One Parent Families Scotland

opfs.org.ukFrom barriers to belonging: what single parents have taught us about fair work - One Parent Families ScotlandAt One Parent Families Scotland (OPFS), we hear every day from single parents who want to work, train, study and build secure futures for their children. What they often face is not a lack of ambition, but a labour market and support system that has not been designed around the reality of being both sole carer and sole provider.

A question for all the employers on #FairWork day this #ChallengePovertyWeek... If someone has spent time away from paid work, does your recruitment process still help them show what they can do? Read what we learned:

💜 Every family should have enough to live with dignity. OPFS is calling for a £40 Scottish Child Payment, reform of Universal Credit and an end to the Benefit Cap. Share the report to help build support for greater security for families. 📖 opfs.org.uk/wp-content/u...

🏡 Every family deserves a secure home. The Benefit Cap reduced Michelle’s family’s Universal Credit by almost £700 a month, leaving her unable to cover her housing costs. Read her story and the changes OPFS is calling for: opfs.org.uk/wp-content/u... Name changed to protect her identity.

📣 Every family should have enough to live with dignity. Our latest Single Parent Impact Report shares evidence from OPFS services, Michelle’s story and the changes we’re calling for to give single parent families greater security. 📖 Read the report: opfs.org.uk/wp-content/u...

@publichealthscot.bsky.social

Applications, interviews, childcare planning, IT and finances: the six-week Training Academy in the OPFS - @publichealthscot.bsky.social pathway covered the practical details of moving into work. Why did that matter? We explain in our blog: opfs.org.uk/get-involved...

One Parent Families Scotland reposted

The Poverty Alliance

@povertyalliance.org

18 Sept

Asad Rehman has decades of experience in campaigning for environmental, social, and racial justice - and a deep understanding of how all these struggles are linked. Reserve your free place to hear him speak in Glasgow. It will be a highlight of #ChallengePoverty Week. #CPW26 www.tfaforms.com/5231335

One Parent Families Scotland reposted

Public Health Scotland

In our latest blog, Chief Executive Paul Johnston reflects on what we’ve learned from our partnership with One Parent Families Scotland, from removing barriers to employment to helping people stay, grow and succeed. Read the blog ➡️ https://ow.ly/YbB450ZRnyy

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Eight single parents who took part in the OPFS - @publichealthscot.bsky.social employment pathway are now in permanent PHS roles. Our new blog looks at the support and changes to recruitment that helped make work accessible:

11 Sept

If you're a single parent in Scotland looking for advice, give us a call. You can talk to our advisors about anything from general worries to budgeting, child maintenance, money and more. Open Mon-Fri 9.30-4 Call: 0800801 0323 #Helpline #SingleParents #Scotland

10 Sept

Congratulations to 12 single parents who started new roles as Client Advisors with Social Security Scotland this week! 🎉 Through the OPFS Training Academy, they received tailored support, from financial guidance and applications to mock interviews and customer care training.

8 Sept

Our Lone Parent Helpline provides advice and support to single parents. Call 0808 801 0323, Monday to Friday 9.30am to 4pm. Call us about anything from dealing with a break-up, sorting out child maintenance, understanding benefits, money when having a baby, studying or moving into work. If you

3 Sept

27 Aug

We’re delighted that @satwatr.bsky.social Chief Executive of One Parent Families Scotland, has been re-appointed as Co-Chair to Scotland’s new Just Transition Commission. Our full statement: opfs.org.uk/get-involved... #JustTransition

10 Aug

🎥 Twelve years on... In 2014, #SingleParents told us they were struggling with rising energy costs, prepayment meters and impossible choices between heating their homes and paying for other essentials. Sound familiar?

10 Aug

Watching this archive footage today is a reminder that while much has changed over the last decade, many of the challenges facing single parent families remain. #EnergyCrisis #FuelPoverty

10 Aug

📅 𝗝𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿 𝗼𝗻 𝟮𝟬 𝗔𝘂𝗴𝘂𝘀𝘁, 𝟭𝟬-𝟭𝟭𝗮𝗺. With @citizensadvicescot.bsky.social, we'll explore what our latest evidence tells us, what support is making a difference and what needs to change to make energy more affordable. 👉 events.teams.microsoft.com/event/c07146...

27 July

New evidence from OPFS highlights the growing impact of energy debt on single parent families. During Q1 2026, money and debt enquiries made up the majority of contacts to our services.

opfs.org.ukImpact reports at One Parent Families ScotlandWe produce four Impact Reports per year, which look into the impact of OPFS services on single parents across Scotland.

27 July

Our latest Spotlight on Energy impact report explores the pressures families are facing and sets out recommendations for policy and practice. Read more:

One Parent Families Scotland reposted

The Poverty Alliance

@povertyalliance.org

Child maintenance should help children get what they need to grow, learn and feel secure. But too many families face delays, setbacks and a system that feels like snakes and broken ladders. Read our guest blog from Philippa Kemp at @opfs.org.uk: www.povertyalliance.org/guest-blog-n...

💡 Energy affordability is firmly back on the policy agenda this week with the new Prime Minister announcing plans to remove VAT from household electricity bills as part of a package of cost-of-living measures.

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The report also sets out practical recommendations for the Scottish and UK Governments to improve support for single parent families experiencing energy debt, such as introducing a social tariff.

opfs.org.ukImpact reports at One Parent Families ScotlandWe produce four Impact Reports per year, which look into the impact of OPFS services on single parents across Scotland.

Learn more about the experiences behind the statistics in our latest Impact Report and what we think needs to change to better support families: opfs.org.uk/policy-and-c... #Scotland #EnergyDebt #SingleParents

💡 Against this backdrop, our latest Spotlight on Energy report provides timely evidence from OPFS services on how rising energy costs are affecting single parent families.

@citizensadvicescot.bsky.social

Drawing on evidence from our national Helpline, local services and digital support, the report highlights how energy debt is driving financial hardship and forcing many single parent families to make difficult choices between heating their homes, buying food and covering other essentials.

One Parent Families Scotland reposted

Citizens Advice Scotland

21 July

We welcome the proposed removal of VAT from electricity bills as a positive first step, but long-term action such as an affordable social tariff and faster energy debt support is also needed. Read our full response here 👇 www.cas.org.uk/news-and-eve...

7 July

Parents told us that understanding child maintenance can feel confusing and hard to navigate. That's why parents worked alongside partner orgs to develop #ChildMaintenanceExplained 🎥 Kerry from @fifegingerbread.bsky.socialGingerbread explains more. www.childmaintenanceexplained.org.uk

6 July

🎉 Child Maintenance Explained is live! Developed with parents and partner organisations, the new website provides clear, independent information to help families understand their child maintenance options and navigate the system. 🔗 www.childmaintenanceexplained.org.uk

opfs.org.ukLone Parent Helpline - One Parent Families ScotlandOPFS Advice Service offers a single parent helpline, webchat and email support for information about benefits and tax credits, childcare, separation, work and child maintenance and more

6 July

Parents in Scotland can also access child maintenance support from our Lone Parent Helpline and Live Chat service: 👉 opfs.org.uk/talk-to-us/l... #ChildMaintenanceExplained

3 July

Not sure where to start with child maintenance? If you're a single parent in Scotland, we can help you understand your options and what happens next. Professionals supporting single parents can get in touch too. 📞 Helpline | 💬 Live chat Free. Confidential.

2 July

👀 Understanding child maintenance isn't always straightforward. That's why we're launching Child Maintenance Explained next week, a new website developed with parents and partner organisations to provide clear, trusted information in one place. Watch this space! #ChildMaintenanceExplained

2 July

In the meantime, if you are in Scotland and need support with #ChildMaintenance, you can contact our free, confidential Helpline or use our Live Chat service: 📞 0808 801 0323 Mon-Fri 9.30am-4pm. #ChildMaintenanceExplained #ChildMaintenance

1 July

Juggling everything and trying to understand child maintenance too? If you're in Scotland, our advisers can help you understand your options and the Child Maintenance Service. We also support professionals working with single parents. 📞 Helpline: 0808 801 0323

30 June

Child maintenance can be hard to navigate, especially when you're juggling everything else as a single parent. If you're a single parent in Scotland, we can help you understand your options and make sense of the Child Maintenance Service. 📞 Lone Parent Helpline 💬 Live chat

heraldscotland.comCitizens Advice Scotland's fury at far-right 'demonisation' in our country's schemesAs extremists target Scotland’s poorest areas, the Citizens Advice service tells our Writer at Large of its plans to tackle demonisation and…

28 June

An important read At OPFS, we see every day how harmful narratives can deepen stigma and distract from the real causes of poverty and inequality.

Neil Mackay@neilmackay.bsky.social

It says much about these divided times that an organisation like the Citizens Advice service, a byword for old-fashioned kindness & decency, has decided it must now fight the far-right in our poorest communities to stop the demonisation tearing society apart My @heraldscotland.bsky.social long read

19 June

OPFS has joined a coalition of leading charities calling for an emergency Scottish parliamentary committee on child poverty. Single parent families are among those most at risk of poverty in Scotland.

opfs.org.ukOPFS joins call for emergency child poverty committeeOPFS joins leading charities calling for an emergency Scottish parliamentary committee on child poverty to meet legal targets

19 June

Full response: opfs.org.uk/get-involved...

15 June

Last week, the House of Lords debated the Public Services Committee's report on reforming the Child Maintenance Service.

15 June

Many of the concerns raised – around calculations, enforcement, communication and support for victim-survivors – reflect the experiences single parents have shared through the Transforming Child Maintenance project. But recognition alone is not enough.

15 June

Our research with @ipprscotland.bsky.social +@fifegingerbread.bsky.social shows around 210k children could be lifted out of poverty if children received the child maintenance they're entitled to. The question now is when action will follow. Our full response: opfs.org.uk/get-involved...

At One Parent Families Scotland we are heartbroken and deeply concerned by the outbursts of racist disorder, violence and threats this week. Families are being cut off from the essential support they need as many parents are telling us they are afraid to travel.

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At OPFS, we stand in solidarity with everyone affected by this week's disorder, in particular those in our community who are from Black and Ethnic Minority backgrounds. Whether you made your homes in Scotland decades ago or are newly arrived, we respect and support you.

Everyone has the right to be safe. You belong here.

Many fear for their own safety and lives as well as the wider community. This situation must not be allowed to continue. The violence and racist abuse that has taken place this week is unacceptable and has no place in Scotland.

9 June

OPFS has joined healthcare bodies, women’s organisations and equality groups in calling for the reinstatement of a dedicated Minister for Women’s Health in Scotland. Women’s health requires clear leadership, accountability and political commitment.

scottishparliament.tvWatch now | Scottish Parliament TVWatch all meetings at the Scottish Parliament live or in our archive. You can also choose to share, clip and embed videos.

9 June

We are proud to support this joint call to the First Minister. We are expecting a First Minister’s Question on this from Green Party Health Spokesperson, Kayleigh Kinross-O’Neill MSP, this afternoon. You can watch live at approximately 2.30pm:

One Parent Families Scotland reposted

Lawmanity

@lawmanity.com

9 June

🎙️ New Episode: Law, Poverty, and Political Power, with Satwat Rehman Our next one-on-one guest interview is with Satwat Rehman @satwatr.bsky.social : anti-poverty campaigner and One Parent Families Scotland @opfs.org.uk Chief Executive 🎧 Listen here ➡️: podfollow.com/lawmanity/view