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The 50th Anniversary of Cherish/One Family

Pictured above L-R: Anna Lee, Mary Henry, Sinéad Gibney, Maura O'Dea Richards, Jennifer Good, Sylvia Cairns, Evelyn Forde, Karen Kiernan, Donagh McGowan, Mary Robinson, Eiméar Fisher and Mary Kerrigan. 
In 1972 a group of unmarried mothers set about changing their circumstances and challenging the status quo. It started when Maura O'Dea Richards placed an advert in the Evening Press newspaper and sought  to meet other unmarried mothers. By today's standards this seems minor, but in 1970s Ireland for unmarried mothers this was revolutionary. Eventually a small band of strong independent women formed a self-help group which began to meet in Maura's home in Dublin. Founding member Colette O’Neill suggested Cherish as a name for the group, taken from the 1916 Proclamation which declared that Ireland would ‘cherish all of the children of the nation equally’.

Unfortunately in 1972, this was not the case. Single pregnant women were often thrown out of their homes, lost their jobs and were rejected by their communities. Cherish was set up to provide such women and children with a voice, empowering women to help themselves and their families.

On 13 October 2022 One Family celebrated its 50th anniversary by bringing together our formidable founders, previous and current staff, our inspiring clients, as well as supporters of Cherish/One Family through the years. We heard about the experiences of one-parent families, past and present, and discussed the successful changes Ireland has seen for families, as well as the progress still needed in order for one-parent families to fully realise their human rights.
“When we set up Cherish/One Family in October 1972 unmarried mothers were being ostracised in society and imprisoned in the laundries. Now 50 years later, it’s so sad to see these ridiculous attitudes to people parenting alone persist. A lot has changed in Ireland since 1972, and we now like to think of ourselves as a progressive forward-thinking country, but we still seem to have this blind spot about those parenting alone. It’s just not right and will continue until Ireland embraces all families. A good first start would be to change article 41.3 of the Constitution on the definition of the family.”

- Maura O'Dea Richards
Read More About the Survey Results Here

In-Person and Online Courses



One Family offer a range of parenting supports. Group-based courses are currently offered via live zoom sessions to small groups of parents. Sign-up for the Autumn Zoom Sessions here. Next start date is November 8th. There are opportunities at various times over the year to take the course in person when we partner with a community organisation. Sign up the Autumn In-Person Sessions here.

Our E-learning for parents’ offers a selection of five online courses that allows you to learn at your own pace. You can sign up for the courses here. We have also recently redesigned the Family Communications: Separating Well for Children e-course. You can learn more about the course here
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The Separation Network are delighted to offer another round of professional training to front line staff working with separated/divorced families.

The aim of the training is to support front-line staff to feel more confident as they work with children and parents with the experience of separation/divorce and work through the many complex and challenging issues that can present post separation/divorce.
 
Part A: E-Course – Supporting Children’s Needs When Parents Separate

This e course has been developed by One Family for front line workers. The course brings the learner through concepts of family change in the past 50 years into the needs and rights of children post separation/divorce.


Part B: Interactive Workshops – Supporting Children’s Needs When Parents Separate

This section of the training will engage learners in three interactive workshops (Nov 23rd, Nov 30th, Dec 7th from 9.30- 1pm via zoom).


More Info and Registration:
You can learn more about the professional training here.
You can register for the programme here.
 

Policy and Media


Launch of HSE Free National Home STI Testing Service
The HSE Sexual Health and Crisis Pregnancy Programme (SHCPP), Health and Wellbeing, launched a free national STI testing service which provides people living in Ireland aged 17 and older, the option to test for STIs at home. ​

Information about the free national home STI testing service and how to order a test kit, is available on here.
Rent-A-Room Relief Scheme
New changes to Rent-A-Room relief provide that certain income received (up to a maximum of €269.23 weekly which equates to €14,000 per annum) by a person from renting out a room in their home to a person who is not an employee or an immediate family member, will be disregarded in the assessment of means for the purposes of weekly social assistance payments.

These new arrangements are reflected in the Department’s Means Assessment Guidelines here (See section (e) under "Property Personally Used or Enjoyed").
Issues facing one-parent families have been prominent in the media with One Family and other NGOs advocating on behalf of families. Please see below a selection of stories from the month:

Radio and News Articles


One Family, Rainbows Ireland and Ozanam House are working together with the support of Toy Show Funding to roll out Rainbows Groups for children.

Groups start on Oct 17th and will be running until June 2023.

The Rainbows Ireland service is an inclusive service, supporting children and young people experiencing grief and loss resulting from bereavement/parental separation/parental relationship breakdown /divorce. Attending the programme provides children with an opportunity to meet with other children of a similar age and loss experience.

We will work to engage their parent in a 6-week programme, so they feel more able to support their child following an experience of loss through separation or bereavement.

We are open to all queries - you are welcome to call into Ozanam House on Monday or Tuesday to meet with Roisin for more details also.

Please share this project with your colleagues – there is no catchment area.
 
Contact details:
Project Coordinator – Roisin Sarsfield
Phone number – 089 9407519
Webpage – https://onefamily.ie/the-pillar-project/
Email – roisin@pillarproject.ie
 
Budget 2023
One Family have outlined the main changes in Budget 2023 announced on 27th September 2022, which may impact on people parenting alone. You can view the fact sheet here.

If you have any further queries, please call the askonefamily helpline Monday-Friday on 0818 662212 or 01 6629212 or email us at helpline@onefamily.ie.

 
Counselling Manager Position
Do you want to work with a fantastic team supporting amazing parents? One Family is recruiting for the hybrid position of Counselling Manager. This position requires an experienced professional who can operate with strong clinical enterprise as well as management and leadership of a small Counselling Team.

To apply for the role or learn more click here.
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CONTACT DETAILS

One Family, 8 Coke Lane, Smithfield, Dublin 7.
t: +353 1 662 9212 | e: info@onefamily.ie
askonefamily lo-call helpline: 1890 662 212
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website:  www.onefamily.ie

Trading as One Family, Cherish CLG is a company limited by guarantee not having a share capital, registered in Dublin, Ireland with registered office at 8 Coke Lane, Dublin 7 and registered Company Number 45364. One Family is also a charity (Charity Regulatory Authority No. 20012212 and Charity No. 6525).
Directors of One Family:  Helen Hall, Jennifer Good, Nuala Haughey, Eimear Fisher, Jack Eustace, Donagh McGowan, Rosemary Wokocha and John Bohan.
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