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One Family Ireland

@onefamilyireland.bsky.social

150 followers 180 following 170 posts

National organisation for one-parent families. Info: onefamily.ie/information-service-helpline Press: onefamily.ie/press Subscribe: onefamily.ie/get-involved/subscribe

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One Family Ireland @onefamilyireland.bsky.social · Jul 23

OpEd from our CEO, Karen Kiernan, is now live on TheJournal.ie, highlighting:

❌One-parent families cannot be the ones to pay for Trump tariffs or other shocks

👉Government must deliver targeted measures in
hashtag#Budget2026 to address record rates of poverty, deprivation and family homelessness

One Family Ireland @onefamilyireland.bsky.social · 11d

One Family urge government to adopt an "education first" approach to lone parents. Learn more about the research on our website (link in bio).

#LoneParents #EducationFirst #HigherEducation #ChildPoverty #UCC #TrinityUniversity #OneFamily #HEAAccess

One Family Ireland @onefamilyireland.bsky.social · 11d

➡️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

One Family Ireland @onefamilyireland.bsky.social · 11d

➡️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

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One Family Ireland @onefamilyireland.bsky.social · 11d

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

One Family Ireland @onefamilyireland.bsky.social · 11d

🚨 NEW RESEARCH LAUNCHED🚨
This week, @ucc.ie, @tcddublin.bsky.social and One Family, launched critical new research on lone parents in third-level education. The findings are clear: systemic policy failures are preventing parents who are ready to learn and work from accessing the education they need.

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One Family Ireland @onefamilyireland.bsky.social · 25d

- Robust enforcement of child maintenance orders.

When we get it right for one-parent families, the structures will work for all families.

We look forward to a productive and impactful discussion.

#ChildPoverty #OneFamily #SocialJustice #OneParentFamilies #Oireachtas #PolicyChange

One Family Ireland @onefamilyireland.bsky.social · 25d

- Affordable, quality, and flexible childcare
- Reforming HAP limits to reflect market rents and prevent lone parents from paying high top-ups.
- Adequate income supports that support an education-first pathway out of poverty.
- Well-paid, family friendly work

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One Family Ireland @onefamilyireland.bsky.social · 25d

As a leading voice for lone parents, One Family is not just highlighting the problem; we are presenting the solutions. It is clear that policies are currently failing these children, and we urge the Committee to adopt a set of targeted solutions that include:

One Family Ireland @onefamilyireland.bsky.social · 25d

- The social protection system falls short of the Minimum Essential Standard of Living (MESL) for children: meeting only 88% of primary, and just 64% of secondary school children's needs.

One Family Ireland @onefamilyireland.bsky.social · 25d

The statistics are stark:
- Consistent poverty for children in one-parent households has risen to 11% compared to 5% in the general population.
- One-parent families overwhelmingly bear the brunt of family homelessness, a direct result of failed housing policies.

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One Family Ireland @onefamilyireland.bsky.social · 25d

Karen is speaking alongside Louise Baylis (Head of Social Justice and Policy, Society of St. Vincent de Paul) on behalf of the National One Parent Family Alliance, bringing forward clear evidence that children in one-parent families are the most impacted by poverty and the housing crisis in Ireland.

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One Family Ireland @onefamilyireland.bsky.social · 25d

We are delighted that our CEO, Karen Kiernan, is addressing the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children & Equality this morning on the critical issue of Child Poverty and Deprivation.

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One Family Ireland @onefamilyireland.bsky.social · 27d

Our response to #Budget2026

Full press release here: onefamily.ie/budget-2026-...

One Family Ireland @onefamilyireland.bsky.social · 27d

Housing:

One Family Ireland @onefamilyireland.bsky.social · 27d

Education:

One Family Ireland @onefamilyireland.bsky.social · 27d

Social Protection:

One Family Ireland @onefamilyireland.bsky.social · 27d

Childcare:

One Family Ireland @onefamilyireland.bsky.social · 27d

Carers:

One Family Ireland @onefamilyireland.bsky.social · 27d

Budget 2026 updates for one parent families so far;

Our Budget factsheet will be live on One Family's website from 10am tomorrow (8th October) with a more detailed analysis of the changes made in #Budget2026.

Taxes and Work:

One Family Ireland @onefamilyireland.bsky.social · 27d

Carers:

One Family Ireland @onefamilyireland.bsky.social · Oct 1

3. Provide free childcare for lone parents returning to work or education.

Read the full details here:

www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2025...

#OneParentFamilies #Poverty #CostOfLiving #HealthyFood #SocialJustice #Ireland #Budget2026

https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2025/09/30/healthy-food-shop-for-low-income-families-costs-up-to…

One Family Ireland @onefamilyireland.bsky.social · Oct 1

We call for #Budget2026 to address this with targeted measures:

1. Expand fuel allowance access to one-parent families to address energy poverty. This will increase positively impact household income available for food.

2. Increase the rates of targeted payments such as the Child Support Payment.

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One Family Ireland @onefamilyireland.bsky.social · Oct 1

The cost impact is even worse for households with a teenager, where costs are then +20% higher.

It is critical that the issue of income inadequacy for one-parent families is addressed in #Budget2026. This isn't just about food; it's also about energy poverty & family well-being.

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One Family Ireland @onefamilyireland.bsky.social · Oct 1

New important research highlights a severe affordability gap for one-parent families access to healthy food.
For a one-parent household on State benefits with two young children, a healthy food shop costs €122— that's 28% of take-home income. That's 12% higher than if the adult earned minimum wage.

One Family Ireland @onefamilyireland.bsky.social · Sep 23

Learn more about New Futures here: onefamily.ie/employabilit...

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New Futures – One Family

onefamily.ie