News – Page 2 – One Family

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On mark UN International Day of the Family, One Family is calling for a change to article 41.3 of the Constitution on the definition of the Family. We are calling for definition in the Constitution to be expanded to give rights and protection to all family forms; currently, the Constitution only recognises the married family. We are now hopefully on the verge of achieving a vote on this change with the referendum on Family, Care and Equality due to take place in November. The final wording of the referendum questions have not been finalised, but we know there is a commitment from Government to ensure that all families receive Constitutional protection. We need your support the ensure Government keep to their commitments and to help us in any campaign in the referendum.

For more information on article 41.3 click here: To join the campaign click here
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At a wonderful event at the National Library of Ireland (NLI) head office in Dublin, One Family/Cherish, today, donated their archives to the National Library of Ireland for safe keeping. CEO of One Family, Karen Kiernan said: “These archives give voice to the stories of women and children who were shunned by the State and by parts of society. When Cherish was established in 1972, there was no lone parents allowance and single pregnant women had an uncertain future – they were often thrown out of their homes, lost their jobs and were rejected by their communities. In these archives the words of these women endure, their voices are included in our national story and are now protected in the national archive.” To read the press release click here

The Cherish administrative and organisational records will be catalogued and available to researchers by the end of 2023. The Client Case Files and correspondence that contains personal information has been designated “Not for Consultation” (NFC) and will not be available to researchers. In collecting material relating to living persons, and in line with our statutory obligations under GDPR, the NLI applies a strict approach to the protection of privacy.
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National Library of Ireland marks acquisition of Cherish archive

Collection provides insight into life for lone-parent families from 1970s onwards

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The National Library of Ireland (NLI) has today (24.04.23) announced the acquisition of the archive of Ireland’s national organisation for one-parent families One Family, formerly known as Cherish. Dating from the organisation’s establishment in the early 1970s to the early 2000s, the archive provides an insight into the experiences and challenges of one-parent families at that time.

Cherish was set up in 1972 by Maura O’Dea Richards after she placed an advert in The Evening Herald seeking to reach other women in Ireland who were unmarried and had children. A small number answered the advert and Cherish was born. It took its name from the 1916 Proclamation, which declared that Ireland would “cherish all of the children of the nation equally”. Cherish changed its name to One Family in 2004, in recognition of a changing Ireland in which one-parent families existed in many forms.
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The archive comprises two parts: the first contains case files that record the circumstances of individual women who came to Cherish for advice and support, and includes correspondence dating from 1974 to 1987. The second part of the archive contains the administrative records of the organisation, and includes AGM minutes, submissions, correspondence and publications lobbying for legislative reform.

Speaking at an event to mark the acquisition, Director of the NLI, Dr Audrey Whitty said: “The NLI is Ireland’s memory keeper and as such we are committed to collecting Ireland’s many voices and their diverse experience. We are increasingly adding the stories of women and under-represented groups to our collections. We are proud to receive these papers from Cherish, which provide a fascinating insight into the lives of one-parent families from the early 1970s, societal attitudes towards them, and how they have changed over the years.”
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CEO of One Family, Karen Kiernan said: “The archival material we have donated to the National Library provides insights into the lives of one-parent families in Ireland in the very recent past. It gives voice to the stories of women and children who were shunned by the State and by parts of society. When Cherish was established in 1972, there was no lone parents allowance and single pregnant women had an uncertain future – they were often thrown out of their homes, lost their jobs and were rejected by their communities. This comes through in some of the letters from service users that are included in the archive – some are heartbreaking, others are full of positivity where family and community support is clear.”

Mary Kerrigan ran the Clare/Limerick branch of Cherish for many years. She said: “Despite being an unmarried mother in the 1970s and the stigma I felt from some people, they may now think I am a very important person because the Cherish records are in the archives of the National Library of Ireland. What the women in Cherish did made a massive difference to society in Ireland, working hard for social, financial and legal rights for unmarried mothers and their children which is something One Family continues to this day. We did this with the help of people such as Mary Robinson, who was our President until she became President of Ireland.”

ENDS
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Notes to Editors:

In collecting material relating to living persons, and in line with our statutory obligations under GDPR, the NLI applies a strict approach to the protection of privacy. The Client Case Files and correspondence that contains personal information has been designated “Not for Consultation” (NFC) and will not be available to researchers. The Cherish administrative and organisational records will be catalogued and available to researchers by the end of 2023.

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One Family’s New Futures Employability Programme has done it again and won the Special Recognition Award at the Aontas Star Awards. This is the second time the employability programme, which boasts a 85% progression rate, has won this prestigious honour, having scooped the same award in 2019. The award was presented at a ceremony in Croke Park, Dublin this morning.

Karen Kiernan CEO of One Family said, “We’re just so proud of Valerie Maher, Niamh Wynne and all the New Futures team. This is a huge achievement and it is recognition of the team’s hard work but also recognition for all of the parents who have gone through the programme. Huge thank you to ESF Ireland for funding the programme and our current partners the Department of Social Protection who are working with us to deliver the programme through the EaSI programme.”

New Future’s sister course, the New Steps Personal Development programme will start on May 10th delivered via Zoom each Wednesday morning from 10am to 12.30pm. The programme is open to lone parents receiving the One-Parent Family Payment (OPF) or Job Seekers Transitional Payment (JST) and who are living in Cavan, Monaghan, Louth or Meath.

To register and for more information please email programmes@onefamily.ie or call Niamh at 01 662 9212. For more information about One Family please click here https://onefamily.ie/education-development/employability-programmes/new-steps/

One Family’s employability and education programmes are part supported by funding received under the Gender Equality Activity of the European Social Fund (ESF) Programme for Employability, Inclusion and Learning 2014-2020 (‘PEIL’) and the Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI) programme 2014-2020.

The ESF PEIL Gender Equality Activity aims to promote social inclusion and combat discrimination in the labour market. The EaSI programme aims to promote a high level of quality and sustainable employment, guaranteeing adequate and decent social protection, combating social exclusion, poverty, and improving working conditions.
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Referendum on Who is Family – symbolic reparation for wrongs of the past

One Family welcomes announcement of commitment for referendum on who is family and care in the Constitution.

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Press release:

Wednesday, 8 March 2022

One Family – Ireland’s national organisation for one-parent families has welcomed today’s announcement that a referendum on Family, Care and Gender Equality is to be held in November 2023 saying that an inclusive view to family can act as an ‘act of symbolic reparation’ for the wrongs of the past. The planned referendum announced by the Taoiseach this morning comes following the report of the Citizens Assembly on Gender Equality, the recommendations of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality and following years of campaigning by one-parent families groups seeking equality for non-marital families.
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One Family CEO Karen Kiernan said, “We welcome today’s announcement of a date for a referendum on Gender Equality and the Definition of the Family. The current Article 41.3 of the Constitution on the definition of the family denies one-parent families the same constitutional protection as married families and we will be campaigning for this to change in the forthcoming referendum. Given Ireland’s grim treatment of unmarried parents and their children in previous decades, a vote to change this Article could be seen as an act of a symbolic reparation for the sins of the past. We need this combined with a new inclusive financial reparation for survivors of the Mother and Baby Homes and Magdalene Laundries to help to heal the wounds of the past.”
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One Family/Cherish founder Maura O’Dea Richards said, “As a so-called ‘unmarried mother’ in 1970s Ireland. I repeatedly saw women with no choice, who were forced to put their children up for adoption, go into Mother & Baby Homes or become homeless and outcast. While Article 41.3 of the Constitution has little practical impact on the lives of families today – I believe it is a symbol. A symbol of discrimination and isolation. It tells families they are ‘other’ they are outside our community and society. All families are entitled to respect and protection. Discrimination against families who are not married must end and a vote to change Article 41.3 is a hugely symbolic step to achieve this .”

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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.

These services include the lo-call 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.

For further information visit:

Available for Interview

Karen Kiernan, CEO | t: 086 850 9191

Further Information/Scheduling

Noel Sweeney, Communications and Events Manager | t: 085 7241294
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Press release:

Wednesday, 22 February 2022

One Family – Ireland’s national organisation for one-parent families has warned the rise in poverty rates in lone parent families show Government policies designed to tackle poverty are failing. The warning comes as the latest Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC) published by the CSO confirms consistent poverty in one-parent families rose to 14.1% in 2022, almost three times the rate of the general population (5%). Deprivation in one-parent families remains unacceptably high with almost half (43.5%) of households with one adult with children under 18 years of age living in deprivation, this compares to 17.7% of people in two-parent households. The charity is calling on Government to urgently introduce targeted support for struggling one-parent families.
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Karen Kiernan, CEO with One Family said, “It’s just not right in a country as wealthy as Ireland that almost half (43.5%) of one-parent families are living in deprivation, while a quarter (23.8%) are at risk of poverty and 14.1% of lone parents are living in consistent poverty. Behind these statistics are real children and families who are struggling to feed and house themselves. There is no let up for these families and while short-term measures keep the wolf from the door for a month or two, that wolf is lurking; these families need targeted long-term support to help them escape poverty.”
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Niamh Kelly, Policy Manager with One Family said, “We have seen how a lack of effective policymaking and failure to target one-parent families by Government has resulted in the high levels of poverty and deprivation experienced by one-parent families. In both Budget 2023 and yesterday’s cost-of-living package the Government chose populist, once-off payments over much needed targeted, sustainable measures. As chair of the National One Parent Family Alliance (NOPFA), a group of ten organisations working together to reduce the high levels of poverty experienced by lone parents and their children, we have put forward evidenced based solutions and targeted measures which will reduce the high rates of poverty and deprivation to Government. We are deeply concerned about children in one parent families living in deprivation and we believe this needs to be recognised with cost-of-living measures that are targeted, not populist.”

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For Editors:

For further information visit: https://onefamily.ie/

Link to CSO Survey on Income and Living Conditions statistics
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Available for Interview

Karen Kiernan, CEO | t: 086 850 9191

Further Information/Scheduling

Noel Sweeney, Communications and Events Manager | t: 085 7241294
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Video and Resources are now available from our Building a Family Law System for Separating Families Webinar. Click here for more…
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One Family is delighted to announce the date of the next Family Law seminar which will take place on Monday 5 December from 4pm-6pm. The latest webinar will look at ‘Building a Family law System for Separating Families’ and will feature a panel of national and international experts. The webinar will examine the Department of Justice’s recently launched Family Justice Strategy and will look at how the plan will impact court users and how the voice of the child will be incorporated into Family Law proceeding which affect them.

For more information including a list of confirmed speakers click here:
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Lone parent and separating families cautiously optimistic following publication of the new Family Justice Strategy and child maintenance reforms

Putting the needs and voice of children first in family law proceedings will require a root and branch reform of how we manage separation in this country

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Press release:

Wednesday, 16^th November 2022

Lone parent and separating families are “cautiously optimistic” following the publication, this afternoon, of the Department of Justice’s new Family Law Strategy and reforms of Child Maintenance according to One Family – Ireland’s national organisation for people parenting alone, sharing parenting and separating. One Family was a member of the advisory group on the Family Justice Strategy advocating for the needs of separating families and those sharing parenting of their children.
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Karen Kiernan CEO of One Family said, “We welcome the publication of the new strategy, which is a ‘step in the right direction’. We particularly welcome the strong commitment to centre the needs and voice of children in family law proceedings which affect them. This will require a root and branch rethink of how we currently manage separation in this country and needs to be adequately funded. We also welcome the publication of the Child Maintenance Review Group Report and the measures to be introduced by the Department of Social Protection. It is good the Department has listened to the major problems and poverty parents have experienced due to their draconian rules. Unfortunately, the Government and review group have not fully understood the need to remove Child Maintenance from an adversarial court system and that will sadly continue.”
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Karen Kiernan continued, “What families really require is a well-trained and resourced judiciary who are supported by out of court family supports including specialist services such as assessments for court; child contact centres; therapeutic and parenting services. It is disappointing that there is no plan or resources in this strategy for these necessary family support services. These supports ultimately empower families to make their own decisions and save the state money as well as decreasing family conflict and harm to children. If we know that separating in conflict and being thrown into an adversarial court processes harms parents and causes adverse effects on children – why do we continue to support such a harmful system with state funding?
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“One Family has been working on the frontline of helping parents separate well for their children with piecemeal funding for innovative services and critical research. A much more strategic approach is required to ensure all families can benefit from services that are outside the court process as is routinely available in neighbouring countries.”

“This strategy is to be welcomed but we need to see the resources that will be available to support all the various agencies to deliver this strategy. Funding will need to be provided including financial support for some families, to ensure children’s voices are heard.”

Note: One Family will be holding their third webinar on Family Law Reform on 5 December 4-6pm with a range of academics, practitioners and the Dept of Justice to reflect on this strategy, the new Family Courts Bill and emerging research and practice to support separating families. Register here:

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For Editors:

Relevant One Family Submissions:

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice Submission on the General Scheme of the Family Court Bill. Link here.
Family Justice Oversight Group Consultation. Link here.

For further information visit: https://onefamily.ie/

Available for Interview

Karen Kiernan, CEO | t: 086 850 9191

Further Information/Scheduling

Noel Sweeney, Communications and Events Manager | t: 085 7241294
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Government offers armbands when a lifeboat is needed.

Long-term targeted supports are needed to stop families being pulled into poverty.

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Press release:

Monday, 14^th November 2022,

One Family, Ireland’s national organisation for one-parent families, has said universal and short-term social welfare increases are akin to offering struggling families ‘armbands when a lifeboat is needed’. Extensive research has shown that one-parent families require targeted long-term supports to address soaring poverty rates, yet Government failed to act in Budget 2023 despite all the evidence. The call comes as the charity launched its Annual Review 2021 which sees a 13% increase in calls to the askonefamily helpline.
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One Family CEO, Karen Kiernan said, “This week’s once-off social welfare payments are to be welcomed and will help families in the short-term but many struggling one-parent families are ineligible for these payments and will face a bleak new year. We are seeing through our services families struggling to keep their heads above water and we are deeply concerned about the new year and what the bleak days of early 2023 have in store. Let’s be under no illusions, in the last Budget, this Government prioritised its own electoral success over the needs of the poorest children in the state. These short-term and universal measures will leave the poorest children in the state even poorer in the long-term.”
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Karen Kiernan continued, “Last year due to the incredible generosity of the public we were able to issue over €16,000 worth of food, back to school vouchers, and family tickets directly to children and families in need. Our worry is, as we start our Christmas Toy Appeal, is this year’s demand will exceed what we are able to deliver. In real terms, this means children and families will go hungry and cold as they run out of options. This just isn’t right in a country as wealthy as Ireland. The families we support desperately need targeted long-term supports. Government have all the facts and information but are not moving – we must ask why they seem blind to the needs on one-parent families.”

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For Editors:

Link to One Family Annual Review:
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For further information visit: https://onefamily.ie/

Stats from the One Family Annual Review:

Service user numbers:

2021 – 3,159 families

Helpline figures:

2021 – 4265 queries

Helpline queries by category:

Query Type	2021
Family Law	32%
Social welfare and Finances	34%
Family and parenting	14%
Adult ed/employment	4%
Support	16%
Total no. of queries	4265

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Survey marking 50^th anniversary of One Family reveals negative attitudes continue towards one-parent families.

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Press Release

Friday 14 October 2022

A survey looking at perceived attitudes to lone parents has revealed 80% of the 265 lone parents who completed the survey have experienced stigma or judgemental attitudes due to their family type. The survey results have been released as One Family, formerly Cherish, Ireland’s national organisation for one-parent families celebrates its 50^th anniversary at an event at the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission.
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Founder of One Family, Maura O’Dea Richards, said, “When we set up Cherish/One Family in October 1972 unmarried mothers were being ostracised in society and imprisoned in the laundries. Now 50 years later, it’s so sad to see these ridiculous attitudes to people parenting alone persist. A lot has changed in Ireland since 1972, and we now like to think of ourselves as a progressive forward-thinking country, but we still seem to have this blind spot about those parenting alone. It’s just not right and will continue until Ireland embraces all families. A good first start would be to change article 41.3 of the Constitution on the definition of the family.”
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Karen Kiernan, CEO of One Family, said, “I’d like to say the survey results are a shock to us but they’re not. Through our work with families, we hear regular reports of discrimination, stigma and judgemental attitudes against one-parent families. Unfortunately, this seems to be manifesting in Government policy decisions. Since 2016, there have been more than 16 separate reports on lone parents and poverty, all say these families are the poorest in the state and need targeted supports. Yet we have no action by Government. Both the ESRI and CSO have shown, contrary to Government assertions, that lone parents will be worse-off following last month’s budget. Yet another blind eye is turned in Ireland’s relationship with one-parent families. Often indifference and discrimination can amount to the same thing.”
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Sinéad Gibney, Chief Commissioner of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) said, “Firstly I’d like to congratulate One Family for 50 years supporting one-parent families in Ireland. As a lone parent myself, I find the results of this vox pop survey extremely disappointing but unfortunately not surprising. I encourage anyone from a one-parent family who believes they have experienced discrimination to contact the IHREC offices and we will investigate the claim; no-one should be discriminated against because of their family type.”

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For Editors:
One Family was founded in October 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. For more information on One Family visit: www.onefamily.ie
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Survey Results:

This non-scientific survey was conducted online with one-parent families from 5/10/2022 to 12/10/2022 and had 265 respondents and was open to members of one-parent families. The survey had four questions:

Q1) Do you think people in one-parent families experience stigma or judgemental attitudes because of their family type in Ireland?

Yes 85.20%

No 13%

Don’t Know: 1.6%
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Q2) Have you experienced stigma or judgemental attitudes towards you or your family because of the type of family you are in?

Yes 80.58%

No 19.42%
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Q3) If you feel you have experienced negative attitudes because you are in a one-parent family, where has this been? (Respondents could give more than one answer)

Health Service: 39.89%

Education: 40.43%

Social Protection Services: 39.89%

Media: 45.21%

In my workplace: 28.72%

Family law courts: 32.45%

Law enforcement: 12.23%

Family and friends: 60.64%
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Quotes from parents relating to the answer above:

“GAA matches where other mothers wouldn’t engage much with me no matter how hard I tried to become friendly with them so I wouldn’t be standing on the side-lines alone.”

Quote from a mother

“Much of this is unintentional, but as a single parent much of the societal demands are worse for single parents e.g. affidavit getting a passport…The current creche crisis is especially grim for single working parents. Very much the expectation that a partner can take the child etc… I very envious of friends who both work from home and can juggle some childcare- feels like institutionalised stigma.”

Quote from a mother

“Local neighbours automatically asking about my ‘husband’ and being awkward when I tell them I’m single..”

Quote from a mother

“Community organisations who often do not understand that single parents can’t just leave their kids at home to attend ‘adult-only’ events and that many single parents can’t afford to pay a babysitter”

Quote from a mother

“I don’t fit a media or advocacy group stereotype so I tend to get an immediate dismissal when I mention this but …With some state and financial services I found when I initially became a male co-parent it meant I got a dismissive or occasionally quite negative response. Conversation tones and approaches negatively changed if I was being dealt with by a younger female provider with lots of ‘hummms’ or ‘sure right’ as if I’d invited the situation I was going through on to myself and my kids…”

Quote from a father

Q4) As a member of a one parent family how do you feel about your family type?

Positive 59.63%

Neutral 30.28%

Negative 10.09%

Selected comments from parents:

“I feel sorry for my child that the other parent didn’t want to be involved in their life. It is also a huge struggle after the child turns 18 you as a parent still have pay for college pay your bills and mortgage on your own with no benefits if your a full time worker.”

Quote from a mother

“Because I have raised her in a happy home….I have no one that divides my attention or contributes to conflict. It has been me and her for 17 years and we are so close. I really feel we are a lot closer as a mother and daughter than some of my friends who have children who are with their partners”

Quote from a mother

For further information visit: www.onefamily.ie
Available for Interview

Karen Kiernan, CEO

Further Information/Scheduling
Noel Sweeney, Communications and Events Manager | t: 085 7241294

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Cost of living increases are pushing more one-parent families into poverty

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Government must act now before low families are locked into poverty.

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One Family, Ireland’s national organisation for one-parent families, has called for urgent Government action to support low-income families in Budget 2023. Struggling one-parent families are being forced to choose between heat and food and the charity is extremely worried for winter 2022 without urgent Government action. The call comes as the charity launches its Pre-Budget Submission ahead of the Department of Social Protection’s Pre-Budget Forum on Wednesday. According to data from the CSO, children in one-parent families are four time more likely to live in poverty than children in two parent households.

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Niamh Kelly, One Family, Policy Manager said, “We are hearing from the families we work with they are increasingly concerned as prices continue to escalate. For any household, the costs of housing, food and fuel are a burden, but for one-parent families, many of whom are already living in poverty, they are huge. Budget 2023 must target those most in need and we are urging the Government to avoid the temptation for populist universal cash back schemes. Increasing core social welfare rates beyond inflation is the only chance many of the families we support have to keep their heads above water.”
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In its Pre-Budget Submission, the charity is calling for measures including increasing the Qualified Child Increase (QCI) payment by €12 for children over 12 years and €7 for children under 12 years, the establishment of an independent child maintenance agency to protect children from poverty and reduce parental conflict, and equality for one parent families accessing Government supports such as Parent’s Benefit and the Working Family Payment. To read the submission click here.
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Karen Kiernan, CEO of One Family, “We know from our work with families the cost-of-living crisis is having a disproportionately high impact on one-parent families. For many families, who were already struggling, these increases will push them into a current of poverty that will be very hard to escape from. In real terms, this means children and families will go hungry and cold this winter as they run out of options. This just isn’t right in Ireland in the twenty-first century. In Budget 2023, Government must show they have learned the lessons of the Magdalene laundries and prioritise those on the margins. This Budget must be a life buoy and not a rock for low-income families.”
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About One Family:

One Family is Ireland’s organisation for people parenting alone, sharing parenting and 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 01 662 9212, counselling, and provision of training courses for parents and for professionals. For further information visit: www.onefamily.ie

To read our Pre-Budget Submission click here

Available for Interview

Niamh Kelly, Policy Manager | t: 01 -6629212

Further Information/Scheduling

Noel Sweeney, Communications and Events Manager | t: 085 7241294
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One Family’s Parenting Team is delighted to announce the publication of a new children’s book, The Doshel Bond by Dr Sara Flynn. One Family’s Director of Parenting and Professional Training, Geraldine Kelly, worked with Dr Flynn on the book which supports parents and professionals to discuss tricky topics with children.

The book is a heart-rendering tale of parent and sibling relationships within a contemporary blended family. Some aspects of blended families can cause big emotions for children, young and old. The Doshel Bond highlights the importance of not shying away from the difficult conversations about these issues and provides caring adults with a gentle vehicle for open communication with children and also for personal self-reflection.

Appropriate prompts and questions are dotted throughout the story to give adults the language to carefully probe emotive issues with children, such as different rules in different houses, expressing challenging feelings and words for new family members. All families have their challenges – love and communication are the key components that pave the way through them.

One Family have sent over 400 free copies of the book to professionals working with one parent families across the country.

The book is now available to buy for a cost of €12.50 at all good bookshops and online at: Outside the Box

This book was developed with support from HSE National Lottery funding in partnership with One Family.
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On Tuesday, 13 September, One Family will host an online seminar exploring the experiences of one-parent families who access public services. The seminar will examine how the Public Sector Human Rights and Equality Duty can prevent discrimination and protect human rights. At the event One Family will launch two new evidence-based guidelines, one for parents and one for the public sector, aimed at improving the experiences of people in one-parent families when interacting with public services.

As well as a presentation on the research underpinning the guidelines, the seminar will also hear from parents about their experiences and what they believe should happen next.

For more information and details click here:
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Did you grow up in a one-parent family in Ireland?

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If so, One Family & The Ark Cultural Centre for Children invite you to share your experience to help develop a new work for the stage.

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One Family is delighted to partner for the first time with The Ark to develop an exciting new work for the stage which aims to reflect real life experiences of children in one-parent families in Ireland over the years.

The Ark commissions, presents and produces work for, by and about children for young audiences ages 2-12 throughout the year and from time to time also creates and presents work for grow ups which reflects and celebrates children’s experiences. To mark 50 years of One Family and our work supporting one-parent families in Ireland since our foundation in 1972 as Cherish, we will collaborate with The Ark to develop a new piece of documentary theatre. 1 in 5 people in Ireland live in a one-parent family and 1 in 4 families with children in Ireland is a one-parent family.

Created by playwright Kate Heffernan, the piece will reflect stories and memories shared by grown-ups about their experiences as children growing up in one-parent families in Ireland. The aim is that through these shared memories, they can shine a light on the real experiences of one-parent families over the years in Ireland. All names provided will be changed and measures will be taken to anonymise stories to ensure that no one is identifiable.

Today a call out was announced inviting those over 18 to share their own experience to help in the development of this piece of documentary theatre.

“We’re really excited to be working with The Ark and Kate Heffernan, to develop this piece of theatre reflecting the diversity of family life in Ireland. One in five people in Ireland live in a one-parent family yet their stories are seldom told this will be an opportunity to show the rich tapestry of family life in Ireland. If you grew-up in a one-parent family in Ireland, including a separated and divorced family, we want to hear your story.”

Karen Kiernan, CEO of One Family

“The Ark makes art for by and about children, putting their experiences and their voices at the heart of everything we do. We are delighted to work, for the first time, with One Family on a new documentary piece by Kate Heffernan reflecting seldom told stories of growing up in Ireland.”

Aideen Howard, Director of The Ark

Kate Heffernan is an Irish playwright whose first play, In Dog Years I’m Dead was a winner of the Stewart Parker Trust Emerging Playwright Award 2013 and audiences at The Ark had a chance to experience her work when the wonderful Peat premiered there in 2019. She has been commissioned by The Ark and One Family to create this new work.

If you would like to share your experience you are invited to consider the following areas:

Did you grow up in a one-parent family – with your Mam, Dad, or a grandparent? Did you live part of the time with each of your parents? Did you grow up with a step-parent? Where did you live and who with?
What were some of the things about your family that you may want to share and celebrate? Do you have any particularly vivid or favourite memories from your childhood?
How do you think your childhood shaped the person you are or the life you lead today?
Was your childhood different to those around you because you lived in a one-parent family?
Would you be interested in talking directly to playwright Kate Heffernan, in person or by video call, as part of her research?

You can share your story in a number of ways:

You can share your story by filling out this form.
Submit a video or voice note, by emailing Kate Heffernan at participation@ark.ie.
Or post your response to Kate Heffernan, The Ark, 11A Eustace Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 2.

For Editors:

One Family:

One Family was founded in 1972 as Cherish and is Ireland’s national organisation for people parenting alone, sharing parenting and separating. One Family provides 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 our 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. For further information visit: www.onefamily.ie

The Ark:

Established in 1995, The Ark is a dedicated cultural centre for children. We create opportunities for children, along with their families and friends or with their school, to discover and love art. We commission, produce and present work for, by and about children, from the ages of two to twelve years old. We do so in our architecturally award-winning home in the heart of Dublin’s Temple Bar, leased through a long-term cultural use agreement with Temple Bar Cultural Trust. We also work through our online channels, off-site and on tour in Ireland and abroad. Through our work with leading Irish and international artists children can enjoy performances in our unique child-sized theatre, view engaging exhibitions or participate in creative workshops. We also curate specific professional development opportunities for teachers and artists.

We work in partnership with others as artistic collaborators and regularly share our resources and knowledge with artists, educators and all those interested in child-centred arts practice. We also work with other likeminded organisations to advance children’s rights to art and culture as part of their learning and development. The Ark is dedicated to creating brilliant art experiences for children, schools and families.

The Ark gratefully acknowledges the continued support of its principal funder, The Arts Council, and its other annual supporters: the Department of Education, Temple Bar Cultural Trust and Dublin City Council.

Available for Interview:
Karen Kiernan, CEO | t: 086 850 9191
Further Information/Scheduling:
Noel Sweeney, Communications and Events Manager | t: 085 7241294
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New Research Seeks to Shed Light on Families Sharing Parenting of Young Children

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Press Release

Wednesday, 9 March 2022

One Family, Ireland’s national organisation for people parenting alone, sharing parenting and separating is seeking parents to take part in an online survey on the experiences of young children living in families where parents are separated. The survey is being carried out by a joint research team from Trinity College Dublin and University College Cork on behalf of One Family. The research project is funded through the RTE Toy Show Appeal and Community Foundation for Ireland Fund and is seeking to develop guidance on contact time for infants and young children in separated families. To complete the survey click here.
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Niamh Kelly, Policy Manager with One Family said, “The most common time for parents to separate is when their child or children are very young. Many families seek help in setting up and managing contact arrangements but find there is no uniform approach. We see through our work with families, parents often struggle to determine how to best share the parenting of their young children. This can be extremely challenging for parents and children alike, particularly in situations where there is conflict, abuse and/or limited contact between parents. We want to change all this by developing a child-centred, best practice tool that can be used by parents, legal and social care professionals alike, to make safe and optimal contact arrangements for children under the age of six years.”
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The survey is open to Mums and Dads who have experience of sharing parenting of a child or children when they were aged 0-6 years old. Parents can answer for past experiences, once their child is under 18 years of age at time of responding. For more information and to take part in the survey click here. The survey is open until 31st of March and will take approximately 20-30 minutes to complete.
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Denise Charlton, Chief Executive of The Community Foundation for Ireland said: “Our mission of equality for all in thriving communities will only ever be achieved if it is rooted in the experiences of people. This is an opportunity for separated parents to have their voices heard and provide the real-world experiences and learnings which can help form a best practice tool which will benefit many others. On behalf of The Community Foundation we welcome this ground-breaking work as an important contribution to ensuring all children have the best start in life.”
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Dr Simone McCaughren, Assistant Professor, School of Social Work and Social Policy, Trinity College Dublin said, ““This research will examine the impact of contact arrangements on young children, from their parents’ point of view, following separation, divorce or where parents were never in a relationship but have a child. This is the first time in Ireland that this issue has been the subject of a research study. Part of it will examine the extent to which children’s voices are heard. It will look at the complexities and difficulties around decisions on guardianship, access and custody.”
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Dr Aisling Parkes, Senior Lecturer, School of Law, University College Cork said, “The time is ripe for a critical exploration into this issue which affects the lives of so many children and families in Ireland today. Recent times have witnessed a variety of legal and policy developments in Ireland in the area of children’s rights, but often the voices of smaller children are left unheard. This research seeks to tap into the unique perspectives of separated parents of young children who have direct experience of parenting a child in common. It aims to learn more about the main challenges associated with these arrangements and how parents seek to navigate their way through them. In particular, the research will provide a snapshot of the extent to which young children themselves are included in the decision-making processes around these arrangements.
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To complete the survey:

https://tcdecon.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_00WRfyxqpk7uN8y

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For Editors:

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.
For further information visit: www.onefamily.ie

Background to the research:
Pregnancy and the first year of a baby’s life is the most common point of separation for parents. Many parents seek assistance during the separation process; particularly when this intersects with pregnancy, an infant or young child, high conflict, abuse and/or limited parental communication. One Family works with parents and their children, providing counselling and parenting services during this time.
There is no uniform approach to contact with infants or young children for separated families in Ireland with the various stakeholders holding different perspectives and placing varying emphasis on factors such as the principle of the best interest of the child, child protection, parental rights etc. Due to the lack of a consistent, evidenced-based approach parents often struggle to determine how to best share parenting of young children. This research project funded through the RTE Toy Show Appeal Community Foundation Ireland seeks to develop guidance on contact time for infants and young children in separated families to support parents during this difficult time. To read more about this project click here.

Available for Interview:
Niamh Kelly, Policy Manager | t: 01-6629212
Further Information/Scheduling
Noel Sweeney, Communications and Events Manager | t: 085 7241294
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On Tuesday 15 February, we hosted, with our colleagues in Trinity College Dublin’s renowned School of Social Work and Social Policy, a wonderful online event commemorating our friend and colleague, Sherie de Burgh.

During the evening we remembered Sherie, her work, warmth and humour and our panel of experts looked at the role of pregnancy counselling in Ireland past, present and future – asking the question what would Sherie do?

We’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who attended and to our speakers on the evening Dorje de Burgh, Dr. Ruth Fletcher, who chaired the evening, Dr Catherine Conlon (TCD) and Anne McCarthy (NUI Maynooth) for making the event possible. A video of the event is now available and can be viewed below:

We’d also like to remind you of the Sherie de Burgh Memorial Fund which was set up to provide vital perinatal counselling services for mothers and to support vulnerable one-parent families. If you would like to donate to the fund you can do so here.
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Our policy team have today made a submission to the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth on the EU Child Guarantee. To read the full submission click here
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Today we bid farewell to our Counselling Manager, Marguerite McCarthy, who is retiring after seventeen years with One Family.

Marguerite, sometimes described as a quiet subversive; pioneered unplanned pregnancy and post-abortion counselling with her predecessor Sherie de Burgh, supporting thousands of women, men and children throughout her career. She leaves in place a dedicated, professional, and capable team to support service users into the future. The staff, board and service users of One Family want to thank Marguerite for her work, guidance and friendship and we wish her a long and happy retirement. Thank you

Ahead of the Oireachtas debate on the motion to establish a Joint Committee on Gender Equality today (9th November 2021), civil society organisations have welcomed the setting up of this Committee and called on it to implement the recommendations of the Citizens Assembly on Gender Equality in full, prioritising a referendum to make the recommended Constitutional changes in relation to non- discrimination (Art. 40), the value of care (Art. 41.2. on ‘woman in the home’) and Article 41.3 on the Constitutional definition of the family.

The recommendations by the Citizens Assembly are ground-breaking and send a strong and clear signal to Government and all decision makers that gender equality needs to be at the centre of our Constitution, our legislation and our policies.

These recommendations come after long campaigns by civil society organisations to reform our constitution to reflect a modern Ireland with the value of equality at its centre.

Orla O’Connor, Director of the National Women’s Council (NWC) said,

“We welcome and support the establishment of the Committee to discuss how we can best implement the comprehensive recommendations by the Citizens Assembly on Gender Equality. In particular, we call on the Committee to prioritise the necessary changes to our Constitution on women, the value of care and care work and on the definition of the family.

In line with the recommendations of the Citizens Assembly, we urgently need to replace the sexist and outdated wording of Art. 41.2 of our Constitution and replace it with wording that recognises the value of care within the home and the wider community.”

Karen Kiernan, One Family said,

“The establishment of this Committee on Gender Equality is very welcome to drive forward the implementation of the wide-ranging recommendations by the Citizens Assembly. The recommendation to recognise all forms of families in our Constitution, not only families based on marriage, will finally recognise the diversity of family life in Ireland and particularly provide status and recognition to one parent families.”

Organisations supporting this call include the National Women’s Council (NWC), One Family, Irish Council of Civil Liberties (ICCL), Children’s Rights Alliance, Treoir, Family Carers Ireland and Care Alliance Ireland.

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For more information, please contact Silke Paasche, Head of Communications, NWC, Tel. 085 858 9104.

Notes to Editor:

Full report on the recommendation of the Citizens Assembly

Recommendations in relation to the Constitution are:

Insert a new clause into Article 40 to refer explicitly to gender equality and non-discrimination.
Delete and replace the text of Article 41.2 (woman in the home) with language that is not gender specific and obliges the State to take reasonable measures to support care within the home and wider community.
Amend Article 41 so that it would protect private and family life, with the protection afforded to the family not limited to the marital family.

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Piecemeal budget fails to deliver for Ireland’s poorest families

Welcome moves as some inequalities for one-parent families removed while others are compounded

Press Release – One Family react to Budget 2022

October 12, 2021

Budget 2022 contained many measures to be welcomed but ultimately failed to deliver for Ireland’s poorest families. National statistics and numerous Government and independent reports have proven the link between one-parent families and poverty. This budget should have used the evidence and focussed on targeted measures to support the poorest families and loosen poverty’s grip on children. Instead, what we got was a giveaway budget that focused on headlines rather than solutions.

Karen Kiernan CEO of One Family said, “We welcome the measures such as the €10 increase in the Back to School Clothing & Footwear Allowance (BSCFA) for each qualifying child and we especially welcome that the income threshold for single parent households is now the same as that of two parent households; this is something we have campaigned for. The €5 increase in weekly social welfare payments and the paying of 100% of the Christmas bonus for social welfare will be welcome for families. While on the Carers Allowance, the income disregard increases for single carers and lone parents is to be welcomed too. We have huge concerns though, about the lack of supports for one-parent families in the rental sector while private landlords are supported, we see no help for these families. The investment in childcare is a welcome step on the road to a fully publicly funded system, but it’s imperative the additional funding makes access easier for low-income families.”

Niamh Kelly, One Family Policy Manager said, “We welcome some inequalities for one-parent families being removed such as changes to the BSCFA but we are concerned with others being compounded in this Budget such as with Parents Benefit. While an increase is welcome, one-parent families are still only entitled to half the leave of two-parent families. We can understand the difficulties of dealing with historical inequalities in an antiquated system, but this is an inequality that is newly introduced. We are also sceptical about the Fuel Allowance increase. The increase of €5 is below the basic rate of fuel/energy inflation. We would have preferred to see the payment period increase to 32 weeks to support families. Overall, this is a piecemeal budget that leaves many families in the cold.”

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Note to editors:

About One Family:

Statistics on one-parent families:

Source: Census 2016

1 in 5 people in Ireland live in a one-parent family.
1 in 4 families with children in Ireland is a one-parent family.
4% of one parent families are headed by a mother, and 13.6% by a father.
The number of one-parent families headed by a parent aged 15-34 has decreased, while the number of one-parent families headed by a parent aged 35+ has increased.
356,203 children lived in one parent families, representing more than one in five or 21.2% of all children in family units.
The average one parent family has 1.63 children compared to an average of 1.95 for the population overall.
The total number of divorced people in Ireland has increased from 87,770 in 2011 to 103,895 in 2016.This is an increase of over 44,000 people in the last ten years.

For further information visit: https://onefamily.ie/

Available for Interview

Niamh Kelly | Policy Manager

Further Information/Scheduling

Noel Sweeney, Communications and Events Manager | t: 085 7241294
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In 2020 there was a 20% increase in demand for One Family’s services for lone parent and separating families including 17% increase in demand for Parenting during Separation courses

Press Release

Ireland is facing a tsunami of separation and divorce following the pandemic and family law and support services are not prepared according to One Family – Ireland’s national organisation for people parenting alone, sharing parenting and separating. The charity, commenting at the launch of its Annual Review for 2020, said demand for its specialised family support services dramatically increased in 2020 with a 20% rise in client services and a 17% increase in demand for its parenting during separation courses.

One Family CEO, Karen Kiernan said, “For many separated families the pandemic and lockdowns acted as a pressure cooker exasperating old grievances and increasing conflict. There was a huge increase in calls from parents in distress (68% increase in calls to the askonefamily helpline in Q2 2020 compared with the same period in 2019) as issues of relationship breakdown, access, guardianship and child maintenance coincided with reduced access to courts services; leading to increased conflict and mental distress. We worked to support parents and we provided information guides, advocated on behalf of parents, and brought all our services on-line affectively bringing our services to every county. But this demand for services, particularly our mediation and Tusla funded Separating Well for Children service, has meant services are now extremely stressed and we are worried about a future surge as families struggle with family breakdown.”

Geraldine Kelly, One Family Director of Parenting Services said, “What we found is that support services are there in local communities if you have a parenting issue or if you are separating amicably but if there is conflict, or legal issues, which is often the case, specialist services are very hard to find. Currently, we are receiving calls from support services across the country looking to refer families to us and we are trying to accommodate them. But we have limited resources and demand is so high. This leaves many families in crisis waiting longer than we would like. At the moment, we have with a six-month waiting list for Separating Well for Children and eighteen-month wait for counselling services; when your family is in crisis this is a long-time. Any delay can increase the level of conflict in the family and impact greatly on the wellbeing of children and parents.”

One Family CEO, Karen Kiernan said, “We need to see a commitment from Government to provide funding in local communities for separating families, people sharing parenting and particularly for those in conflict. There is a tsunami approaching which will have a knock-on effect on children and families unless we prepare now.”

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For Editors:

Link to One Family Annual Review:

Two case studies of how One Family supported families during the pandemic:

For further information visit: https://onefamily.ie/

Available for Interview

Karen Kiernan, CEO | t: 086 850 9191

Further Information/Scheduling

Noel Sweeney, Communications and Events Manager | t: 085 7241294

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Press statement

Tuesday 14, 2021
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One Family – Ireland’s national organisation for people parenting alone, sharing parenting and separating have reacted to today’s Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission/ERSI report on adequate housing by saying they are shocked but not surprised by findings that less than 25 per cent of lone parents reported home-ownership, compared with 70 per cent of total population. The report also found that lone parents had higher rates of affordability issues (19 per cent) when compared to the general population (5 per cent) and were particularly vulnerable to housing quality problems such as damp and lack of central heating (32 per cent compared to 22 per cent of total population).
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Karen Kiernan, One Family CEO, said “Unfortunately we are not surprised by the findings of today’s report. Through our services we are hearing reports daily of parents living in substandard accommodation, being blocked from work due to HAP restrictions and waiting months on emergency accommodation. We are calling on the Government to urgently develop a family homelessness strategy, which includes targeted measures for one-parent families. We were disappointed that no provision for such a strategy was made in the Government’s Housing For All Strategy; this was a missed opportunity. What this report makes clears is Government must act now to protect children in one-parent families. Yet again we are asking them to use the evidence in-front of them.
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We agree with the UN Rapporteur Balakrishnan Rajagopal that the treatment of one-parent families in Ireland raises serious questions for the Irish Government and that they must act now. Thousands of children are spending their childhoods growing up in emergency accommodation – most of them living with one parent. We don’t want this to be the Mother& Baby Home scandal of the future – we must prioritise those most in need for housing and the Government must act now as the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to housing has said.”

/Ends
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For Editors:

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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.
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Available for Interview:

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Karen Kiernan, CEO | t: 01 662 9212 or 086 850 9191
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Niamh Kelly, Policy Manager | t: 01 662 9212
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Further Information/Scheduling

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Noel Sweeney, Communications and Events Manager | t: 01 622 9212 or 085 724 1294
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One Family is inviting people who are parenting alone, sharing parenting or separating to participate a focus group on the organisation’s strategy 2022-2025. We are asking parent to share their thoughts about the services and policy areas we should be focused on for the next three years. The focus group will take place online and will take approximately an hour and a half.

Focus group takes place on:

• Thursday, 9 September 10.30am

If you have any questions and/or are interested in taking part, please email: policy@onefamily.ie