The askonefamily helpline will close for Christmas at
12pm on Monday 23rd December 2024 and re-open
10am Monday 6th January 2025.
If you need listening support during this period,
Samaritans are available 24/7 on
116 123.
In an emergency, if you or someone else is at risk of harm, call
999 or
112 or visit your nearest Accident and Emergency Department.
You can read our Christmas Guide
here.
Askonefamily Helpline
You can view the Budget 2025 Fact Sheet here.
Information
We have produced information and resources which are provided above under various categories.
We are always updating and improving the information we provide. If you have any feedback on the information on our website, we would be delighted to hear from you.
Please send any feedback about our information pages to our Information Manager, Valerie Maher at vmaher@onefamily.ie
What can we help with?
We provide detailed, confidential information on social welfare entitlements and finances, family law, housing, education, childcare and parenting. We also offer a listening support service for people who need support parenting alone, sharing parenting or separating.
What is listening support?
By providing support through listening, we’re allowing someone to feel heard. By giving someone the space to share their feelings, even the uncomfortable ones like sadness, anger or grief, we’re allowing them to lighten the load they’re carrying. While being there for someone, it’s ok that we might not have a solution. In fact, there are some stressors or situations that do not have a realistic or immediate solution. Often a person is just simply looking for validation and support, particularly when trying to deal with separation or parenting alone.
By listening and validating someone’s experience and feelings, we’re reinforcing that you are not alone. Even if we haven’t been through the same event, we can empathise and normalise your reactions and feelings.
Listening support is not counselling or therapy, but we can provide information on how to access these supports, if needed.
How can I contact the helpline?
Call the askonefamily helpline on 0818 662 212* or 01 662 9212
You can also email your query to: helpline@onefamily.ie
Or you can Direct Mail (DM) us on social media – Facebook and Twitter
* While calls to 0818 are not free, they are included in customer call bundles that include calls to landlines or, out of bundle, charged at the Standard Rate, which is no more than the cost of calling a landline.
When can I contact the helpline?
The helpline is open Monday to Friday from 10am- 3pm. We may be able to accept calls outside of these times but that cannot be guaranteed.
You can email the helpline at any time, and we will respond as soon as possible. We aim to reply within 48 hours but sometimes it can be a little longer during busy periods.
What happens when I call the helpline?
When you call the helpline number, the call will be answered by a One Family administrator. You can simply ask to be put through to the helpline, it is not necessary to offer any further information at that point, but you may wish to indicate the reason for your call. The staff member will ask you for your first name and connect you to a trained helpline worker who can assist you further. If nobody is available when you call, we will take your contact details (first name and number) and one of the helpline team will call you back.
Did you contact our Helpline? Tell us how we did!
Your feedback helps us improve our services. If you used our helpline either by phone or email, we would love to hear how we did. Please click the link above to complete our two minute survey. Thank you.