26th March 2026

One Family will brief TDs and policymakers in the AV Room at Leinster House today about critical issues impacting one-parent families across Ireland. Urgent political action is needed on issues including family law reform, child poverty, family homelessness and access to education for one-parent families across Ireland.

Event speakers include:

• Professor Katriona O’Sullivan, author of Poor
• Naomi Connolly, Parent from One Family Advocacy Project
• Joyce, New Futures Employability Programme Participant
• Karen Kiernan, CEO One Family
• Sinéad Gibney, Social Democrats TD and Lone Parent

TDs will be given a policy brief outlining critical issues in these areas and actions they can take, including:

• Prevent family homelessness by increasing housing assistance payments in line with market rents and increasing funding for tenant-in-situ scheme.
• Include one-parent families as a named group in government’s new Child & Family Homelessness Action Plan.

• Extend Jobseekers Transitional Payment for lone parents until their youngest child is 18.
• Invest in out-of-court supports such as parenting courses, counselling and mediation to help families reach child-centred agreements and avoid family court where possible.
• Fund specialised services nationwide that support families experiencing high levels of conflict or domestic violence, such as One Family’s Separating Well for Children service.
• Move from a “work-activation” government approach for lone parents on social protection to an evidence-based “education-first” one. This would address high levels of in-work poverty and create long-term savings for government, along with financial security for families.

Professor Katriona O’Sullivan, Author of “Poor” said:
For far too long we have let the most vulnerable carry the brunt of the unequal distribution of wealth. Now is the time for this to stop. Now is the time for us to do better. We are a rich country; our GDP is one of the highest in the EU- yet the rate of children at risk of poverty is growing year on year; and the distance between the rich and the poor is expanding. Lone parent families are the most affected by poverty. They are the ones being left behind in terms of access to education and high status employment. As someone who benefited from excellent policies which were in place in the late 90’s I know first hand how important it is to support people out of the poverty trap. I know first hand how wonderful it is to be cared for by state policies, to be given the opportunity to achieve great things. One Family’s Get It Right campaign offers a clear blueprint on how to address these issues. We know how to solve these issues- the question is are we brave enough, do we care enough. We need the political will and courage of convictions from our elected representatives to action the steps being proposed by the Get It Right campaign.”

Naomi Connolly, Lone Parent, One Family Advocacy Project said:
“For many people fleeing abuse, the lack of available properties means that even with supports like Domestic Violence HAP, there is simply nowhere to go. Survivors are faced with an impossible choice: accept placement in homeless accommodation, which can be unsafe and unsuitable for children, or return to the family home and risk further abuse. This stark reality forces victims to weigh the fear and instability of homelessness against the dangers of remaining in a violent environment, highlighting the urgent need for genuine, accessible housing solutions for those escaping domestic violence.”

Karen Kiernan, CEO of One Family said:
“One-parent families across Ireland are being impacted by multiple, interconnected criseis. As the recent SILC data shows, enforced deprivation and consistent poverty rose for one-parent families in 2025, even with cost-of-living measures in place and these have now disappeared. 48.7% of children in one-parent families are living in deprivation and 58% of homeless families are one-parent families; this is a shocking statistic which should be prompting urgent political action. But there are solutions and we welcome the opportunity to brief TDs and policymakers on the evidence-based actions they can take to address, not only poverty, but family homelessness, family law and access to education.”

Sinéad Gibney, TD said:
“I raised my daughter as a single mum. One-parent families are a huge part of Irish society, but they’re often pushed out to the margins. Right now, we have too many lone parents and their children living in poverty, in homelessness, made vulnerable by a system that isn’t built for them. This is a chance to look at how we can create an Ireland where all families are cherished equally, where one-parent families are supported and celebrated.”

You can learn more about One Family’s Get It Right campaign by watching the campaign video.

[ENDS]

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

Notes to Editor:

• 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.
• One Family was hosted in the AV Briefing Room by Sinéad Gibney, TD, Social Democrats.

To mark International Single Parents Day, One Family have launched their #GetItRight campaign, calling for urgent government action on family law, child poverty, family homelessness and access to education for one-parent families across Ireland.  

If Government gets services, policies and legislation right for one-parent families, then they will be right for all families in Ireland. 

We’re calling on government to: 

Invest in out-of-court supports: Not only would this address lengthy court waiting times, but it would also provide best outcomes for children. Families need support, parenting courses, mediation and counselling to avoid adversarial, traumatic court cases. This should include funding for specialised services that support families experiencing high levels of conflict or domestic violence, such as One Family’s Separating Well for Children service, and therapeutic services for children.   

Target Child Poverty: Most poor children in Ireland live in one-parent families and lone parents experience high levels of in-work poverty. If the government wants to reduce child poverty, they can do this by targeting one-parent families. An efficient way of doing this is by increasing the amount of income excluded for lone parents who receive One Parent Family Payment or Jobseekers Transitional Payment to €222.75 per week; the equivalent of 16 working hours at National Minimum Wage.  

Stop Family Homelessness: Government cannot accept monthly increases in child and family homelessness as normal. They need to immediately fund homelessness prevention, including the tenant-in-situ scheme, and increase housing assistance payments in line with local market rents. These payments were last increased in 2022 and the gap between the payment and rent that parents are forced to bridge is fuelling poverty, deprivation and increasing family homelessness. 

Improve Access to Education: Move from a “work-activation” government approach to lone parents on social welfare to an evidence-based “education-first” one. This would address high levels of in-work poverty and create long-term savings for government, along with financial security for families.   

Karen Kiernan, CEO of One Family said: 

“We have achieved huge, positive changes for one-parent families in Ireland since our organisation was founded 54 years ago and that is to be welcomed and acknowledged. But we’ve moved from putting lone parents in institutions to placing them in systems which harm them. This includes a family law system which doesn’t deliver a child-centred approach, a housing crisis which has created epidemic levels of family homelessness in one-parent families and a “work-activation” approach to lone parents and employment, which fuels high levels of in-work poverty.  

Throughout 2026, our #GetItRight campaign will highlight these issues and our solutions to solving them. These are fixable issues, but we need action from our government and commitment to positive change. We look forward to political engagement on these critical issues for one-parent families.” 

You can watch the campaign video on One Family’s website now.  

[ENDS] 

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

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  

Lone parents are prevented from equally accessing higher education, due to systemic barriers and insufficient financial supports, thereby negatively impacting on their long-term employment.  

“Education first? Lone parents’ lived experience of the challenges and benefits of participating in Higher Education” by Dr Fiona Dukelow (UCC), Dr Margaret Scanlon (UCC), Edith Busteed (UCC) and Dr Joe Whelan (TCD) highlights: 

• Lone parents remain under-represented in higher education¹, with both institutions and policymakers lacking data on their participation  
   

• Lone parents are not provided with clear pathways to higher education, which can create a reliance on state support if prevented from attaining well-paid, secure jobs. which is a critical anti-poverty measure for one-parent families 
   

• Lone parents face multiple additional barriers to higher education including a failure to acknowledge the additional care responsibilities they hold, not being provided sufficient financial supports to cover the real cost of education, housing, transport and childcare 

The research recommended that: 
 

• Government to move from a “work activation” to an “education first” approach for lone parents, which would increase their ability to attain high-paid, secure work. 
   

• Lone parents are given adequate financial and educational supports. SUSI grants and social welfare payments should fully reflect the real cost of participation. Access to affordable, quality childcare and secure housing must be made available. Supports must meet the needs of lone parent students, and more flexible learning options made available  

• Improved data collection and accountability from the Higher Education Authority and Department of Social Protection, including data collection on lone parent participation in higher education and for the Higher Education Authority to set clear participation targets in future Access Strategies. 

Karen Kiernan, CEO of One Family said: 
 
“We are delighted to be a research partner for this critical report. One-parent families on low incomes experience some of the highest levels of poverty, deprivation, social exclusion and homelessness in Ireland. To exit poverty requires a clear pathway to further or higher education, and the current system prevents lone parents from doing that, due to a lack of supports and too many barriers to their education. Access to education is a critical anti-poverty measure for one-parent families and government need to recognise that. We need free childcare for lone parents in higher education, adequate financial supports to cover the full cost of their education, and improved supports tailored to meet the needs of students who are parenting alone, so that they are met with understanding and a supportive system that empowers them to achieve their goals.” 
 
Dr Fiona Dukelow, Senior Lecturer in Social Policy, University College Cork said: 
 

“Lone parent students are a largely invisible group in higher education. They are also a very diverse group of students. Despite being recognised as a group whose access and participation in higher education needs to increase, behind this policy commitment lies a lack of data, a lack of targets and a lack of policy supports that would make a difference to lone parents who are considering or who are in higher education. The research reveals the huge challenges lone parents face as students, but also the huge importance of higher education to their and their children’s wellbeing, and why improving policy supports across a whole range of areas, from financial supports, to childcare, to higher education supports, is critical to improving their access, participation and student experience”.  
 
Lynn Ruane, Keynote Speaker for the research launch said:  

“I really welcome this important research which should be read by every policy maker and politician who wants to see an end to poverty in this country. The research restates what we already know; that education can play a key role in ending child and family poverty through targeted, tailored and meaningful supports as well as guaranteed funding that dismantles the structural barriers faced by those parenting alone and their children. Whole families depend on adequate state and higher education interventions which provide choices, but they need to be clearly illuminated and easily accessible.”   
 
[ENDS] 
 
For more information, please contact Vicky Masterson, One Family Communications Manager on 083 447 0645 / vmasterson@onefamily.ie  
 
1. HEA (2022) ‘National Access Plan 2022-2028′ 
 
The full research report can be accessed here: https://onefamily.ie/policy/research/ 

1. The research was conducted by a team of researchers at University College Cork, Dr Fiona Dukelow, Dr Margaret Scanlon and Edith Busteed, in collaboration with Dr Joe Whelan, Trinity College Dublin and in partnership with One Family. It was funded by Research Ireland under its New Foundations programme which supports research partnerships with community and voluntary organisations to conduct research that enhances services and their impact. The research was conducted in response to the inequities of the significant higher education attainment gap between lone parents and the general population. Through a survey across higher education institutions, interviews and diary keeping with lone parent students it documented the challenges and benefits lone parents encounter in accessing and participating in higher education. The policy implications for increasing the participation of lone parents in higher education to achieve equitable outcomes for lone parents and their families are also explored. 

2. One Family Ireland 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 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. 

One Family welcomes the announcement of some evidence-based, targeted measures in Budget 2026, but highlights missed opportunities from government to deliver all actions needed to tackle child poverty and family homelessness.  

Strategic increases to the Child Support Payment and expansion of Fuel Allowance to those in receipt of the Working Family Payment are very welcome measures. One Family, and parents we work with, called for these in our Pre-Budget Submission to government and they are evidence-based, targeted measures which will help families who are struggling. It is also welcome that Back to School Allowance has been extended to children aged 2-3.  
 
However, government missed key opportunities to deliver more of the targeted measures needed to tackle child poverty and family homelessness: 
 

• Social protection increase of €10 is not enough to keep payments in line with inflation and means social protection payments are failing to protect all those who need them from poverty. 
   
• No immediate changes to childcare subsidies or improved accessibility for one-parent families  
   
• No increase in the amount of the Back to School Clothing & Footwear Allowance and unclear if there are changes to income disregards for One Parent Family Payment and Jobseekers’ Transitional Payment, which is   out of step with inflationary and minimum wage increases 
   
• Lack of specific detail on changes to Housing Assistance Payment and Tenant-In-Situ scheme to prevent further family homelessness  
   
• Shocking lack of focus on preventing family homelessness in budget speeches, despite record levels of children and lone parents living in emergency and homeless accommodation 
  
    

Karen Kiernan, CEO of One Family: 
 
“There are some positive measures in Budget 2026 for families, but government missed several opportunities to deliver more of the targeted measures needed to tackle child poverty and family homelessness. Increasing the Child Support Payment and expanding the Fuel Allowance for low-income working parents are critical, necessary steps towards the Government’s child poverty target and we welcome that government listened to One Family and the parents who came forward to speak on this issue.  

“However, the failure to increase other targeted payments, such as the Back to School Clothing & Footwear Allowance or the income disregards to One Parent Family Payment and Jobseekers’ Transitional Payment is extremely disappointing. Doing so would’ve helped the one-parent families most impacted by cost-of-living crisis, in a targeted way, and the while the Child Support Payment and Fuel Allowance expansion are extremely welcome, further targeting was needed to tackle the poverty and deprivation that many one-parent families are experiencing.”  
 
Carly Bailey, Policy Manager of One Family: 
 
“The lack of immediate action on childcare is really disappointing and will have a significant impact on one-parent families. It’s unclear how government intends to increase spaces when services are pulling out of core funding, waiting lists are rampant across the country and fees remain unaffordable for many parents.  
 
This budget also fails to deliver meaningful, immediate measures to address record rates of family homelessness, which is a one-parent family crisis; nearly 60% of families in emergency accommodation are one-parent families. The Tenant-In-Situ scheme is a critical anti-homelessness measure that, had it been expanded/sufficiently funded, would prevent more families from entering homelessness. Failure to increase Housing Assistance Payments in line with market rents will also further drive homelessness, particularly one-parent families who are disproportionately reliant on HAP due to the unaffordability of rent. The crisis of family homelessness is not new at this point, yet we’re still waiting on budget to be allocated to develop a Family Homelessness Strategy to tackle the crisis. One Family are deeply concerned that the inaction of Budget 2026 will further drive the month-on-month increases of family homelessness.” 

ENDS
 

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

Notes to Editor: 
 

1. One Family Ireland 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 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. 
    

2. One Family’s full Budget Submission can be accessed here: https://onefamily.ie/wp-content/uploads/Budget-Submission-2026.pdf  
    

.  

“In the last year, my childcare has increased by nearly 200%” – Charlotte*, lone parent of one child 
 
Charlotte drives 100km every day to access childcare for her child as she can’t find anywhere nearer to her. Without this childcare, she cannot work and is the sole provider for her child. On the days her or her child are too tired to get up two hours early to make the commute, her subsidy on the National Childcare Scheme is reduced, increasing the cost of her childcare. In the last two years, her childcare fees have increased by nearly 200%. 
 
 
“I would be better off financially if I was on social protection payments as then I would be entitled to go on the housing list” – Deirdre*, lone parent of three children 
 
Deirdre spent three years on the housing list and was finally told she and her children were going to get a home. However, as part of her income assessment, her child maintenance was included as income despite it not being paid consistently and as a result, her income was slightly about the threshold for social housing allocation. The Department of Social Protection excludes child maintenance from income assessment, but the Department of Housing doesn’t   
This inconsistent State approach is leaving parents like Deirdre trapped in housing insecurity and is having a devastating impact on their lives. 
 
*Parents used a pseudonym to protect their identity  
 
 
One Family called on policymakers and attendees to use the power they have to make positive systemic changes in Budget 2026 to address poverty and deprivation in one-parent families, including:  
 
Housing 

• Develop a Family Homeless Strategy in the next national housing plan and allocate the funding required to tackle record rates of family homelessness, particularly for one-parent families. 
   

• Allocate adequate budget allocated for the Tenant in Situ (TiS) scheme to meet demand, until social housing delivery is ramped up. 

• Increase Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) and Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) rent limits and discretionary rates in line with local market rents. 
   

Childcare  

• Provide free childcare via the National Childcare Scheme to lone parents returning to education or employment. 
    

• Transition to a public system of early years childhood education and care, including pre- and post-school care. 

Address income inequality 
 

• Increase Child Support Payment by €10 for children aged under 12 and €20 for children aged over 12. 
   

• Increase income disregards for One Parent Family Payment and Jobseekers’ Transitional Payment to 16.5 hours of National Minimum Wage. 
   

• Increase Back To School Clothing & Footwear Allowance by  €100 for children aged 4-11 and by €156 for children aged 12-22 who are in full-time second level education and repeat payments at 6-month intervals to accommodate needs of growing children. 

Carly Bailey, Policy Manager at One Family said:  

“Most of Ireland’s poorest children can be found in one-parent families. There are solutions to the unacceptably high rates of child poverty and deprivation, but we need the political will to action necessary change. The parents in our Advocacy Project powerfully highlight the multiple, overlapping barriers which create poverty and deprivation. These barriers are not unbreakable; they were designed by our systems and can be dismantled by the people in the room at this Summit. It’s critical that government learns from the experiences they’ve shared today and takes the urgent action in Budget 2026 to meaningfully address child poverty and well-being.” 
 
Denise Charlton, Chief Executive of Community Foundation Ireland added: 
 

“Rising levels of child poverty during a period when our national finances remain in good order are unacceptable. One Family is again highlighting the harsh everyday choices between meals, clothing or household bills which are being made in thousands of homes every –day. It is time for these voices to be heard. The case for action is compelling, as a philanthropic hub the Community Foundation listens to the insights of partners like One Family, as we do to our research partners in this space, like the Economic and Social Research Institute. We cannot let child poverty be our legacy.” 

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

Notes to Editor: 

1. One Family’s Advocacy Project aims to embed the experience and voice of one-parent families in the areas where policy and legislation changes occur. The project gives lone parents an opportunity to share their experience and perspective on the social and economic challenges facing one-parent families and advocate for the changes needed to improve their lives.  Panel members are given the opportunity to work with One Family to develop our policy and advocacy work and also with decision makers in the Dáil, our local councils, government departments and in Europe, as opportunities arise. This 2-year project is funded by UBIDAC via The Community Foundation of Ireland. 

2. One Family Ireland 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 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. 

3. The Child Poverty and Wellbeing Summit bring together leaders, policymakers, practitioners, and change-makers from across sectors to explore how we can drive systemic change that delivers results for children. The Summit, which is also being live-streamed, will spotlight collaborative approaches, examine what’s working, and surface the bold ideas needed to address the structural barriers that keep children and families in poverty. The Summit will be livestreamed here. 

One Family, Ireland’s national organisation for people parenting alone, sharing parenting, and separating is looking for lone parents across Ireland who want to take the first step to change their life. The next term of New Futures is starting in September 2025 and One Family are looking for lone parents to enrol in the online course. 
 
Developed in response to the unique challenges faced by lone parents, the New Futures Employability Programme offers a tailored, person-centred approach to help parents gain essential skills to return to education or work. Running since 2006, the programme has proven to be very successful, with 75% of participants transitioning from social welfare payments to paid employment or further education.  
 
The programme provides essential supports including: 

• Personal development: Communication skills, stress management, goal-setting and developing self-confidence 
   

• Support: Connect with other lone parents in online workshops and benefit from individualised 1-to-1 support sessions  
   

• Employment skills: Creating and updating CV’s, mock interviews and exploring pathways to further education or employment  
   

Participants benefit from expert personal development and career coaching, peer support, and access to One Family’s wraparound services, including parenting support and counselling. 

Valerie Maher, Programmes Manager, One Family said: 

“We believe that every parent deserves the opportunity to build a better future for themselves and their children. New Futures is a programme with a proven track-record of success, empowering lone parents with the confidence, skills, and support to take the first step to a new future for themselves.” 

Nadine, New Futures Participant 2024: 
 
“I’m so glad that I decided to do the New Futures course. They support you every step of the way and helped me through every wobble (there were a few). The thoughts of doing a course through zoom filled me with dread but honestly it was so good. It was lovely to be able to meet and chat with other lone parents who are going through similar struggles as me. My support worker was amazing every week. Giving support, genuine encouragement and positivity all the time. I honestly can’t recommend the course enough. It’s really helped me take those daunting first steps to returning to work/education.” 

Kathleen, New Futures Participant 2024 

“When I signed up for the New Futures Employability Programme, I did not expect the life line of support I received. This course is excellent; I would highly recommend it to mothers who are parenting alone and would like to get back to explore what opportunities are out there for them.  It has helped me to clarity what aspects of my journey I needed to become clear on so I could set some goals for myself going forward. This course has helped me not just to survive but to thrive.”  
 
ENDS 
 
For media requests, contact Vicky Masterson, One Family Communications Manager, on 083 447 0645 or email vmasterson@onefamily.ie  
 
Notes to Editor 
Applications for the New Futures programme are now open and interested lone parents are encouraged to contact Employability Manager, Niamh Wynne by emailing programmes@onefamily.ie or calling 01 662 9212 
 
For more information, visit https://onefamily.ie/education-development/employability-progammes_24/new-futures/  

One Family, Ireland’s national organisation for people parenting alone, sharing parenting, and separating is looking for lone parents across Ireland who want to take the first step to change their life. The next term of the New Futures Employability Programme is starting in September 2025 with in-person classes in Dublin 2, and One Family are looking for lone parents to enrol. 
 
Developed in response to the unique challenges faced by lone parents, the New Futures Employability Programme offers a tailored, person-centred approach to help parents gain essential skills to return to education or work. Running since 2006, the programme has proven to be very successful, with 75% of participants transitioning from social welfare payments to paid employment or further education.  
 
The programme provides essential supports including: 

• Childcare and travel subsidies (for in-person delivery) 

• One-to-one mentoring and peer support  

• Laptop loans. 

Participants benefit from expert personal development and career coaching, peer support, and access to One Family’s wraparound services, including parenting support and counselling. 

Valerie Maher, Programmes Manager, One Family said: 

“We believe that every parent deserves the opportunity to build a better future for themselves and their children. New Futures is a programme with a proven track-record of success, empowering lone parents with the confidence, skills, and support to take the first step to a new future for themselves.” 

Michelle, New Futures Participant 2024: 
 
“I was the shadow of the person I was before I started a New Futures course.  I just lost all confidence in myself, I lost all confidence in my capabilities. Now I’m full of determination and ambition for the future and I’m much stronger and I’m more confident.” 

Ivana, New Futures Participant 2024 

“I felt quite stuck so I didn’t know what to do with my life a career wise and like balancing parenting and career is really difficult when you’re a lone parent. This programme helped me so much in my life because it’s helped me to see that small steps can lead to big results.” 
 
ENDS 
 
For media requests, contact Vicky Masterson, One Family Communications Manager, on 083 447 0645 or email vmasterson@onefamily.ie  
 
Notes to Editor 
Applications for the New Futures programme are now open and interested lone parents are encouraged to contact Employability Manager, Niamh Wynne by emailing programmes@onefamily.ie or calling 01 662 9212 
 
For more information, visit https://onefamily.ie/education-development/employability-progammes_24/new-futures/  

With one-parent families continuing to experience disproportionate rates of poverty and social exclusion, NOPFA’s budget asks are practical, evidence-based solutions to improve financial stability for families, prevent further family homelessness and ensure thousands of children across the country can have their basic needs met.
 

NOPFA’s budget actions include:
 

• Invest in the Child Support Payment as a means to target the poorest children(previously Qualified Child Increase), by a minimum of €10 per week for children under 12 and by €20 for children over 12. This should be the start of working towards benchmarking of the payment to 45% of the primary social protection payment during this government term.
   

• Extend the Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment (JST),a specific payment to lone parents who have young children and cannot enter the workforce due to their care responsibilities, until the youngest child completes secondary school, for parents engaged in employment, education or training.
   

• Deliver commitment in Programme for Government to expand fuel allowance to all those in receipt of Working Family Payment (WFP). 

For NOPFA’s full list of budget actions, see here: https://onefamily.ie/wp-content/uploads/NOPFA-Pre-Budget-Submission_2026-2.pdf

Karen Kiernan, Chair of NOPFA and CEO One Family said:

“The current Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment (JST) creates a financial cliff-edge for parents once their child reaches ages 14. This is a systemic barrier that can be impossible for lone parents to overcome. We want this support extended until the youngest child completes second-level education, for parents engaged in employment, education or training. This support would ensure continued financial stability while lone parents work to improve their long-term economic prospects.”

Stephen Moffat, National Policy Manager, Barnardos said:
 

“40% of children we support live in one parent households. From our own experience, staff can see the disproportionate difficulty many have providing children with basic essentials. It’s vital that targeted supports are introduced in Budget 2026, such as increasing child support payments in line with inflation, to help pull families out of deprivation.”

Carly Baily, Policy Manager, One Family said:  

“It’s critical that government deliver on their commitment in the Programme for Government to include families who are in receipt of the Working Family Payment in eligibility for fuel allowance. Energy costs remain high and geopolitical tensions may further exacerbate energy prices. It is critical that one-parent families, many who are already living in deprivation and poverty, are not left to try and absorb high costs by themselves.”

ENDS

For further information or media enquiries, please contact Vicky Masterson, Communications Manager, One Family 083 447 0645/vmasterson@onefamily.ie

Notes to Editor:

About NOPFA

The National One Parent Family Alliance comprises the following national organisations including Barnardos, Society of St. Vincent de Paul,
One Family, National Women’s Council, SPARK, Focus Ireland, Treoir and Family Resource Centre National Forum. This Alliance was established in 2020 around a shared concern about the high levels of poverty experienced by lone parents and their children.

NOPFA’s proposals are grounded in recent research by the Child Poverty and Well-Being Programme Office, the Vincentian MESL Research Centre, and CSO data from the 2024 SILC report.
You can access NOPFA’s complete Pre-Budget Submission here: https://onefamily.ie/wp-content/uploads/NOPFA-Pre-Budget-Submission_2026-2.pdf  

The Oireachtas Social Protection Committee will undertake Committee State consideration of the 2025 Bill on 25 June at 9:30am. The Minister for Social Protection, Dara Calleary TD, will appear before the Committee. FLAC appeared before the Committee last week to outline its amendments to the Bill which have been tabled for consideration tomorrow.

FLAC Chief Executive Eilis Barry has written to members of the Oireachtas Social Protection Committee to inform them that “Two national organisations which are concerned with the rights of lone parents, Treoir and One Family, have endorsed FLAC’s amendments [toBereaved Partner’s Pension Bill 2025] and are joining us in asking the Joint Committee to adopt them. These organisations have first-hand experience of the discrimination and disadvantage that lone parents often encounter in Ireland. The death of a divorced or separated partner can still bring about a financial loss for families. The [2025 Bill] should be concerned with addressing that financial impact and no group of families should be arbitrarily excluded from the safety-net it provides.”

The O’Meara judgment [in which FLAC represented the O’Meara family] is, at its core, about equality between families. The provisions in the 2025 Bill concerning cohabiting families will have a significant positive impact for couples and families who, like the O’Meara family, suffer a bereavement and the emotional and financial impact that that inevitably entails. These provisions go beyond what is strictly required by the O’Meara judgment, and extend entitlement to bereaved cohabitants who do not have children. This compassionate and generous ‘levelling-up’ approach should be taken throughout the entire Bill.”

One Family CEO Karen Kiernan said:

“Only a very small number of people who were divorced or separated claim a survivor’s pensions in respect of their dependent children each year. These families may have been reliant on maintenance payments from a deceased former partner and the scheme is designed to ensure that this financial impact is addressed. We see no basis for removing their entitlement. It is highly concerning that the potential financial impact the 2025 Bill could have on this group does not seem to have been considered by the Department in what is otherwise a very positive piece of legislation.”

Treoir CEO Damien Peelo commented today:

“The Supreme Court’s ruling in the O’Meara case was a powerful affirmation that children should not be penalised for their parents’ marital status. It corrected a clear injustice in our social welfare system. However, the proposed Bereaved Partner’s Pension Bill risks replacing one inequality with another by excluding parents who are divorced or separated, including those who are supporting their child either financially or emotionally. This is a moment to extend compassion and support to all bereaved families, not to narrow the scope of protection. Any parent who has provided consistent financial or emotional support to their child should be recognised. Grieving children deserve equal treatment, regardless of their parents’ relationship status.”

ENDS.

Notes:

FLAC (Free Legal Advice Centres) is an independent legal, human rights and equality organisation, which exists to promote access to justice. It provides early and preventive legal assistance through a Telephone Information & Referral Line and Telephone Legal Advice Clinics. As an Independent Law Centre, FLAC takes on a number of cases in the public interest each year, and operates a Roma Legal Clinic and Traveller Legal Service. The organisation makes policy recommendations in relation to social welfare law, equality and anti-discrimination law, housing law, human rights and access to justice. This includes policy reports and submissions to national and international bodies, including Oireachtas Committees and human rights monitoring bodies.

Treoir is a free information service for parents who are not married to each other, their children, and anyone supporting them. In 1976 various agencies working with unmarried parents formed a federation to channel efforts to improve the quality of the services provided to unmarried parents and their children. Treoir is still a membership organisation. It works to promote the rights and best interests of unmarried parents and their children through: providing specialist information; raising awareness on issues affecting unmarried parents, and; campaigning for change.

One Family is a specialist service provider for people living in one-parent families. It works to capture the experiences of service users into policy positions so it can deliver social policy and legislative improvements for families. One Family works with individuals and families from diverse backgrounds who may be parenting alone, sharing parenting, separating, step-parenting or experiencing an unplanned or crisis pregnancy.