Embargoed until 00:00 Tuesday 30th June 

One Family have launched their Pre-Budget Submission 2027, calling for urgent government action to tackle increasing inequalities for one-parent families. 

Featuring the lived experience of lone parents from One Family’s Advocacy Project, the submission highlights: 

• That income disregards (the amount of money somebody can earn from work before their social protection supports are impacted) have not kept up with minimum wage increases, which is actively deterring lone parents from employment.
• How the gap between Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) and real cost of rents is fueling poverty and deprivation.  
• That high levels of in-work poverty for lone parents are driven by limited access to third-level education.   
• There is insufficient funding for out-of-court supports to meet demand, including One Family’s Separating Well for Children, which supports families where there is domestic violence or high parental conflict. 

Karen Kiernan, CEO of One Family said: 
“We cannot normalise the year-on-year increases in child homelessness and poverty in one-parent families. Although the overall poverty rate dropped last year, for one-parent families, it rose. That is a clear warning bell to Government that Budget 2027 must deliver positive changes for one-parent families. Government can do better and must do better, and Budget 2027 is an opportunity to get it right for one-parent families. 

Our Pre-Budget Submission lays out key actions Government must take to address child poverty, family homelessness, access to education and family law reform. These are evidence-based, targeted solutions which will help the families who need it the most. We urge Ministers to prioritise targeting above universal measures in Budget 2027. It’s consistently shown that it’s higher earners who benefit most from universal actions, not families living in poverty or deprivation. Budget 2027 will show what families Government prioritises, and whether they can match their words of commitment to reduce child poverty in Ireland to 3%, with specific actions to reduce child poverty in this Budget.”

Aisling Kelly, Parenting Manager, One Family: 
“For many of the families we support through our Separating Well for Children service, there can be an impossible choice. Increasingly, separated and separating parents tell us they are forced to remain living in the one home as suitable and affordable accommodation is simply not available. In cases of domestic abuse many parents are faced with living in emergency accommodation, which can be unsafe and unsuitable for children, or return to the family home and risk further abuse. This is the desperate reality of the housing crisis. Insecure housing impacts everything for one-parent families, driving up poverty, deprivation and ability to move forward with their lives. We see this daily with the families we proudly support at One Family and our call to Government is simple: get it right for one-parent families in Budget 2027. 

[ENDS] 

For more information, please contact Vicky Masterson, One Family Communications Manager on 083 447 0645 / vmasterson@onefamily.ie  
You can read One Family’s Pre-Budget Submission here: https://onefamily.ie/policy-positions-submissions/  
 
Notes to Editor:

1. One Family is Ireland’s organisation for people parenting alone, sharing parenting, and separating. We have been working with one-parent families for over 50 years. We provide a range of direct services to parents and children, along with campaigning and advocating for legislative and social change to deliver true equality for all families. Services include direct family support, parenting courses, New Futures employability programme, AskOneFamily helpline and counselling for those experiencing an unplanned or crisis pregnancy. You can learn more about One Family at www.onefamily.ie