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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Ireland’s national organisation for people parenting alone, sharing parenting and separating, is recruiting a part-time Parenting Team Administrator. One Family’s vision is that every family in Ireland will be cherished equally, and will enjoy the social, financial and legal equality to create their own positive future.

For more details and job description click here or contact Geraldine Kelly, Director of Parenting, One Family at: gkelly@onefamily.ie.
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Ireland’s national organisation for people parenting alone, sharing parenting and separating, is recruiting a New Futures Facilitator. If you want to work in a great team, supporting, encouraging and mentoring people parenting alone in their journey back to education or work this could be the role for you.

For more details and job description click here or contact Valerie Maher, Programmes & Information Manager, One Family at: info@onefamily.ie.
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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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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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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