CEO of One Family, Karen Kiernan, has been appointed to the Advisory Council being established by the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs under Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures: the National Policy Framework for Children and Young People 2014-2020.
The Children’s Rights Alliance (CRA) requested nominations from its members with the appointments made by Paul Gilligan, Chair and Tom Costello, Vice Chair of the CRA with support from its Chief Executive.
The three successful nominees are:
- Karen Kiernan, Chief Executive, One Family
- Caroline O’Sullivan, Director of Services, Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC)
- Tanya Ward, Chief Executive, Children’s Rights Alliance
One Family looks forward to updating its members as the work of the Advisory Council progresses.
The board, staff and members of One Family congratulate our board member Sinéad Gibney on the announcement today of her appointment as Director of The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC). The commission was formed following the merger of the Equality Authority and the Irish Human Rights Commission to promote human rights and equal status in society.
Sinéad has served as a dedicated member of One Family’s board for the past two years. As a lone parent who had previously availed of the services of One Family, she brought a wealth of personal experience to the role, aligned with her passion for social justice and equality, commitment and achievement. She has been Head of Social Action for Google for six years, managing all of Google Ireland’s philanthropy portfolio including its flagship programme, Age Engage. Sinéad holds a BA in History from the University of Ulster, an MSc in IT and Education from Trinity College, a postgraduate cert from IADT in Cyberpsychology and most recently an MSc in Equality Studies from UCD.
Sinéad starts her new role on 20 October 2014. While she will be resigning from the board of One Family, we look forward to a continuing productive relationship. We wish her and the IHREC every success.
The press release issued by the IHREC can be read here.
One Family is proud and delighted that the Today FM documentary Cherish All The Children, produced and presented by Hilary Fennell, has won an award in the Social Issues Category at the New York Festivals Radio Awards.
The one-hour radio documentary explores the founding of Cherish/One Family in 1972 and includes interviews with the organisation’s first President, Mary Robinson; our wonderful founders; current staff and clients about what we do today; and many more. It is a fascinating, moving and insightful look at the reality of life for women in the 70s who were pregnant and unmarried, and the achievements, evolution and progression of our organisation.
Our founders recall the lengths they had to go to in hiding their pregnancies – even creating outfits with over-sized pockets and cardigans – and the fear and stress they experienced but they share numerous funny and inspirational stories too; stories filled with courage, resourcefulness and camaraderie.
Congratulations to our brave and eloquent founders, to Hilary Fennell, to Today FM and to all who participated.
Cherish All The Children, which was partially recorded here in Cherish House, was first broadcast on Today FM on 29 December 2013. It is available to listen to here.
To find out more about our history, click here and to download the fascinating book Single Issue by our founding member Maura O’Dea Richards, click here.
Pictured at One Family Graduation 2013
Foreground: Cherish/One Family founder Maura O’Dea Richards
Background: Current CEO, Karen Kiernan
Photo Credit: Paul Sherwood
The Human Rights Week 2013 website acknowledges UN Human Rights Day on Tuesday 10 December which every year celebrates human rights, highlights a specific issue, and advocates for the full enjoyment of all human rights by everyone everywhere. In 2013, the spotlight is on the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, under the slogan ’20 years working for your rights’. The international day generates many events in the days before and after 10 December leading to a de facto ‘Human Rights Week’.
FLAC (Free Legal Advice Centres) has created this pop-up site to gather together a selection of these events taking place around the country. It can be visited here.
Some people will no longer qualify for the One Parent Family Payment (OFP) from 4 July 2013. If you are getting no other payment you may qualify for other income supports. A Jobseeker’s Allowance transition payment is available, which aims to support lone parents with children under 14 years of age back into the workforce. You need to make a new claim for these payments.
If you are working and are already getting a Family Income Supplement (FIS) your FIS payment will automatically increase when your OFP ends. This will partially make up for the loss of the OFP.
If you are unsure of what you can access and are struggling financially, please call our askonefamily Lo-call Helpline on 1890 662 212 or email us.
Q&A
1. Q. My payment is due to end in July as my youngest child is 18, can I avail of the Jobseeker’s Allowance – Transition scheme?
A: No, the Jobseeker’s Allowance – Transition scheme will only apply to those whose youngest child is under 14 so if you are applying for Jobseeker’s Allowance you will be subject to the full conditionality of being available for and genuinely seeking full time work.
2. Q. My payment is due to end in July and my youngest child is 11. I am working 5 mornings a week from 10 to 12 noon, can I apply for Jobseeker’s Allowance – Transition?
A: Yes, because your child is under 14 you can apply for Jobseeker’s Allowance – Transition and although you are employed for 5 days in the week you are still eligible for this payment, subject to the means test.
3. Q. I started receiving OPF in November 2011. My child is 14 now and my payment is going to end as the age conditions changes from 14 to 12 in July. What payment am I eligible for as I am job seeking already?
A: As your child is already 14 then you can apply for Jobseeker’s Allowance and you will need to meet the full conditionality of the payment of being available for and genuinely seeking full time work.
One Family’s Survival Guide to Christmas
Christmas can be a wonderful time when we come together to celebrate the passing of another year and to look forward to beginning a new year full of potential and possibility.
But it can also be a time of enormous stress and tremendous loneliness. Images of happy faces and perfect families may not match the sadness and pain we are feeling inside.
For some one-parent families, Christmas can be particularly difficult. It can be a time when painful feelings are magnified. Financial strain, complicated access arrangements and spending lots of time with relatives can further add to feelings of anxiety and distress.
Becoming aware of and acknowledging the immense pressure you may be feeling during the run up to Christmas is an important step in managing. Planning ahead is critical.
Some general points to consider
Plan Christmas as early as possible.
Keep things simple Abandon perfectionism!
Negotiate and finalise access arrangements as early possible.
Remember, Christmas is often not the time to challenge a person’s behaviour. Christmas is too emotionally charged. If a behaviour is tolerable and does not endanger another person’s wellbeing then it may be better to wait until the Christmas period is over.
Parents should avoid competing with each other through giving expensive presents. Expensive presents are a poor substitute for telling your child you love them and spending time with them.
Reassure your child that it is ok to talk about sad feelings at Christmas time. Acknowledging your own feelings without laying blame. However, be careful not to use your child as a confidant or peer
Try to reach out to those you trust for support.
Christmas Alone
S0me members of one-parent families will be spending Christmas alone as the children may be spending their holidays with the other parent. For some people being on their own at Christmas is enjoyable and can be a time to do things that they wouldn’t normally get done. However for others, being alone at Christmas increases feelings of depression, loneliness and isolation.
If you know that you are spending Christmas alone and know that this will be difficult for you it is really important to devise a coping strategy as soon as possible. Don’t wait, hoping that someone will ask you over and don’t put off thinking about what you will do.
Make contact with family or friends see if you can share Christmas with them.
Or, tell yourself you are worth it and prepare a special meal for yourself.
Plan each day well in advance – try to know exactly what you will be doing. A structure can be really helpful during the holidays when you have a lot of time alone.
Volunteering or getting involved in local activities can help you re-connect with other people and put meaning back into the season.
Attending a religious service or communal celebration might also help to give a sense of re-connection with others
Get out of the house and go for a walk.
Try to avoid things that make you feel worse such as alcohol, recreational drugs, over eating.
Remind yourself that this is a difficult time and that it will pass.
Coping with sad or painful memories
Christmas is a time when we can become painfully aware of the losses in our lives. If you are trying to manage painful feelings at Christmas here are some ideas that might help:
Try not to hide your feelings, find someone you can talk to.
Reassure children and young people that it is ok to feel upset and encourage them to talk about how their feeling
Light a special candle for the person who is missing or for the painful secret or memory you’re trying to cope with.
Keep a diary over the holiday and really use it to write down how you are feeling
It can be helpful for children to remember people who are no longer in their lives through making a special bauble for the Christmas Tree that represents them.
Dealing with conflict
Many of the worst family arguments happen at Christmas. The availability of alcohol, bored children and being cooped up with relatives can create tension.
Try to pre-empt possible arguments by planning access arrangements in advance
Try to communicate in a direct, open and honest manner
Don’t meet another person’s anger with your anger
Respect yourself even if the other parent shows you none
Get out for a walk with the children – tire them out
Have a bath or take a nap to get away from everyone
Be willing to compromise if necessary
Keep adult communication directly between adults. Refuse to use your child as a go-between
Financial Management at Christmas
It’s a really good idea to make a commitment to yourself that you will not over spend this Christmas. Here are some sample categories which might help:
Be very realistic – remember the presents are only the start.
Be honest – can you really afford to fund such a sum? If the answer is no, you must cut back
Be wary of credit – If you find that you need short-term credit to bridge the gap between normal income and abnormal expenditure at Christmas, decide how you will fund this. Your main options are credit cards, bank-loans or authorised overdrafts. All have advantages as well as disadvantages.
Paula Lonergan is the Training Manager at One Family, Ireland’s Leading Organisation for One-parent Families. For more information see www.onefamily.ie or contact the locall askonefamily helpline on 1890 662212
If you couldn’t join us for One Family 40th celebrations, perhaps you’d like to watch the video….
Part 1 features Mary Henry, President, One Family, John O’Connell, Chair, One Family and Catriona Crowe, Head of Special Projects at The National Archives of Ireland.
Part 2 features Karen Kiernan, Director, One Family reading a moving message from founder Maura Richards O’Dea and Minister Frances Fitzgerald T.D, Minister for Children and Youth Affairs.
Part 3 features Fintan O’Toole, Assistant Editor at The Irish Times and actors Rachael Dowling, Helene Montague and Pauline Shanahan reading the true stories of some of our clients – making it clear that One Family makes a real difference to the lives of one-parent families.
Part 4 features Geoffrey Shannon, Rapporteur on Child Protection and Karen Kiernan, Director, One Family.
We are so appreciative and thankful for all the good wishes which we’ve been getting for our 40th – many thanks. We thought we’d share the message of support sent to us by President Michael D. Higgins which was read out on the night of our celebrations:
Listen to the memories of One Family Founders
Some of the One Family/ Cherish founder members have been kind enough to take the time to share their memories from the early days with us – listen to Evelyn Forde, Annette Hunter-Evans, Margaret Murphy and Nuala Feric. We will shortly be sharing the full interviews with these courageous women who founded Cherish back in 1972. Listen here – SoundBites
Here is One Family founder Maura O’Dea and Director Karen Kiernan on Today FM’s The Last Word last Thursday – its in part 3 and starts at 10 mins 40 seconds in
Listen here
A declariation requesting that 2014 be the European Year for Reconciling Work and Family Life has been presented in the European Parliament in Strasbourg, initiated by Marian Harken ALDE Ireland, amongst others. COFACE, together with the European Alliance for the EY2014, is trying to bring attention to the fact that creating and promoting policies that enable the reconciliation of work and family life would be a win-win situation – both for individual EU citizens, as well as for the European Union as a whole, enabling women and men in all kinds of family models to exercise greater choice in balancing work and family life on the basis of their individual needs and preferences.
Kildare FM did a great interview with Mary about what it was like to be a single parent 40 years ago on www.kfmradio.com. Go to Podcasting on the left hand side, then click on “Kildare Today” Podcasts, and you will see it there.
The Irish Independent did a great interview with Maura Richards O’Dea, one of the orignal founders of One Family,
http://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/parenting/i-was-shunned-because-i-was-a-single-mum-3263786.html
Fintan O’Toole has written a very moving tribute to the founders of One Family in today’s Irish Times – commending their bravery in refusing to be ashamed of being single mothers – and challenging the government to act with similar courage and lack of shame by refusing to accept bailing out Anglo and Nationwide
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/opinion/2012/1023/1224325577694.html
Thanks to everyone who joined us in the Pillar Room at the Rotunda last night for a wonderful celebration of the work One Family/ Cherish has done over 40 years – and looking forward to what has yet to be achieved for better lives for one-parent families – see some of our impressive founders here on the RTE TV news at 17 minutes 25 seconds http://www.rte.ie/player/ie/show/10066711/
To mark the 40th Anniversary of Cherish/ One Family we’re delighted that Poolbeg Press has re-issued ‘Single Issue’ – the memoir of Cherish’s key founder Maura O’Dea Richards, as an eBook. See here http://www.amazon.co.uk/Single-Issue-ebook/dp/B009OJ8YGA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8 It only costs €5 and Maura is donating any profits to the charity. It is a great read – all about her memories of setting up Cherish and her own personal story.
This interesting piece in today’s Irish Examiner explains how some brave single parents set up One Family, forty years ago, when things were very different in Irish society.
http://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/alone-we-stood-210918.html
To mark our 40th Anniversary, Maura O’Dea Richards, the founder of Cherish, and Karen Kiernan, the current Director of One Family, were on Pat Kenny this morning – they are on at 34 minutes into the show.
http://www.rte.ie/radio1/todaywithpatkenny/
Press the green play button
One Family is 40! We used to be called Cherish and we’d love everyone who has been involved over the years – clients, staff, supporters – to join us for a big celebratory event in Dublin’s Pillar Room on the evening of Thurs 18 Oct. We will be recalling the past, with some of the founder members of Cherish, and looking to the future as One Family. Places are limited and will be strictly by invite only so if you’d like to come RSVP by Monday 1 Oct 01 662 9212 or info@onefamily.ie
One Family Counselling Coordinator Sherie de Burgh will be delivering one of a series of masterclasses aimed at giving professionals in-depth knowledge and skills to resource them in managing the challenges that present around unplanned pregnancy. The masterclasses are being organised by the Deptartment of Adult and Community Education, NYU, Maynooth. Applications will be taken on a first come first served basis for all classes and early booking is advisable. The first class is at the end of September. See the link below
Here is any update on what we’ve been doing – we have lobbied every TD and senator by phone or email and have managed to get meetings with Labour and FG politicians today to try and get changes to the proposed cuts. Senators are also raising questions for us today. We have also emailed thousands of supporters and other organisations asking for support to reverse some of the cuts. We are constantly in touch with Dept of Social Protection seeking clarification on dates and phasing in times. We can respond to any individual queries if anyone wants to call our helpline 1890622122. One Family is joining a protest tomorrow being organised by a group of enterprising lone parents and we encourage everyone to join us to show your support. 2-5pm outside the Dail Friday 9 Dec http://www.facebook.com/OneFamilyIreland#!/events/129422247170088/
Volunteer Parent Mentors required One Family would like to expand its Parent Mentoring Service …