Uncategorized – Page 2

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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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Welcome moves on education, childcare but Budget fails to support those most in need with no targeted measures for one-parent families.
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Press Release – One Family react to Budget 2023

September 27, 2022

One Family – Ireland’s national organisation for people parenting alone, sharing parenting and separating has said it is deeply concerned that Budget 2023 will leave many one-parent families even poorer in the future. Budget 2023 contains several welcome measures such as free primary school books and a reduction in childcare fees, but these are not enough to help families struggling to keep their heads above water.

Niamh Kelly, One Family Policy Manager said, “We are really concerned about next year and what families will face as prices rise. Budget should have been an opportunity to protect families most in need instead we have a short-sighted Budget which will leave the poorest children in the state even poorer. Let’s be clear the increase of €12 for core social welfare payment and €2 additional payment for children will do nothing to mitigate against poverty in 2023. This is far from what we believe is necessary. Yet again we have another Budget that fails to target one-parent families.”

Karen Kiernan CEO of One Family said, “We are also shocked and disappointed to see no move on the establishment of an independent Child Maintenance agency, we call on Minister Humphreys to publish the report of the Murphy Review on Child Maintenance straight away. We welcome the positive moves on childcare fees which is a good step towards a publicly funded childcare system but targeted supports are urgently needed for one-parent families who are struggling against a tide of rising costs. This Budget should have been a lifeline instead it’s a rock.”

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Note to editors:

One Family’s Pre-Budget Submission can be viewed here.

About One Family:

One Family is Ireland’s 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 1890 662212, counselling, and provision of training courses for parents and for professionals.

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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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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Our policy team have made a submission to the Department of Justice on Parental Alienation. To read the full submission 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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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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Thursday, 10 February 2022
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Government measures to address the Cost-of-Living Crisis have been described as ‘a missed opportunity’ by One Family – Ireland’s national organisation for people parenting alone, sharing parenting and separating reacted to the Government ‘cost of living measures.’
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Karen Kiernan, CEO of One Family, said, “The cost-of-living crisis is having a disproportionately high impact on those who are already struggling. The measures announced this evening are a missed opportunity. By giving a little back to everyone instead of targeted resources at those most in need, the most vulnerable will continue to suffer. Right now, more than one in every four one-parent families are living in consistent poverty. This Cost-of-Living crisis is landing on top of families already in the midst of a poverty crisis.
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“One Family had urged the Government to choose targeted, sustainable measures, instead of short term, universal payouts. For example, the lump sum Fuel Allowance payment will help families struggling pay one, maybe two months’ bills; but extending the payable Fuel Allowance period to 32 weeks would have restored purchasing power for these families long-term. ”

Recipients of the Working Family Payment saw least gains in Budget 2022, with the €10 increase announced barely keeping a pace with inflation. Bringing forward this increase is a token gesture, when what these families really need is to be eligible for the Fuel Allowance. Such a move would have cost the Government approximately €43 millionbut would have protected the most vulnerable working families.

Low income families need a long-term strategy with targeted supports rather than piecemeal gestures, this is yet again, another wasted opportunity.
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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.
According to the latest EU SILC data published by the Central Statistics Office in December 2021, 21.6% of households headed by one adult with one or more children were living in consistent poverty in 2020.
For further information visit: www.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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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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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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Specialist Employability programme for Lone Parents sees 90% success rate

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The award-winning, European Social Fund -funded, New Futures Employability Programme, for lone parents on social welfare has seen over 90% of graduates progress to education or employment. The programme run by charity, One Family, recorded an 85% success rate in 2018 and new figures further show the phenomenal success of the community-based programme. The figures are revealed in the charity’s Annual Report for 2019 which has just been released. The programme uses a ‘one-to-one’ mentoring system to support lone parents who are looking to return to education or work as well as an accredited training programme and wrap around family support services.

Niamh Wynne, Coordinator of the New Futures Employability Programme said, “Many of the parents we work with are experiencing poverty,domestic abuse, homelessness and social isolation. Despite the incredibly difficult circumstances they are in, all are motivated to change and improve their situations. The New Futures Employability Programme provides the skills, challenges and support they need to build their confidence to take the next step for their family.”

New Futures graduate Tracy*said, “Before starting with One Family in 2019 I had left a relationship due to domestic violence. I had two very young kids and I was only starting to gain back some of the confidence I had lost. I saw a post on Facebook for the New Steps programme and decided to apply with a view to starting the New Futures programme afterwards and get my life back on track. These programmes were a God send! I learned how to deal with so many emotions I was struggling with; instead of letting them get on top of me, I learned new strategies to cope with them. I also learned to look at life from a different perspective. It was great to meet with other people in similar situations and know that I am not alone. The help and support in the 1:1 mentoring was second to none and I would advise anyone no matter what your background or struggles to try this programme as it’s one of the best decisions I made. I am now in a job and my life has improved incredibly since completing the course.”

One Family CEO, Karen Kiernan said, “The success of these proven education programmes shows how targeted supports, such as these specialist bridging programmes, can support parents on social welfare to take the next steps into education or employment. These programmes need to be available nationally so that parents from all over Ireland can also be successfully supported off social welfare and into long-term careers. In 2019, 93% of graduates who completed the New Futures Employability Programme went on to further education or employment. We must support parents so that they can support themselves out of poverty.”

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Notes to editor:

One Family was founded in 1972 as Cherish and is Ireland’s organisation for people parenting alone, sharing parenting or separating.

*Tracy is not her real name

One Family Employability Programmes:

New Futures Employability Programme is One Family’s flagship 24 week personal and professional development, specialist bridging programme, accredited at QQI level 4. New Futures won the Special Recognition Award for an ESF Initiative at the Aontas Star Awards in 2019 for making an outstanding contribution to adult learning.
New Steps is an eight week parenting support and self-development programme.
For more cases studies of New Futures graduates click here
To read One Family’s Annual Report click here
To learn more about One Family’s educational supports click here

Statistics on one-parent families:

There were 218,817 family units with children (of any age) headed by a lone parent (Census 2016).

1 in 4 families with children in Ireland is a one-parent family (Census 2016).
1 in 5 people in Ireland live in a one-parent family (Census 2016).
356,203 children lived in one-parent families, representing more than one in five or 21.2% of all children in family units (Census 2016).
In November 2018, 14,349 One-Parent Family Payment recipients (39 per cent of all recipients) are in employment, and of 14,418 Jobseeker’s Transition recipients, 4,037 recipients work. The Working Family Payment is an important support for working parents; almost half of recipients are households headed by a lone parent.
The Survey on Income and Living Conditions 2017 (SILC) revealed that one-parent family households experience the most deprivation in Ireland. Almost 45% of lone parent households experience more than one form of deprivation.
55% of homeless families living in emergency accommodation are one-parent families, at any time.

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

Karen Kiernan, CEO | t: 01 662 9212 or 086 850 9191

Further Information/Scheduling

Noel Sweeney, Communications and Events Manager | t: 01 622 9212 or 085
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Talking to your Child about becoming seriously Ill

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Talking to your child about you, their parent, potentially becoming seriously ill is something most parents might think about, but hope will never come to pass. Therefore, planning what they would say and do is never put into action.
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It is hard to talk with your children about the possibility of you, not being there to care for them. However, taking the time to sit and talk with your child about the possibility of this happening is extremely important especially as we go through the COVID-19 crisis.
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Using props and play to support your child to understand the concept of Mammy or Daddy getting sick can be helpful. Sitting with older children and finding ways to introduce the topic through an art activity, a movie time, story time or just as you relax can work well. Children like to have something else to focus on when the topic at hand might be hard for them. Allow time for children to ask questions as you work through the fears and anxieties this will raise for them. Some children might ask no questions the first time to raise this issue with them.
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Follow up the conversations with more light-hearted games and activities. Reassure children that you are exploring the issue with them, so they know there is a plan in place. Be sensitive to their needs and their age; however, do not avoid the topic for fear of making children more anxious. Children are often thinking about things long before parents broach the subject with them.
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Children will have many questions and they will come back to you over and over in the coming weeks and months. New questions or old questions will be asked again as children try to process what is means for a parent to be sick; what it means for them and their care and wellbeing if a parent is sick. Something on the TV, in the paper or a conversation overheard will prompt them to ask more questions and gain more clarity. Offering reassurance by answering their questions will help them through such difficult concepts.
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Continue to make time for talking things through with family, not only illness. Plan time in your weekly routines for sitting and talking with your child. Children sometimes will save a question as they know the space will come up, rather than going looking for the space. Support children to understand that we all make plans, however it does not mean something will happen. Give them examples of other situations when you have planned for something that in the end was not needed.
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Expect your children’s behaviour to change over this time as they process new concepts that maybe difficult for them. Make time each day to incorporate 20 minutes of Quality Time. This is time in the busy day when you are fully present to your children; listening to them; available to them; allowing time to talk. We can feel because we are at home that we are with our children all day. However, if we monitor what we are doing as parents, we might notice how busy we are and how much time we are not fully engaged with children. Try to incorporate fun into each day, enjoy activities together and create good memories of COVID-19 too.
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The following tips will support you as a parent to understand what may be happening for your child at this time:

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Awkward Questions: As a parent you will already know there are many times children ask awkward questions. You will have had to be brave and find the answers no matter how hard. This is one of those times.
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Worry: Children, due to their very existence and developmental stage will worry about what happens to them if a parent gets sick or dies. This can happen more if one parent or another close relative has died. Who will look after them? Where will they live? Look out for all the tips around supporting children with worry/anxiety and build some actions into daily life.
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Time for Feelings: Talking about your children’s worries is important so you can try to understand what they worry about. Share a little with them about what you worry about too. Make sure to keep it appropriate to their age. Be open about feelings within the family. Make it safe to say how you feel.
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Identify Needs: What you as their parent might worry about could be somewhat different to that of your child or very much the same. Identifying your child’s needs at this time will help you to start creating a practical plan around supporting them. Unmet needs will create new and often challenging behaviours.
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Practical Steps: Consider what would happen if you were to become seriously ill. Focusing on taking practical steps will help you start a journey along with your child in preparing for changes. This does not need to be scary or create more anxiety than already exists. Creating the plan is about answering the questions you all have, that each of you are afraid to ask out loud.
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Children often like facts: Children will want to know who will look after them if they live alone with one parent. If Mammy or Daddy become sick and need to stay at the hospital, what is the plan? Be factual in the planning. Young children are not always ready for the emotional impact of a change; they often focus on practical changes first.
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Call askonefamily Lo-Call Help line 1890 662 212 for a listening ear, advice and support.
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This service can link you in with counselling and parenting supports. See www.onefamily.ie for more information.
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Extra Resources

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Talking with children about the death of a loved one:

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Tomorrow March 21 is #SingleParentsDay

This year, One Family is joining with Gingerbread, One Parent Families Scotland and Parenting NI to celebrate one-parent families across social media.

We’d love your help in spreading the word and sharing the message that single parents are valued and invaluable.
Single parent families make up 25% of all families in Ireland but sadly we hear from parents that stigma and judgemental attitudes around one parent families is still an issue.

This is why we’re excited to use Single Parents Day 2020 as a chance to turn that message around and tell people about the amazing achievements that single parents accomplish for themselves and their families every day.

If you’d like to get involved, you can:
• Share this information with your networks.
• Use the #CelebrateSingleParents and #SingleParentsDay hashtags.
• Follow @OPFS, @Gingerbread, @parentingNI and @1familyireland, and keep an eye on the hashtags on the day so you can join the conversation and help raise the profile of single parents and #SingleParentsDay.

One Parent Families Scotland have developed some great resources to take part: https://bit.ly/3a8ssbM

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‘Courting Disaster’ coalition calls on Government to urgently allocate funding for a dedicated Family Law Court

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Vulnerable members of society without the most basic of facilities in Family Court, campaign group says

For immediate release: December 10, 2019: Barnardos, Children’s Rights Alliance, Community Law and Mediation, Dublin Rape Crisis Centre Family Lawyers Association, FLAC, National Women’s Council Ireland, One Family, The Bar of Ireland, The Law Society and Women’s Aid have formed a coalition to highlight the archaic conditions in which family law and childcare cases are currently being heard in Ireland.

The eleven organisations are launching the ‘Courting Disaster’ Campaign in Dublin today, calling on Government to immediately allocate the funding required to develop a dedicated Family Law Court at Hammond Lane in Smithfield in Dublin.

It has been agreed in principle for some time that a dedicated Family Law Court is required but agreement has yet to be reached on its structure and funding. In October 2019 The Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice and Equality recommended that the necessary funding be allocated as a matter of urgency.

In a joint statement, the Courting Disaster Campaign Group said; “A properly functioning courts system is essential to providing access to justice. Some of the most vulnerable members of society seeking to resolve family law proceedings, often arising from relationship and marital breakdown and domestic violence, are currently faced with wholly unsuitable and inconsistent court facilities where not even basic needs are met, such as separate waiting areas, family friendly spaces and consultation rooms to allow for privacy. These archaic conditions significantly increase stress and anxiety in what are typically very sensitive cases, and this can result in volatility and even violence in the course of family law litigation.

“A more effective and efficient administrative organisation of the court structure and improvement in court facilities will undoubtedly have a positive impact on the management of family law applications and lead to reductions in delays and cost which is in the interest of all parties to proceedings.

“The site at Hammond Lane is ready and awaiting the construction of dedicated family law facilities. We are calling on Government to make the necessary funding available without any further delay, so that the deficiencies in the current family law system can begin to be addressed,” the Courting Disaster Campaign Group stated.

In order to ensure access to justice for family court users, and to meet Ireland’s obligations under the United Nations Convention on The Rights of The Child, the Courting Disaster Campaign Group is calling for the following immediate actions;

Allocation of appropriate budget to develop dedicated Family Law and Children’s Court at Hammond Lane to ensure the provision of facilities that are fit for purpose to meet both current and future need.
Prioritisation of children including enabling the voice of the child to be heard through the provision of onsite services to assist children such as Guardian ad Litem (GAL), social workers and specialist legal advice services.
Provision of onsite Legal Aid Board and mediation services
Creation of a child-friendly environment, including large spaces to cater for children, playrooms, cafes and bright design. The court rooms should also be child-friendly environments.
Inclusion of large waiting areas and a sufficient number of rooms to cater for private consultations, particularly cognisant of the need to facilitate safe spaces for women and families who are experiencing domestic violence and abuse situations.
Provision of rooms for the delivery of ancillary family support services such as counselling and parenting supports.
Ensure accessibility for all users of the court including through wheelchair ramps, induction loop systems, video link for vulnerable users, supports for people with intellectual disabilities and assistance for lay litigants.
The final plans must be fully gender proofed to ensure that any potential gender discriminatory effects arising from those plans have been avoided and that gender equality is promoted.

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A photo call with representatives from all the partners in the Courting Disaster Campaign Group – Barnardos, Children’s Rights Alliance, Community Law and Mediation, Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, Family Lawyers Association, FLAC, National Women’s Council Ireland, One Family, The Bar of Ireland, The Law Society and Women’s Aid – will take place at the vacant site on Hammond Lane, Church Street, beside Phoenix House on Tuesday 10^th December at 8am. You are invited to attend or to send a representative.
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Wednesday 9 October 2019

One Family welcomes the targeted measures in Budget 2020 for working lone parents and the commitment to fund research into child maintenance. Specifically, we welcome the targeted increases to help make work pay for lone parents and that restore payments to the ‘pre-cuts’ 2012 levels. These are: an increase of €15 in income disregards for the One-Parent Family Payment (OFP) and Jobseekers Transition Allowance (JST); an increase of €10 to the income threshold for the Working Family Payment for families with up to 3 children; and increases in the Qualified Child Increase (QCI) by €3 for over 12s and €2 for under 12s.

Karen Kiernan, CEO of One Family, said “We are pleased that Government has been listening to us and our colleagues over the past year and have implemented some of the specific and targeted measures that we looked for. However they did not deliver a Children’s Budget to support Ireland’s poorest children out of their daily poverty and they did not use the evidence available to them when making all decisions.”

One Family notes there are still inequalities in how one-parent families are treated in the social welfare code when compared to two-parent families and these issues need to be resolved as a matter of urgency. Kiernan continued: “we know the vast majority of Ireland’s poorest children live in one-parent families therefore we must target supports at them. Unnecessary barriers need to be urgently removed to ensure that lone parents are treated fairly particularly in relation to eligibility requirements for the Working Family Payment and the Back to School Clothing & Footwear Allowance. It is just not right to let children’s lives be restricted by poverty”.

Kiernan welcomed the commitment to the establishment of a statutory Child Maintenance Agency saying: “We are pleased that Minister Doherty has committed €150,000 to research this important issue. We hope this will include robust stakeholder engagement and feed into existing evidence and work on child maintenance.”

Kiernan also welcomed the fact that Minister Zappone listened to the concerns about lone parents at risk of losing out in the new National Childcare Scheme saying: “It is reassuring that lone parents can now stay on existing subsidies until August 2021 if this is helpful to them. An additional five hours per week for those on income-based subsidies is also something we looked for and have received.”

But we continue to have deep concerns about the impact of the Budget on the most vulnerable children. If we enter into a No Deal Brexit, which seems the most likely scenario, these families, who are already held back through poverty, will slip further behind. Brexit may well be an economic tsunami for them – particularly those families in rural Ireland where the economic impact of a No Deal may be most felt. Increases to carbon tax and knock-on effects on fuel and energy use are a real issue and will push the vulnerable into further poverty.

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-Ends –

For further information, visit www.onefamily.ie.

Link to One Family Pre-Budget Submission:

Link to One Family Child Maintenance Paper:

Link to One Family Budget Comparison document:

Available for Interview

Karen Kiernan, CEO | t: 01 662 9212 or 086 850 9191

Further Information/Scheduling

Noel Sweeney, Communications and Events Manager | t: 01 622 9212 or 085 7241294

The askonefamily helpline has developed the first in a series of new information resources to help one-parent families

An entitlements map – An easy to understand visual aid outlining the supports available to you as a lone parent in work or out of paid work.
Tutorial – Step-by-step guide on How to fill out the One-parent Family Payment (OFP) application form.

These are the first in a series of new resources the Askonefamily helpline is developing to make information more accessible to parents.

About askonefamily

askonefamily provides information on: social welfare entitlements and issues, family law issues, housing, education, finances, childcare, parenting and community supports. We also offer support for those experiencing an unplanned pregnancy.

Call a trained askonefamily team member on 01 662 9212* or email helpline@onefamily.ie.

Fun, family friendly, fundraiser at Third Space, Smithfield on Friday February 22 from 7.00pm-9.30pm. Third Space as part of their Square Meal initiative provide all the food for free, the staff work for free, you enjoy a beautiful meal in the company of lovely people and you donate what you think the meal was worth/what you can afford and it all goes to One Family so we can continue to support families most in need. You can BYOB if you want and children are very welcome. You can book directly with Third Space on 01-529-7208 or email office@thirdspace.ie. Thanks for your support!

Let your voice be heard! One Family is seeking willing participants to engage with our Policy Panel 2017. The Panel will consist of 10-12 lone parents and/or parents sharing parenting, who will collaborate with One Family throughout 2017 on policy positions and our budget submission to the Government. Panel members will be encouraged to contribute their own lived experience and personal circumstances in order to produce a Budget submission and policy papers which reflect the reality for one-parent families in Ireland today.

Those interested in taking part should:
1. Wish to articulate their opinions and be comfortable discussing personal experiences and opinions, and core budget issues (housing, childcare etc.).
2. Currently live in Ireland – we hope to hear from people from both urban and rural areas.
3. Be able to commit to a minimum of three hours per month, and be willing to log into the discussion group on our Facebook page (a mixture of phone and online engagement with occasional meetings in Dublin 2) on a volunteer basis.

If you want to get involved please complete the survey below by the 15th of February 2017.

Click here to apply.

One Family has sent a submission to the Citizen’s Assembly on the 8th Amendment.

One Family believes that the presence of the 8th Amendment causes real harm to the women and families whom One Family supports. It leads to the greater likelihood of later and less safe abortion; of women self aborting with pills on their own in isolation; of poorer physical and mental health; of increased shame, stigma and stress.

This amendment and subsequent legislation including the 1995 Information Act and the 2014 Protection of Life in Pregnancy Act has resulted in an extremely regulated environment for women who need to access abortion services, for those who provide crisis pregnancy counselling and for those providing medical and health care to pregnant women. These legislative measures do not support women’s health care and a client-centred approach.

Based on One Family’s 44 years of work with vulnerable women the focus is always on the well being and safety of the clients. This is severely compromised by the various laws in relation to abortion and the regulation of pregnant women in Ireland.

One Family strongly recommends that the 8th Amendment is removed from our Constitution, that abortion is decriminalised and that the provision of an abortion becomes solely a health matter between a woman and her doctor.

You can read the full submission here

The European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) published a new report last week entitled Poverty, Gender and Intersecting Inequalities in the EU Review of the implementation of Area A: Women and Poverty of the Beijing Platform for Action.

This report is part of EIGE’s mandate to monitor EU progress towards gender equality, specifically in relation to the objectives of the Beijing Platform for Action (BPFA) and it is hoped that its findings and recommendations offer solid and useful evidence to address the unresolved challenges for gender equality facing Europe today.

One Family know the shocking and unacceptable facts and we hear the families we work with and support; and it’s time that Government fully listens to and takes real action to honour its commitment to lift over 97,000 children out of consistent poverty by 2020.

Some of the key findings:

Almost every second lone mother (49 per cent) across the EU and a third of lone fathers (32 per cent) are at risk of poverty or social exclusion.

What lone mothers as well as lone fathers tend to lack are financial security and savings for larger or unexpected expenses, rather than specific items such as a phone or a television. 26 % of lone mothers and 16 % of lone fathers have experienced difficulties in paying utility bills.

Lone parents are more often lacking resources to spend on themselves, particularly lone mothers. Only 55 % of lone mothers say that they can spend a small amount of money each week on themselves (compared to 78 % of lone fathers).

The risk of poverty or exclusion among lone parents is very different across the EU-28, varying from 35 % in Slovakia, Finland and Sweden to 58 % in Cyprus, Hungary, Ireland and the United Kingdom, and 69 % in Bulgaria.

When compared to couples with children, parents who are bringing up a child or children without a partner face poverty remarkably more often. The gaps between the poverty rates of couples with children and lone parents are significantly wide, and stand at up to 38 percentage points in Cyprus and the United Kingdom and 37 percentage points in Belgium and Ireland.

Report

Summary Factsheet

According to The United Nations Rights of the Child, it is the right of the child to have contact with both parents after parental separation; yet many parents see it as their right, as parents, to have contact with their child.

When it comes to contact with children, mums can hold the power from day one: they carry the baby for nine months so straight away they make the very first decisions about the baby. All too easily, fathers can take a back seat in parenting and when a separation occurs they can struggle to assert their position as an involved father. So many separated fathers, whom I work with, want to be hands-on fathers. Men are as capable as women but culturally we are often led to believe they are not.

It is not good for children to see two parents without equal status. If society doesn’t encourage fathers to play an active role in parenting then we are not allowing children the full opportunities they are entitled to: the right to both parents provided it is safe for the child.

We need to separate out poor partners from poor parents: it is a different relationship. Children only have two biological parents; allowing them every opportunity to have a relationship with both parents is important to the positive outcome of their lives. Here we offer ’10 ways’ to support your child through shared parenting:

Explore what prevents you from allowing the other parent to have an active parenting role. Is this a genuine concern based upon facts or an opinion you have formed? Does your child feel safe and happy with the other parent? Try to follow their lead. Take small steps to try and build confidence in their ability.
Start with small steps changes in contact. Talk with your child about what they would like to happen.
Reassure your child that you trust that their other parent loves them and therefore you want both parents to be active in their life.
Ask the other parent to do practical things to support parenting rather than only getting involved for the fun parts.
Allow them to have opportunities to take children to and from school, to the doctor, the dentist and to after-school activities. Your child only has one life, it does not need to be separated into mum’s time and dad’s time.
Share practical information with the other parent about your child’s development and everyday life. Know what stage your child is at. Don’t expect to be told everything, find things out for yourself, ask questions, read up on child development and talk to the school if you are a legal guardian.
Pay your maintenance and don’t argue over the cost of raising a child. If you receive maintenance be realistic about what the other parent can afford. If you were parenting in the same home you would do everything you possibly could to ensure your child has what they need. It cannot be any different just because you parent separately.
Buy what your child needs and not what you want to buy for your child. It is always lovely to treat children but not when it means they have no winter coat. Talk with the other parent about what the child has and what they need.
Ask your family to respect your child’s other parent. They are, and always will be, the parent of your child. Children need to know that family respect their parents. It is not healthy for the extended family to hold prejudice over parents.
If you are finding it really difficult to allow your child have a relationship with their other parent, seek professional support to explore the reasons for this. There is obviously a lot of hurt and I am not dismissing this in anyway but if you can move on you will allow your child to have positive experiences.

This ’10 Ways to’ article is by One Family’s Director of Children & Parenting Services, Geraldine Kelly, as part of our weekly ’10 Ways to’ series of parenting tips. You can read the full series here.

Find out more about our parenting skills programmes and parent supports. For support and information on these or any related topics, call askonefamily on lo-call 1890 66 22 12 or on 01 662 9212.

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Most parents work really hard all through the school year, keeping track of what children are learning and ensuring homework gets done. But keeping your child’s brain engaged over the summer can be challenging. If you don’t keep them engaged it could take four to six weeks for them to become fully alert when they return to school in September.

The question is, how you do keep them engaged without becoming their summer teacher? Here are tips to keep your child’s brain active all summer:

Most libraries hold reading challenges over the summer. Encouraging your child to join the reading challenge can be a fun way to have a more diverse range of books in your home. Libraries are usually very good at supporting children and young people to find books that they are interested in and will enjoy.
Encourage your child to keep a diary from the age of five years old. This can be a great way to support children. Not only are you asking them to write, you are asking them to think about how they feel, to create stories, to reflect on their day and on their relationships. They can share their entries with you or keep it private. It is a lovely gift to introduce to any child. You can get diaries from €1 to €10 depending on how fancy or lockable you want it to be. You never know, you could be creating a novelist, but regardless, their spelling and writing should benefit.
Get your children to think about adding and subtracting e.g. when buying groceries get them to calculate the shopping bill. Maths does not have to be sums on paper. Help your child to see how we use numbers every day.
Why not look for some new TV programmes to watch this summer that have more educational value e.g. animal documentaries and quiz programmes. When you start to engage with such programmes as a family it can lead to whole new conversations.
Enjoy days out. There is so much for children to see and hear, people to meet and culture and diversity to experience. Taking children to historic sites or museums, festivals, religious sites or even on nature walks can help them to relate to information they learn in their school books.
Finally, just take time to play and engage with your children − usually we are so busy it can be hard to find time to just sit and talk. Get to know your child. Help them to get to know you. How many of us really know our parents. Play, have fun, laugh, and share what life has to offer and you will have covered the full curriculum this summer and prepared your child well for next term.

This article is by One Family’s Director of Children & Parenting Services, Geraldine Kelly, as part of our weekly series of parenting tips. You can read the full series here.