One-parent families to suffer from today’s harsh budget

Ireland’s poorest families, particularly those parenting alone, have been abandoned by today’s budget and left to face the worst, according to One Family, Ireland’s leading organisation for one-parent families. As he announced today’s budget, Minister Howlin said  ‘…I believe that we have a duty to protect the most vulnerable in our society, and to provide the safety net of social protection in what are very extraordinary times. We must also get people back to work…’ One Family believes that, in the case of one-parent families, the Government has failed on both fronts.

Under the new budget, the upper age limit of the youngest child for new claimants of the One-Parent Family Payment will be reduced to 7 years on a phased basis. Karen Kiernan, One Family Director comments, ‘This means that, by 2014, lone parents of children aged 7 will be deemed available for full-time work despite the fact that we are in a recession, there are hardly any jobs out there and, even if there were, there is no comprehensive affordable childcare or after school care.’

The budget also reduces income disregard, that is, the amount a lone parent can earn whilst still being allowed to claim the full One-Parent Family Payment. This will be reduced from €146 to €130 per week in 2012 and to €60 over a five year period, by 2016. Kiernan continues, ‘The slashing of income disregard makes no sense – it will mean that people who parent alone will have to give up part-time, low paid jobs and this in turn will disconnect them entirely from the labour market. There will be no incentive to do this work.’

Other cuts in today’s budget for one-parent families include –

• raising the age for Back to School Clothing & Footwear Allowance from 2 to 4
• reducing the allowance from €305 to €250 for children aged 12 years or more and from €200 to €150 for children aged 4-11 years
• Standardising the rate of payments of child benefit for all children over two years.

‘One-parent family households are already four times more likely to live in poverty,’ adds Stuart Duffin, One Family Welfare to Work manager, ‘today’s many cuts, coupled with the fact that there is no provision of services or supports to help lone parents get back into education or training, will have a devastating effect on one-parent families.’

For more information from One Family contact:

Karen Kiernan, Director 01 6629212 086 8509191

Stuart Duffin, Welfare to Work Manager 01 6629212  087 0622023

Hilary Fennell, Communications Manager 01 6629212   087 2359515

One Family, Ireland’s leading organisation for one-parent families, say that any reduction in Child Benefit would be a blow to all middle-earner families, but for some families, in particular those parenting alone, it would be a further step towards living in consistent poverty.

‘Children don’t have the broadest shoulders in our society, so this disastrous idea needs to be replaced by a policy targeted at those who do,’ says Stuart Duffin, One Family Welfare to Work Manager, ‘We have to look at why Child Benefit exists in the first place. It is an essential part of the income of most one-parent families. It allows parents to do what are considered quite basic things by a lot of people – such as buying healthy food options and affording items such as story books and educational toys which help with their children’s development.’

He goes on to point out that ideally, the wealthiest households should carry the greater tax burden in our society, but that this will not be the outcome if Child Benefit is cut. ‘It would be far better to increase taxes on higher earners. It would save the Government just as much and make the millionaires, not those parenting alone and the middle-earners, contribute most.’

Karen Kiernan, One Family Director, adds, ‘The real issue is how much society is prepared to give to parents on low incomes to support their children in total. Government reforms to benefits and tax have major impacts on child poverty and on families’ living standards more generally. We need to encourage debate about the correct level of support for children in the prevailing economic situation and the aim to abolish child poverty within a generation.’

 For further information please contact Karen Kiernan, Director, One Family 086 850 9191  or Stuart Duffin Welfare to Work Manager, One Family 087 0622023

Messiah Performance in aid of One Family 23 & 24 November

@ 8pm, St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin 8. Tickets €28

One Family, Ireland’s leading organisation for one-parent families, is delighted to announce that it has been chosen as the benefiting charity for this year’s performances of Handel’s Messiah by the Culwick Choral Society. With performances on 23 and 24 November at Dublin’s St Patrick’s Cathedral, all proceeds will go towards the askonefamily helpline for one-parent families.

Karen Kiernan, Director of One Family says, ‘Parenting is tough work, I know. But doing it all alone can be even harder. That’s where our askonefamily helpline comes in. We offer support to all members of one-parent families in need of help and information – or simply a listening ear. We have had a 20% increase in calls since the recession and are very thankful to Culwick for giving us this opportunity to raise funds.’

Culwick Choral Society is a huge Dublin Choir that has been giving charity performances of Messiah in the atmospheric surroundings of St Patrick’s since 1990. The Choir of over one hundred voices will be joined by four wonderful soloists – soprano Mary Nelson, countertenor Duncan Brickenden, tenor Ben Thapa and bass Mark Saberton with Dublin Baroque Ensemble, conducted by Bernie Sherlock.

For many people this annual event marks the beginning of the festive season.  This Messiah takes audiences back to the origin of Handel’s first performance, as he rehearsed it in St Patrick’s Cathedral in 1742 and it was first performed in nearby Fishamble Street. By donating any profits to One Family, Culwick are carrying on a long tradition as the proceeds from the very first performance were also donated to local charities.

Tickets for this festive concert are €28, make great gifts and are also a good opportunity for a staff Christmas outing – you can buy ten tickets for the price of nine.

Book online now at One Family , www.ticketmaster.ie or www.stpatrickscathedral.ie . Or by calling One Family on 01-6629212 or emailing messiah@onefamily.ie

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For further information or to set up interviews with any of the soloists please contact Hilary Fennell, Communications Manager, One Family on 01 6629212 or 087 2359515.

Budget 2012 must not create a poverty trap for

Ireland’s Most Vulnerable Families and their children

One Family, Ireland’s national organisation of one-parent families has launched its Pre-Budget Submission 2012. One Family recognises the pressures currently on the public finances but calls on Government to reframe its priorities in Budget 2012 to ensure that those already experiencing high levels of poverty and social exclusion are protected from any more cuts as a result of the recession.

At the Pre-Budget Forum on Friday 16 September One Family highlighted to Minister Joan Burton TD the high and persistent levels of poverty experienced by one-parent families in Ireland with 17.8% of lone parent households living in consistent poverty, a rate more than four times the national average (4.2%) and 65% of all children in consistent poverty living in lone-parent households (ESRI, 2010).

Karen Kiernan, One Family Director, says:

‘The reality is that the majority of those parenting alone are worried about the future, they are struggling to make ends meet and are faced with increasing debt. Naturally, their children are affected as a result. Budget 2012 needs to ensure that the children of our members and clients are not trapped in financial poverty as well as a poverty of opportunity.’

One Family believes that one-parent families cannot be subjected to further cuts and must be supported to move out of poverty and off social welfare if overall government objectives in relation to child poverty and positive outcomes are to be achieved.

Stuart Duffin, One Family Welfare to Work Manager, explains:

‘Further cuts to the One-Parent Family Payment or Child Benefit are not the answer as they will simply lay the basis for wider inequality for lone parents in Irish Society. The effects of these cuts could take a generation to address and in the meantime are likely to reduce expectations of a better life for many one-parent families already struggling financially, socially and economically.’

Nor should social welfare cuts be imposed by stealth through the removal or reduction of secondary supports such as reductions in the income disregard of those on the One-Parent Family Payment, further changes in supports for those wishing to access education, changes in financial entitlements to Community Employment, or through decreases in already limited services for families going through relationship and marriage breakdown.

Duffin continued:

‘Government policy states that one-parent family poverty will decrease with increased labour market opportunities. Rather than imposing cuts, we want to see the Government acting on this. They must continue to support lone parents to enter, and remain, in the workforce if there is any hope of reducing child poverty and improving outcomes for children from one-parent families.’

One Family also calls on the Government to recognise and respond to the realities of family life and family diversity. Karen Kiernan commented:

‘Any changes to Government policy must be made within the context of international trends that show increasing diversity in family types. To quote the OECD, ‘the upward trend in sole parent households across OECD countries is….remarkable with the bulk of projections to 2025-30 suggesting that numbers are likely to increase by between 22% and 29%.’ (OECD Doing Better For Families, 2010.)

One Family is particularly calling on the Government in Budget 2012 to:

• Broaden and deepen the tax base.
• Make a sound and detailed analysis of the cost-benefits of proposed cuts and of their economic and social impact on already vulnerable groups, both in the short and long term.

• Support lone parents to enter the work force by reducing barriers – by ensuring all services for lone parents are tailored to their specific needs and providing affordable childcare.

• Ensure that lone parents are given an equal opportunity to participate in any future employment schemes such as the National Internship Scheme, JobBridge.
• Impact-proof all proposed cuts to ensure the vulnerable are protected.
• Develop and promote outcome based budget objectives across government Departments to ensure joined-up policy and practice.
• Reform the delivery of services to ensure best value for money and the achievement of expected outcomes.

ENDS

For further information please contact

Stuart Duffin, Welfare to Work Manager, One Family 01 6629212 or 087 0622023

Karen Kiernan, Director, One Family 086 8509191

Irish experts on parenting for one-parent families bring those skills to Bulgarian families at risk, free of charge

One Family, Ireland’s leading organisation for one-parent families, will train 20 Bulgarian NGO’s in Positive Parenting in Sofia from 11-13 July.  The training will prepare trainers to better support Bulgarian families in caring for their children.

‘Our Positive Parenting Training for Trainers is designed to support Bulgarian mothers and fathers to become even better parents,’ says Paula Lonergan, One Family Training Manager, ‘We are helping to reverse the sometimes challenging attitudes to parenting that previously existed in Bulgaria. Our training is all about encouraging parents’ strengths, rather than introducing a system of punishments or labeling those who have struggled to parent well in the past as irresponsible or weak. The training has extra support for people parenting alone or sharing parenting and families in transition. This is why it is so suitable and relevant to families needing support in Bulgaria.’

One Family’s Positive Parenting Training supports parents to overcome difficulties and improve relationships inside the family.  Lonergan continues, ‘Our focus is always on improving the lives of children and we support parents to do their very best, often in difficult circumstances. This course should have a positive impact on the quality of family supports in Bulgaria and on children’s lives.’

One Family is delivering this training free of charge, as part of the campaign for its 40^th anniversary. One Family Director Karen Kiernan explains, ‘This is our opportunity to give something back to the community. Despite our financial cut-backs we will not charge for this training. We wish to share our expertise in honour of our founders and the challenges they faced 40 years ago as lone parents in Ireland.’

One Family is delivering the training in partnership with The National Network for Children in Sofia. After the training ends there will be Positive Parenting specialists in eight Bulgarian cities – Sofia, Varna, Veliko Tarnovo, Targovishte, Sliven, Kyustendil, Gotse Delchev and Velingrad. All participants will receive certificates from His Excellency John Rowan, Ireland’s Ambassador to Bulgaria, during a special reception at the Irish Embassy in Bulgaria next week which will also be attended by His Excellency Emil Yalnazov, Bulgarian Ambassador to Ireland, delegates from the Ministry of Labour, the State Agency for Child Protection, the State Agency for Social Assistance and many other NGOs.

For more information contact Hilary Fennell, Communications Manager, 087 2359515

Following a HSE report earlier this week which found that over a third of women describe their pregnancy as a crisis pregnancy, One Family, the national organisation for one-parent families, announces a 10% increase in demand for its Welfare to Work services. The announcement is made in its 2010 Annual Report and Strategy, to be launched at The Coach House, Dublin Castle at 12 noon on Friday 1 July.

‘These Welfare to Work services support lone parents, some of whom have experienced a crisis pregnancy, into sustainable employment, ‘explains Karen Kiernan, Director of One Family, ‘Access to education and careers are vital gateways to move families out of poverty. Our courses show parents what is possible in their lives – and then support them to make the necessary changes to get there.’

One Family offers welfare to work and parenting programmes, all of which are underpinned by a desire to improve opportunities and quality of life for parents – and for their children.  On Friday 1 July at Dublin Castle, over 100 proud lone parents will celebrate their graduation from these programmes.

Kiernan continues, ‘These parents see the value and necessity of education. They realise that education takes a long term commitment, but know that it will help them achieve better paid, higher level jobs to support their families. Their work with our Welfare to Work courses such as ‘New Futures’ is the first step on this path. 80% of our graduates move on to mainstream third level education.’

Breffny Morgan, the Cork-born Harvard graduate that took Irish TV by storm in 2009 by participating on TV3’s flagship reality show, The Apprentice, will speak at the event, giving his positive experiences of growing up in a one-parent family. ‘I consider myself the proud product of a single-parent family. My hope is that others raised in similar circumstances can relate to that sense of pride.’

Each year One Family encourages hundreds of people who parent alone to achieve their goals through a variety of innovative programmes. These include parenting workshops for mums and dads, career planning and back to work programmes – and even an employment training and work placement initiative with Marks and Spencers. Lone parents from across Ireland will join Morgan at Dublin Castle to receive their certificates of participation and to hear details of One Family’s future strategy.

Glynis Curtis, who completed one of these welfare to work programmes, ‘New Futures’, explains, ‘I had totally lost my way and had no idea where to turn, when one day a friend forwarded an email that changed my life. It was a poster for ‘New Futures’ being run by One Family’.

Angela Velazquez, who also took part in ‘New Futures’ comments, ‘The course taught me to accept that I was a lone parent and that this was OK. Up until then in many ways I really hadn’t acknowledged my situation. The course helped me open my mind and gave me the confidence and motivation I needed to move forward.’

Ends

Photo opportunity with Breffny Morgan and One Family Graduates at The Coach House, Dublin Castle, 1.00pm

For copies of Strategy and Annual Report please download PDFs:

http://onefamily.ie/wp-content/uploads/onefamily_annual_review_2010.pdf

http://onefamily.ie/wp-content/uploads/one_family_strategy_A6-2011.pdf

For further information please contact:

Karen Kiernan, Director, One Family, 086 8509191

Or

Stuart Duffin, Welfare to Work Manager, One Family 087 0622023

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE FAMILY CELEBRATED WITH FAMILY DAY PICNIC & FREE ENTERTAINMENT IN IVEAGH GARDENS

PICNIC HELD BY ONE FAMILY AND EBS BUILDING SOCIETY TO CELEBRATE FAMILIES IN IRELAND

Sunday 15^th May, 2011 – Today is UN International Day of the Family, an annual celebration of the diversity of families and family life across the world. To mark the day One Family and EBS Building Society came together to celebrate Irish families by hosting a free family day picnic in Iveagh Gardens. Hundreds of families joined the fun for Family Day by either attending the picnic in Iveagh Gardens or by hosting their own event with their family to mark the day.

Speaking about International Day of the Family, Aidan Power, Head of Marketing at EBS Building Society, said: “EBS is delighted to be partnering with One Family to celebrate International Day of the Family. It’s great to have so many families in the one place enjoying the day. Families are important to EBS and that’s why we partnered with One Family in the lead up to today. I’d like to congratulate One Family on all their hard work in making today a huge success.”

Today, families were invited to a free day of fun in Iveagh Gardens and were encouraged to bring picnics to enjoy together. Activities available to families on the day included arts and crafts workshops, fun sports for all the family, story telling, face painters, magicians and other live entertainment. Those who couldn’t make the picnic were encouraged to host their own fun event to celebrate their families in the week leading up to International Day of the Family. All families who registered for Family Day are still in with a chance to win a €1,000* by simply submitting a photograph from their ‘Family Day’ to www.familyday.ie up until 31 May.

Karen Kiernan, Director of One Family, the national organisation for one-parent families, said: “We are passionate about Family Day because it can be a positive life-affirming event for children in all families but particularly those in diverse families. Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are international institutions but they do leave out lots of children every year and they can cause awkwardness and exclusion despite the best efforts of parents and teachers. However the concept of Family Day is so broad that everyone should be able to see themselves reflected in the notion of family no matter what size or shape their family is. Even for those children who may not be living in their family of choice or birth, we hope that they can find something positive and celebratory in Family Day.’

*Terms and conditions apply

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For further information contact:
Karen Kiernan, Director, One Family 01-6629212/ 086 8509191

Suzanne Sullivan, Q4PR, 01-4751444/086-3797291

Notes to editors:

UN definition of the family: “any combination of two or more persons who are bound together by ties of mutual consent, birth and/or adoption or placement and who, together assume responsibility for, inter alia, the care and maintenance of group members, the addition of new members through procreation or adoption, the socialisation of children and the social control of members”.

For more information on UN International Day of the Family see www.un.org/esa/socdev/family/IDF.html

About One Family:
One Family is Ireland’s leading organisation providing specialist support services for people parenting alone and sharing parenting. Services include parenting and skills training, counselling, parent mentoring and a national helpline askonefamily which can be reached on 1890 66 22 12 or www.onefamily.ie

The latest OECD report tells us about the wide range of family changes that are taking place across Europe and highlights that poverty in households with children is rising in nearly all countries.  One Family, Ireland’s leading organisation for one-parent families, once again urges Governments to ensure that family support policies protect the most vulnerable.

Candy Murphy, One Family Policy Manager, was disappointed at Ireland continuing to spend less on children than other European countries. “This impacts disproportionately on the poorest and most vulnerable children who are often living in one-parent families,” she comments.

Karen Kiernan, One Family Director continues: “It is disappointing to see that Ireland is near the top of the table for OECD countries in terms of the percentage of children living in poverty. What is also unfortunate is that it has been repeatedly shown that children in one-parent families are poorer than other children and that the supports are just not there to help lone parents on social welfare to get off social welfare and into sustainable employment that can pay for their rent, childcare and other costs. Lone mothers work at a higher rate than married mothers but earn far less and their families are far poorer.”

Unfortunately it seems that Ireland is ill-equipped to keep up-to-speed with the increasing rates of child and family poverty; the increase in one-parent families and the supports needed to help women into employment. “We have seen more families separate and end up on social welfare because of the recession, we are very concerned because flexible and responsive policies are needed,’ Karen Kiernan continues. “On a more positive note, One Family and EBS Building Society are asking everyone to mark International Family Day on 15 May to celebrate family diversity and drive home the point that all types of families matter and deserve recognition and support.”

For more details on the Family Day picnic in Dublin’s Iveagh Gardens on 15 May see www.familyday.ie. People are encouraged to attend the picnic – or to hold their own event to celebrate family day, register it on-line and be in with a chance of winning Euro 1000 which would surely be welcomed by many families in these hard times.

Contact Karen Kiernan, Director, One Family 01 6629212 see www.familyday.ie. For OECD report: http://www.oecd.org/document/54/0,3746,en_21571361_44315115_47698550_1_1_1_1,00.html

This is a unique experience to hear one of the US’s premier women writers

You are invited to join One Family on Friday 6 May from 10am until 12 noon to hear Dr Brenda Flanagan speak on Accomplishing your Goals as a Single Parent.

Known for her inspiring talks and her performance abilities, Brenda will weave in her experiences as a writer, so anyone with an interest in writing should attend. Places are limited so early booking is vital.

Brenda Flanagan was born in Trinidad in 1949, the twelfth of fourteen children in an impoverished family. Her father was a barman, her mother a laundress. Brenda recalls having a hunger for involvement with the wider world and dreamt of being a writer. She started writing poetry at the age of ten and by thirteen she was singing calypsos and earning money for it. However, at the age of fourteen she had to leave school to help support her family, by then only parented by her mother. She worked for a time in a factory, then was taken on as a trainee reporter of The Nation, the newspaper of the then ruling People’s National Movement led by Dr. Eric Williams.

In 1967 she left Trinidad for the USA, working initially as a domestic servant. Marriage and motherhood deflected her plans to study, but by 1975, then a single mother, she began undergraduate studies at the University of Michigan. There she won the prestigious Hopwood Awards for her short stories, a novel and drama.

She is the author of the prize-winning novel, You Alone Are Dancing (Peepal Tree Press), a collection of short stories, In Praise of Island Women and Other Crimes, and Allah in the Islands, a sequel to You Alone Are Dancing

Dr Brenda Flanagan teaches creative writing, Caribbean and African American Literatures at Davidson College, North Carolina. She is also a United States cultural ambassador, and has served in Kazakstan, Chad and Panama.

Please send an email to Stuart at sduffin@onefamily.ie or info@onefamily.ie to book your place. If you would like more information do not hesitate to contact us on 01 662 9212.

Contact Hilary Fennell, Communications Manager, 01 6629212

One Family & EBS Building Society announce details of Free Family Day Picnic to be hosted in Iveagh Gardens on 15 May. Ray D’Arcy calls on people to celebrate families on 15 May to mark International Day of the Family.

International Day of the Family, on 15 May 2011, is an annual celebration of the diversity of families and family life across the world. Speaking today broadcaster Ray D’Arcy explained, “Mothers’ Day is for mums and Fathers’ Day is for dads but Family Day is for everyone to celebrate all types of families.” He added: “Everyone is so busy these days that family members don’t spend as much time together as they once did. Family Day aims to rectify this by simply encouraging families to have fun and spend more time together.” Ray D’Arcy was speaking at today’s  announcement that this year to mark International Day of Family – One Family and EBS Building Society will be hosting a Family Day Picnic in The Iveagh Gardens, Dublin 2.

Families are invited to a free day of fun in The Iveagh Gardens on 15 May and are encouraged to bring picnics to enjoy together. Activities available to families on the day will include arts and crafts workshops, story telling, fun sports activities and entertainers for all the family.  If you can’t make the picnic why not organise your own event to celebrate your family in the week leading up to Family Day by logging on and registering on www.familyday.ie. Everyone who registers for Family Day can be in with a chance to win €1,000* by simply submitting a photograph from their ‘Family Day’ to www.familyday.ie.

Speaking about International Day of the Family, Aidan Power, Head of Marketing at EBS Building Society, said: “EBS is delighted to be partnering with One Family to celebrate International Day of the Family. Local EBS’ all over the country are promoting Family Day and asking people to register an event or join us for the Family Day Picnic in the Iveagh Gardens on Sunday 15 May. We hope lots of picnickers will come out in force as we have some great family entertainment, sports activities and workshops lined up for an action-packed day – all free of charge.”

Karen Kiernan, Director of One Family, the national organisation for one-parent families, said: “We are delighted to have EBS on board to encourage everyone to celebrate their family. We know that families are not all the same but we believe all families matter equally. It is the quality of the relationships and the love that is important, rather than exactly who is in your family.”

“If you decide to hold your own event, register at www.familyday.ie and then submit a photo of the event and you could win €1,000* in a prize draw. The type of family event you hold is entirely up to you and can be held any time during the week of Monday 9 May leading up to Family Day on Sunday 15 May. Organisations may want to organise a family themed arts and crafts project, or a story telling hour or even a formal talk. Families may prefer to have a family outing such as a treasure-hunt, or a family X-Factor competition. See www.familyday.ie for loads of ideas.”

Karen Kiernan adds, “We’d be delighted if people would consider turning their events into fundraisers for our askonefamily national helpline which gives support, information and a listening ear to lone parents going through a difficult time, because sometimes it isn’t easy being mum and dad.  It has seen a 25% increase in calls due to many factors including the financial impacts of the recession. Families are under more pressure in the current environment and it is important that a service like the askonefamily helpline is there to support families during these times. All the details are on www.familyday.ie.’

*Terms and conditions apply

Ends

For further information contact:

Hilary Fennell, Communications Manager, One Family 01-6629212 /087-2359515

Notes to editors:

UN definition of the family: “any combination of two or more persons who are bound together by ties of mutual consent, birth and/or adoption or placement and who, together assume responsibility for, inter alia, the care and maintenance of group members, the addition of new members through procreation or adoption, the socialisation of children and the social control of members”.

For more information on UN International Day of the Family see www.un.org/esa/socdev/family/IDF.html

About One Family:
One Family is Ireland’s leading organisation providing specialist support services for people parenting alone and sharing parenting. Services include parenting and skills training, counselling, parent mentoring and a national helpline askonefamily which can be reached on 1890 66 22 12 or www.onefamily.ie