Supporting One Parent Families During and After the COVID-19 Crisis: Joint NGO Submission to the Special Committee on COVID-19 Response
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Author
Barnardos
Children’s Rights Alliance
Dress for Success Dublin
FLAC (Free Legal Advice Centres)
Focus Ireland
National Women’s Council
One Family
Society of St Vincent de Paul
SPARK (Single Parents Acting for the Rights of our Kids)
Treoir
Date
2020
Type
Other
Language
en
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
A coalition of organisations supporting children, families, and vulnerable groups in Ireland has submitted recommendations to the Special Committee on COVID-19 Response, urging that the needs of lone parents and their children be prioritised in the national response to the pandemic’s socio-economic fallout. One-parent families, predominantly led by women (86%), are disproportionately affected by social issues, and COVID-19 has intensified these challenges. Lockdowns and restrictions have compounded pressures on lone parents, including increased costs for food and energy, childcare closures, home-schooling demands, and disputes over access to children. Even before the pandemic, lone parents faced higher risks of poverty, insecure employment, homelessness, debt, and energy poverty compared to other households with children.
In response, the coalition successfully advocated for several supportive measures: ongoing family income supports, special arrangements for parents losing child maintenance, a moratorium on energy disconnections, continued school meal programmes, and extended Fuel Allowance. However, as Ireland reopens, gaps remain—particularly regarding childcare and school access. The coalition warns that without robust, ongoing support, lone parents risk long-term unemployment, deepening child poverty, and increased homelessness. They call for immediate action to ensure parents have adequate income and maintain labour market connections, preventing further harm to vulnerable families.
Description
Paper
Citation
Barnardos, Children’s Rights Alliance, Dress for Success Dublin, FLAC (Free Legal Advice Centres), Focus Ireland, National Women’s Council, One Family, Society of St Vincent de Paul, SPARK (Single Parents Acting for the Rights of our Kids) & Treoir (2020). Supporting One Parent Families During and After the COVID-19 Crisis: Joint NGO Submission to the Special Committee on COVID-19 Response. https://knowledge.barnardos.ie/handle/20.500.13085/893
Publisher
Barnardos, Children’s Rights Alliance, Dress for Success Dublin, FLAC (Free Legal Advice Centres), Focus Ireland, National Women’s Council, One Family, Society of St Vincent de Paul, SPARK (Single Parents Acting for the Rights of our Kids) & Treoir