Recession worries increase calls to one-parent family helpline

/in /by

A leading national support organisation for one-parent families, One Family, has experienced an influx of calls to its helpline as the recession deepens.  With escalating calls on social welfare entitlements and redundancy, One Family has launched an advertising campaign to alert lone parents to the availability of the organisations helpline.

The askonefamily National Helpline for all members of one-parent families was established in 2004 and operates from One Family’s office in Dublin handling nationwide queries about issues affecting lone parents.  Operating from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, the askonefamily National Helpline can be contacted by Lo-call 1890 66 22 12 or by emailing support@onefamily.ie.

Karen Kiernan, Director, One Family said ‘One-parent families experience a range of issues and it can be confusing working out just where to go to get advice. Callers to the askonefamily National Helpline live in a variety of types of one-parent families and circumstances and range from the single mums and dads parenting alone to the separated and divorced parents who are sharing parenting.  We also receive calls from friends and relatives as well as professionals working with one-parent families.  The helpline service is confidential and staff are knowledgeable and supportive.’

Callers to the askonefamily National Helpline look for information, support and referral on a diverse range of issues, from queries about social welfare benefits to family law issues, from childcare and parenting to returning to work or education.

The nationwide radio and print advertising campaign, devised in conjunction with McConnells Advertising, aims to raise awareness that parenting alone can stretch one-parent families but that help is available.

‘We are aware that our clients are concerned about proposed forthcoming Government cuts some of which are  specific to lone parent income supports.  Many lone parents wish to enter the workplace but without affordable and available childcare supports are caught in a poverty trap and are seeking guidance and support from One Family’, concluded Karen Kiernan, Director, One Family.

One Family has been in existence for 36 years and provides a range of services for one-parent families in Ireland .  Services include parenting and skills training, counselling and parent mentoring and a wide range of information supports.

Editors note:

Facts about one-parent families:

  • In Ireland 1 in 8 people live in a one-parent family (Census 2006)

·                    1 in 6 families are a one-parent family (Census 2006).

·                    1 in 5 children live in a one-parent family (Census 2006).

·                    18% of all families or 190,000 families in Ireland today are  one-parent families.

·                    One-parent families are at greater risk of poverty than most other families. You are 4 times more likely to live in poverty if you live in a one-parent family (EU-SILC 2006).

Press queries to:

Nora Lucey, Communications Manager, Tel. 01 662 9212, 086 2370029 or

Karen Kiernan, Director, One Family Tel. 01 662 9212,  Tel. 086 8509191.