Statement | Our Response to Minister Varadkar’s Comments on OFP Reform Today
Statement One Family’s Response to Minister Varadkar’s Comments on Reform of the One-Parent Family Payment on RTÉ Radio 1 on 26th September 2016 Today Minister Varadkar, in an interview on Morning Ireland (RTÉ Radio 1), discussed the changes to the One-Parent Family Payment (OFP). The Minister was adamant that there were no cuts made to […]
Parenting | How to resolve issues with teachers
When issues with your child arise in school it is important that you, as their parent, are notified. The teacher or principal may contact you to address the issue if they feel it warrants attention but in other cases it may be your child who has an issue with a teacher and comes to you. When […]
Parenting | Supporting your children through shared parenting
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 […]
Parenting | How to introduce quiet time in your home
As parents we can often feel the pressure of keeping our children engaged in activities with friends and play dates. We ourselves feel we must connect with other parents along with tending to seemingly endless daily tasks. It can seem manic at times and constantly busy. We find we don’t have much time to just sit […]
Parenting | How to support your child when they struggle to fit in
I often meet parents who tell me “My child really dislikes school because they feel that they don’t fit in”, or “My child wants to be part of this group of children in school but they have been left out.” When children move into primary school the main aim they have is to make friends. […]
Parenting | Supporting your child when they can only see failures
Success and failure starts at a very young age for us all; starting with learning to crawl and walk, we constantly deal with successes and failures throughout our lives: passing exams, getting onto the team, winning medals, getting a place in college, securing a job, etc. As a parent, it is heartbreaking to see your […]
Statement | One Family’s Response to Minister Varadkar’s Statement on Lone Parents and Educational Supports
Statement One Family’s Response to Minister Varadkar’s Statement on Lone Parents and Educational Supports One Family is disappointed to read Minister Varadkar’s statement of 17 August 2016 in relation to lone parents accessing education. While the Minister has correctly outlined a number of supports currently available to people parenting alone, the statement fails to recognise some […]
Parenting | Getting ready for back to school
As we fast approach the end of August, it is time to prepare both our children and ourselves for going back to school. The relaxed days and bright evenings of no homework are fewer. With only one full week to go for most, it is time to get things in place so the first week […]
Parenting | How might your child react to parental separation?
Whatever the circumstances, parental separation is hard on families and big changes must be made. Keeping children at the centre of parenting and responding to their thoughts, feelings and questions, will help you to help them during this difficult time. Research shows that children normally experience one or more of the following reactions to the separation of […]
Press Release | Lone Parents Thwarted by Systemic Barriers to Accessing Education
Press Release Lone Parents Thwarted by Systemic Barriers to Accessing Education Improving access to education and employment for parents will lead to ending child poverty. (Dublin, Monday 8 August 2016) One Family – Ireland’s organisation for people parenting alone, sharing parenting, and separating – again calls on Government to remove the systemic barriers to education […]
Parenting | Supporting teens when their other parent leaves the country
Telling a teenager that their parent is moving away to another country is a big challenge. Explaining this to a teenage child is very hard for the parent who is living with them. In my experience, there are very few teenagers that cope well with one parent leaving and moving far away when they have been […]
Parenting | How to Deal with Leaving Cert Results Disappointment
Leaving cert results are out on 17 August and parents and teens anxiously await to see what life holds as a result. There are so many expectations around the Leaving Certificate and CAO choices that, as a result, there is great potential for disappointment. What if your teen misses out on their top choice; what […]
Training | Enrolment Now Open for Options Courses
We are happy to announce that enrolment is now open for the Options part-time programmes run by One Family in co-operation with Ballsbridge College of Further Education. Options programmes are free of charge and specifically designed for those parenting alone or sharing parenting. If you are looking to get back into the workplace and/or further education after a gap, or for […]
Parenting | Keeping brains active over summer
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 […]
Parenting | How to make day trips run smoothly
How many times have you taken your children on a day trip and five minutes after you arrive, or five minutes into the car trip, you feel like saying, “That’s it! We are going home.” We put time, energy and costs into organising days out, yet it can sometimes seems that your children just don’t care. […]
Press Release | Budget 2017 Must Make Work Pay for One-Parent Families
Press Release Budget 2017 Must Make Work Pay for One-Parent Families Ending Child Poverty in Ireland can only be achieved by improving access to employment and making work pay. (Dublin, Friday 8th July 2016) One Family – Ireland’s organisation for people parenting alone, sharing parenting, and separating – calls on the Government to start the […]
Parenting | How to be more socially engaged
It’s not always easy for parents, especially those parenting alone or with little expendable income, to establish or maintain a reasonable level of social engagement. Parent who are socially engaged generally have higher levels of self esteem. Maintaining your self esteem can help you to feel more comfortable in social situations and enable you to […]
Press Release | Ireland’s First National Shared Parenting Survey Launched Today
Press Release Ireland’s First National Shared Parenting Survey Launched Today One Family will finally capture the reality for thousands of parents and children in Ireland who are not recognised (Dublin, Monday 4th July 2016) Today One Family – Ireland’s organisation for people parenting alone, sharing parenting, and separating – launches the first National Survey on […]
Parenting | Establishing family rituals
A family ritual, or tradition, is a practice within a family that has special meaning to family members. Family rituals provide a sense of belonging and continuity. They bring families closer together. It is often hard in our day and age to escape the pressures and daily stresses that make up our lives but having rituals […]
Parenting | Your newly confident five-year-old
It is amazing to look back after your child’s first year in school and see how they have grown in confidence. However, along with this new found confidence comes a good dose of cheekiness. They have truly found their voice and will no longer conform. Now, when you ask them to tidy their room you […]