or engage in therapy to help you process your feelings around the end of your relationship. This can be a challenging time and it can feel even harder when you are trying to build a positive parenting relationship with the other parent.  Be kind to yourself. 
  • Create your own shared parenting plan: Every family is unique and  therefore the shared parenting plan should be unique to your family, ensuring your child’s needs are met within it. Try not to listen to what others have done or what you think the norm is. All plans will need to be adjusted over time as children grow and life changes and this should be expected and supported.

Tips for telling your child (aged 5-9) that you’re separating

Children of this age are a little wiser to the world. They are in school and they understand more clearly that children all have parents or carers. They will at this stage have a long enough history of living with both of their parents to really value what that offers to them.

Children of this age notice everything and are sensitive to change.

In their own lives they are managing so much in school as they engage with the community there, with extracurricular activities and the larger community. Introducing a family change can be very hard for them as they feel it emotionally more so than their younger counter parts as they are starting to understand emotions and how they feel and they can in many ways express it more clearly to us as parents.

  • Tell your child together: At this age group it is best for both parents to sit the children down together and tell them, for example, ‘Mummy and Daddy no longer want to live in the same house. You may have noticed we fight more than we should and we don’t think this is the best way for our family to be. We have decided that we are going to have two homes and live separately where you will live with us.’ It is really important to be clear with the children, do not leave them confused in the message you give to them. On the day you share this news with your child, try to ensure both parents can be around for them for the remainder of the day. Do something nurturing with them, reading a story, bath time, art work. Allow them time to go away and play and to find you again for more questions or a cuddle. Children will need a lot of reassurance that both parents still love them and will be there for them.
  • Be clear, direct, honest: Be very clear and direct with this age group, do not tell them false truths. Try to have as much practical information as you can to give them and reenforce how you both love your child and always will, that will never change.
  • No blame games: Do not blame one parent for the separation. Children love parents equally regardless of what either of you might do. They are loyal to both parents, so do not ask them to take sides, as in the long run you will create emotional turmoil for them. The details of why the separation happened are for you as parents to figure out; it is your intimate relationship. While you need to be honest with your children about what is happening, you don’t need to give them the explicit reasons why. Even though you are separating, you are still parenting together and you want to build a positive relationship to do that and both have active role in parenting, and continuing to parent, your child.
  • Encourage questions: It’s normal that children have lots of questions and queries. Create a space that enables them to ask these, without fear of upsetting you. It’s important that you are a calm emotional space for your children to allow their feelings spill out to. It’s normal for children to feel shocked, sad, upset, angry or confused. But feelings come and feelings go and as they adjust to the “new normal”, feelings won’t feel as intense. 
  • Prepare them before moving: If one of you is moving out of the family home, talk with your child about how two homes is going to happen. Do not allow them to witness a situation where one parent packs and says goodbye. This is heartbreaking for children to see a parent walk out the door, the sense of abandonment and hurt can be felt for many years. Prepare them as much as you can in advance about the parent who is leaving, show them where you are going to be staying, have them over to visit or stay overnight, if it’s possible. 
  • Involve your child in the plans: Plan with your child, as much as you may not want to, around the next steps. Allow them be involved in making the changes as this will support them to understand it more clearly. By understanding what is happening they will develop the language to talk about it with you and with others.
  • Encourage openness: Support children to know the separation is not a secret. They can tell their close friends if they wish to  and talk to relatives about it. As parents it is really important to tell the school. Schools will notice a change in your child and they need to understand the background. This will also allow the school to be more sensitive to the issue in class work and activities.
  • Talking and listening: Create plenty of opportunity for your child to talk about what is happening. Do not try to justify the changes or fix them. Just listen and tell your childr you are happy they can talk about what worries them with you. As two parents separating, you need to take this on board when arranging a shared parenting agreement, keeping your child central to the decisions you make going forward.

Tips for telling your child (aged 10-14+) that you are separating 

Children of this age can be very mature and portray an image that they can cope with a lot more than their age would suggest.

However, they are still children and will need a lot of support to understand and cope with family separation.

At this age children are at a critical stage of change in their own development so adding a family change can bring great turmoil for them. This age group are very concerned with what others think and know about them. They may fear bullying, whispering and others talking about their family.

Children of this age could be acutely aware that the parental relationship was not working well, that there was conflict or unhappiness; however they may also have no other experience of family life, so accept this is family life. They may be relieved that the conflict will end with the separation if the parents can manage to agree how to share parenting and move forward, unfortunately many parents do not stop the conflict at separation. Children can become very confused as to the benefit of the separation for anyone.

  • Tell them together: Both parents should sit down with your child and tell them very clearly that you have decided to separate. Children may walk away when you tell them this, overwhelmed with emotion and unable to talk or ask questions. It is important for parents to be available to them for the remainder of the day, even if they don’t want to speak. This demonstrates togetherness in your parenting and your shared love for your child, even though your intimate relationship has ended. 

  • Encourage questions: Allow your children to ask questions. Many will be about their own needs or what may happen to them. Children will worry about change and who will notice the change. They may worry about how their life will change, from the the practical to the emotional.  Try answers their questions as honestly as you can, providing reassurance and security. 
  • Demonstrate togetherness: It is important as two parents to reassure your children you are going to work with each other to find the best solutions to all of these worries as you both love your children and want the best for them. Try not to make promises at this time until you have both talked and agreed what the plan will be. Focus on the high-level things; you both love your child and want what’s best for your child and will together to achieve this.
  • Don’t share intimate details: If a partner is not a good partner, it doesn’t mean they’re not a good parent. Your child only has two parents and loves you both equally, it’s important that you don’t try to damage (intentionally or not) with their other parent. They do not need to know what happened  to cause the relationship to break down. The relationship they have with you as their parent is very separate to the one you have with their other parent. 
  • Plan the new normal: Plan with your children how the two homes will be created and how and when one parent will leave. Children will remember this event for life so try to ensure you are not adding to the grief they will feel by the way you carry this out. As much as you may resent the other parent, remember if you have decided to separate it is now about the business of sharing parenting and putting the children first.

  • Further Support

    We provide limited direct support to both parents and children of one-parent families. This support can be requested directly by parents, for themselves or their child, and by professionals who work with one-parent families. You can find out more about this support here.

    Helpline

    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.

How Your Child May Feel During Separation

Whatever the circumstances, parental separation is hard on families. Whatever your child’s age, it can be challenging to know what’s going in their head during it or how they’re feeling or what is “normal”. 

You can help your child through this period of transition by learning about some common reactions and feelings children experience during separation and by ensuring your communications with them are child-centred. 

Common feelings children experience during parental separation 

  • Loyalty conflict: Children often feel like they need to “choose” one parent over the other and get caught in the middle of parental conflict. It’s important to let your child know that there is no need for them to choose a side and that that it’s okay to love both parents and want to spend time with both parents.
  • Needing reassurance about love: Although Mum or Dad might not love each other, it is important to reassure the child that they love him/her, that this hasn’t changed and never will.
  • Not wanting to visit: As they get older, children’s interests vary and the importance they place on spending time with friends or peers over their parents increases. They may not want to visit a parent, choosing instead to do something else. Although this can feel difficult or be a source of concern for the parent, it’s all a part of your child growing up. Focus on ensuring the foundation of your relationship is strong and lines of communication remain active between you.
  • Feeling responsible: Children may feel they are responsible for their parents separation. It’s important to reassure them that they are not to blame for the separation.
  • Fantasies of reconciliation: It’s a Hollywood plotline for a reason! Children may may dream up plans to get their parents to reconcile or express this as wish they would like to happen. As hard as that may be to hear at times, it can be normal part of the process. Allow your child to express this and have space around it.
  • Wondering what caused the separation: Children seek explanations for things all the time and it’s common for them to wonder why their parents don’t love each other anymore and even “blame” the parent who they think wanted the separation and make the other parent a “victim” of this. Understanding comes with time and maturity and although this can feel difficult, they want always frame the separation in this way. You can talk to them about how this is a decision that, in the long-term, will allow both parents to be happy and focus on the fact that both parents will always share the love of their child together.
  • Threats: If you do not come home, I will never speak to you again; the purpose of a statement like this is to make the parent feel guilty so that they will return home.
  • Anger: Particularly children between the ages of 8-16 years can experience intense anger. They can often be most angry with the parent they blame for separation, but they may express anger only towards the parent they view as the ‘safest’, usually the resident parent.
  • Worrying about how to tell their peers: Encourage your child to be honest about the situation. Parental separation is hugely common and there is nothing to be ashamed of.
  • Worrying about the future: The child may find it hard to envision what the future will look like and this can cause worry.  This is more likely to occur where there is parental conflict around contact and maintenance. Parents need to listen to their child’s worries and talk honestly and openly with them about any concerns.

Further Support

We provide limited direct support to both parents and children of one-parent families. This support can be requested directly by parents, for themselves or their child, and by professionals who work with one-parent families. You can find out more about this support here.


Helpline

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.

How To Support Grandparents' Relationship With Your Child

Everyone who is a parent can benefit from family support. Grandparents can be a wonderful source of strength and knowledge, especially to a mum or dad parenting on their own. It’s not always possible for a parent and their child to have a Grandparent in their lives for a variety of reasons, but when it is, this is a relationship to be nurtured as it can be of great influence on a child. 

  • Invite grandparents into your child’s life: They have a lot to offer, things you may not be able to imagine. Children like to know who they are and where they come from. grandparents can offer a lot of history to children and support them to understand their identity.
  • Be open: Even if you don’t have a relationship with your child’s other parent,  grandparents of your child’s other parent can still be part of your child’s life. Many grandparents seek court ordered contact now around this. Others don’t know what to do when couples separate. Explore this with them. Children have a right to contact with family unless it presents any danger to them.
  • Allow them to be grandparents, not  a co-parent: Support grandparents to be grandparents. Don’t expect them to take on too much. They have been parents in the past and now they have other challenges and avenues to explore. They can have a present role in your child’s life without boundaries into parenting being crossed.
  • Make allowances: Allow grandparents some freedom with treats, TV time, etc. This is what grandparents do!
  • Express thanks: Acknowledge what grandparents do for you and your child. Don’t take it for granted. They are not duty bound to support you to parent. Appreciate whatever they do.
  • Keep it kind: Do not talk badly about grandparents in front of children, even if you’ve had or have your own relationship difficulties. They are doing their best. Children will respect others in the way you model for them.
  • Communicate: Talk with grandparents about issues you may have with them. Agree how they can support you to manage your child’s behaviour in a that way everyone is happy, especially the child.
  • Support the relationship: Encourage a good relationship with grandparents. Support them to enjoy being with the children, maybe one at a time to build up relationships.
  • Don’t rely on them for everything: Just because you ask for support you may not get it or perhaps not in the form you had hoped. Have other support systems in place and don’t expect too much from one source.
  • Be confident in your own parenting: You can hear the words of wisdom grandparents may wish to offer you. Remember that although you are the authority on your own parenting, to thank grandparents for their thoughts, to consider their suggestions and to make your own choices as a parent.

     

    Further Support

    We provide limited direct support to both parents and children of one-parent families. This support can be requested directly by parents, for themselves or their child, and by professionals who work with one-parent families. You can find out more about this support here.

    Helpline

    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.

Add Your Heading Text Here

How To Be An Assertive Communicator

Assertiveness is a wonderful quality to have, and as long as you know how to use it properly it can be help you be direct and clear in your communication with others, particularly your children. 

Assertiveness is an approach that helps you to be direct, honest and respectful in expressing your feelings, wants, needs and opinions.

  • You should always be respectful of others and yourself when being assertive.
  • Being assertive should not mean being aggressive.
  • Use clear and direct communication instead of unclear or indirect communication.
  • Be more confident about how you say things and how you get your message across.
  • Assertiveness will help your children learn how to be assertive and help a family to be positive and have shared values.
  • Remember you are making requests, not demands. Expect yes and no answers.
  • Be ready to negotiate and compromise with others, including children.
  • Be very specific with children in particular about what you need them to do. ‘I need you to tidy your room’ is too vague. Indicate certain areas of the room: ‘I need you to tidy your dolls today’ and explain what that should look like.
  • Learn to say no and explain why it is a ‘No.’ The ‘No’ is about you safeguarding yourself as opposed to blocking another person: ‘No, you cannot walk alone to the shops, I need you to be safe and I need to hold your hand to ensure this.’

Further Support

We provide limited direct support to both parents and children of one-parent families. This support can be requested directly by parents, for themselves or their child, and by professionals who work with one-parent families. You can find out more about this support here.

Helpline

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.

Parenting Teenagers: Maintaining Communication

This can be a challenging time for parents and children to maintain good relations and communication. It’s important that the relationship is maintained and lines of communication are kept open on both sides, so that this new period can be navigated in a healthy, supportive way. Here are some tips to achieve this:

  • Talk with them: Talking to your teenager, not at them, is the key to good communication.
  • Listen: Listen to what they have to say and ask questions to help you understand their thinking. Sometimes you need to just accept that they see things differently to you.
  • Empower them: Help your teen find their own solutions to their issues. Don’t give so much advice, let them think it out.
  • Let them make mistakes: We all learn from making mistakes. Stop trying to make the world perfect for your teen, they need space to learn. You can be there to support them when times are hard.
  • Share with them: You may hate watching The Kardashians or football on TV, but if your teenager loves them then make the effort to sit and watch it with them. This can be a bonding experience and you will get great insight into how their mind works by doing this.
  • Make dates: Life is busy as a teen. Make a date with your teenager to do something together and don’t break it, keep it as a regular event. It can be as simple as cooking dinner together, watching a TV show or movie or trying to play a video game with them.
  • Forget about their bedroom: Most teens can cause havoc in homes over untidy bedrooms. Try setting some rules that washing must be placed in the wash basket and dishes and food all brought to the kitchen. After that, forget it. Public spaces within the home must be respected by all but allow them keep their room as they like it.
  • Like their friends: and boyfriends/girlfriends. You may not particularly like another teen but try to get to know them and be respectful of them. It’s better to have your teenager hanging out in your home than their friends as then you can know more about what’s going on.
  • Taxi time: It’s horrid but has to be done. It’s only for a few years but it’s necessary. At least if you bring your teen somewhere and collect them you may have more peace of mind than worrying who they are getting lifts with.
  • They are teens not babies: Teens from 12 years old onwards want to be treated as young adults – with the exception of when they are sick or tired and want to be babied again. Give them responsibilities, trust them and expect them to follow rules. Don’t judge them too quickly as they are only learning.

Further Support

We provide limited direct support to both parents and children of one-parent families. This support can be requested directly by parents, for themselves or their child, and by professionals who work with one-parent families. You can find out more about this support here.

Helpline

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.