Online supports launched as Christmas piles pressure on separating couples

Online supports for families launched as referrals to One Family’s separating supports increase.

 Press Release

Monday, 19 December 2022

Christmas and holidays are often a tipping point for couples considering separation and a point of conflict for those already separated according to One Family – Ireland’s national organisation for people parenting alone, sharing parenting and separating. The statement comes as referrals to the charity’s separating supports increase and as it launches its 2022-2024 organisational strategy which commits the organisation to ensure one-parent families across Ireland have greater access to supports. As part of this commitment, the charity today launched a suite of online supports for separating families and professionals working with these families.

One Family CEO, Karen Kiernan said, “Through our work with families around the country, we see that Christmas and holidays are often a tipping point for many people considering separation. Living together at close quarters can often push parents, who have been contemplating separation, to decide to end things. It is also a tough time for those already separated as issues such as access and where the children will stay over the Christmas pushes parents into conflict. Since Covid restrictions ended, we have seen a marked increase in demand for our separating supports from individuals and other NGOs.  In response to this and as part of our strategy commitment to ensure families across Ireland have greater access to services, we developed a suite of online courses to support parents and professionals working with separating families to ensure parents keep their focus on their child’s wellbeing rather than on the conflict between adults.”

Karen Kiernan continued, “We developed these services to allow parents and professionals to access supports at their own pace and in the comfort of their own homes. We have also developed a course for professionals working with separating families to train front-line staff. Working as part of the Separation Network we are training as many frontline staff as possible to improve outcomes for children and their parents post separation. We are concerned with the lack of specialised supports in local communities and call on Government to fund local networks and supports such as our  Tusla supported Separating Well for Children Programme.”

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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.

For further information visit: https://onefamily.ie/

List of courses:

  • The new online courses for separating parents include
  • Parenting Through Stressful Times,
  • The Skill of Clear & Direct Communication,
  • Positive Parenting – For Changing Families,
  • Family Communications – Coping With Family Life and Teens
  • Family Communications – Separating Well for Children.

Resources for parents:

Available for Interview

Karen Kiernan, CEO | t: 086 850 9191

Further Information/Scheduling

Noel Sweeney, Communications and Events Manager | t: 085 7241294