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New National Survey To Help Schools Support Parental Separation & Family Change

Survey by One Family, The Separation Network and WHAT WORKS (Department of Children, Disability and Equality)

6th July 2026 – for immediate release

Parents and teachers across Ireland are being asked to complete a new, national survey which will be used to develop new guidelines for primary schools to best support families and children through separation, divorce and other family changes.

Parents can complete the survey if:

  • They live in Ireland.
  • Have a child/children currently in primary school or who attended primary school between 2022-2025.
  • Are a lone parent, separated, divorced, sharing parenting, a step-parent, a legal guardian or kinship carer.

School staff can complete the survey, including:

  • School principals.
  • Teachers.
  • SNAs.
  • School secretaries.
  • Any person working in the school.

The survey is open until Friday 31st July and both surveys are available here.

Aisling Kelly, Parenting Manager, One Family said:
“We’re really happy to bring this opportunity to parents nationally. We know for the direct support we give to one-parent families at One Family how necessary this survey is. The end goal is to develop guidelines for schools, so they can be supported to help families through times of transition and to also help families be supported during what can be a stressful or difficult time. One in four families with children in Ireland is a one-parent family, so it’s not uncommon. We want to make sure that schools are equipped and empowered with the tools to navigate times of family change and that families across Ireland can be met with understanding, empathy and help.”

Geraldine Kelly, The Separation Network said:
“Family separation can represent a profound loss for children, who may be grieving the life they once knew while adjusting to new family dynamics across two homes. These emotional experiences can significantly impact a child’s wellbeing, sense of belonging and ability to engage in learning. This research is a vital first step in supporting schools to recognise and respond to the diverse realities of children’s lives. By equipping teachers and schools with practical guidance, we can help ensure children feel understood, included and proud of their family form, while supporting both parents to remain meaningfully involved in their child’s school life. Ultimately, our shared goal is to strengthen school communities so they can better support children at vulnerable times of family change.”

Quote from What Works:
“The Department of Children, Disability and Equality’s What Works initiative, funded by the Dormant Accounts Fund, is pleased to support this new, national survey to support both families and schools through separation and changes to family form. Findings from the survey will support a coordinated, evidence-based approach to developing guidelines for families, schools and other professionals.”

[ENDS]
For more information, please contact Vicky Masterson, One Family Communications Manager on 083 447 0645 / vmasterson@onefamily.ie

Notes to Editor:

This survey is supported by the Department of Children, Disability and Equality as part of the What Works Initiative, which is funded by the Dormant Accounts Fund.

  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
  2. The Separation Network was established to ensure that the well-being and voices of children remain central to family separation, divorce, and relationship breakdown. You can learn more about The Separation Network at https://rainbowsireland.ie/separation-network/about-us
  3. WHAT WORKS is an initiative led by the Department of Children, Disability and Equality, with funding from Dormant Accounts, to support a move towards evidence informed prevention and early intervention services for children, young people and their families.

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 Shared Parenting in Ireland. Founded as Cherish in 1972, One Family has almost 45 years experience of working with and representing one-parent families. Our experience shows that many lone parents share parenting to some extent with their child’s other parent, even though they live separately and are not in a relationship with each other. However, this reality for many thousands of children and parents in Ireland is not recognised or understood meaning that services, polices and laws which could support them are severely lacking.

This initiative aims to capture data on not only the amount of lone parents who share parenting, but the commitments agreed – be they financial, on joint decision making, or on residential or contact time; and how Ireland’s services and polices work or do not work for their family form. The data gathered will finally give a voice to these parents and their children, which can inform appropriate policies and services in the future.

Karen Kiernan, One Family CEO, comments: “Why is this survey needed? Based on the experiences of people who access our services, we believe over 50% and up to 80% of lone parents in Ireland may share parenting, yet the supports they need simply do not exist.  Relationship separation is often a time of great hurt and anger, meaning that establishing a shared parenting agreement which keeps children at the centre of parenting can be immensely challenging. This lack of recognition, including supports around mediation, establishing a shared parenting plan, and Family Law Courts, for example, can pile on additional stress.”

Also today One Family has launched its Annual Review 2015, and a new Strategy for 2016-2018. Calls to its helpline askonefamily increased by another 20% in 2015. The increase was driven largely by governmental reform of the One-Parent Family Payment, with especially negative impacts on parents working part-time who experienced a large income reduction on already tight budgets. Calls related to issues around shared parenting also increased.

Karen continues: “Strategy 2016-2018 outlines One Family’s ongoing commitment to cherish all children and all families. We continue to work towards a society that does not discriminate based on family type, and to call for the broadening of the Constitutional definition of the family to ensure respect and recognition of all the different family types children live in. Attitudinal change in society and at policy level is urgently required if we are to afford equality to all families, and to reduce child poverty rates by 2020 in line with Government commitments. Evidence shows that it is not family form that most impacts on a child’s well-being and future outcomes, but challenges like poverty, and access to education. Capturing information and recognising the realities for many thousands of shared parenting families in Ireland, which our National Survey is designed to achieve, is essential so that proper supports can be put in place to ensure these better outcomes.”

The National Survey on Shared Parenting is anonymous and should take approximately ten minutes to complete. It is available online on this link.

Dani, aged 10, talks about One Family’s Annual Review and the current situation for one-parent families in Ireland in a short video available to view here, which includes Karen Kiernan discussing Strategy 2016-2018 and what is needed to create more positive futures for one-parent families.

Notes for Editors

About One Family

One Family was founded in 1972 as Cherish and is Ireland’s leading 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 1890 66 22 12, counselling, and provision of training courses for parents and for professionals. One Family also promotes Family Day and presents the Family Day Festival every May, an annual celebration of the diversity of families in Ireland today (www.familyday.ie). For further information, visit www.onefamily.ie.

Available for Interview

Karen Kiernan, CEO | t: 01 662 9212 or 086 850 9191

 

Kitty Holland writes in the Irish Times today about the distressing case of Sabrina McMahon, a lone parent who has been spending nights with her three young children in their car. Housing concerns and worries are the cause of continuous stress for many of the parents One Family works with, with many telling us they are ‘on the edge’.

Good secure housing enhances children’s well-being and helps provide stability for family relationships, schools and development. The housing crisis is a challenge for Minister Burton that she has to resolve for Budget 2015.

Every month, we invite responses to our anonymous, 3 question survey. Last month’s was on Housing Supports. Comments made by some of those who took the survey included:

I’m from Dublin and still have family there but I was forced to move to Wicklow in 2007 where I have no family or supports.

I can’t do a Masters in Education as I was planning, as I live over 45 km from the college I would have had to attend and I would not be able to afford the journeys.

Having to move constantly due to rent increases takes up time, money and creates instability. A constant home is essential in maintaining positive routine.

Security of place is very important for emotional stability of the children.

Longer leases, RAS (Rent Allowance Supplement) to be more attractive for landlords and to be extended beyond a once off, and more social housing is key with rent to buy schemes in place. 

The Housing Supports survey results can be read here. This will be a key topic of One Family’s Budget 2015 submission.

This month’s survey is on Housing and Rent Supplement Limits and can be taken here.

 

Would you like to contribute to our Budget 2015 submission? It’s easy – simply take our anonymous 3 question survey. Each short monthly survey has a focus on a different budget submission topic.

This month’s survey is on Housing Supports.

Take the survey and know that your voice is heard.

If you would like to view the results of previous surveys, they are available here.

 

Would you like to contribute to our Budget 2015 submission? It’s easy – simply take our anonymous 3 question survey. Each short monthly survey has a focus on a different budget submission topic.

This month’s survey is on changes to the One-Parent Family Payment (OFP) and income disregards introduced on 2nd January 2014.

Take the survey and know that your voice is heard.

If you would like to view the results of previous surveys, they are available here.

If you attended Family Day 2013 celebrations in the Iveagh Gardens, Dublin 2 on Sunday 19 May, we would really appreciate if you could take a few minutes to complete our survey. It is completely anonymous and we will use your feedback in planning for Family Day 2014. We value your opinions and want to make next year’s event even better.

The survey should take less than 5 minutes to complete.

Click here to take the Family Day survey.

Thank you.