There has been an almost 50 per cent increase in the number of single parents seeking help from the main lone parent support service in the State, a report to be published today indicates.
The annual report from One Family, formerly Cherish, notes that there were 2,549 contacts with its services last year - an increase of 836, or 49 per cent.
It also records a "notable increase" in the number of non-national clients. This group, which was mainly within the asylum process, accounted for 31 per cent of clients. Services overall were mainly accessed by women (95 per cent).
According to One Family, lone parents' "needs are not being met in mainstream provision", with the figures showing an increasing need for social and community services.The number of one-parent families increased by 25 per cent between 1996 and 2002.
The director of One Family, Ms Karen Kiernan, said that while the organisation was glad to note more families were accessing its services, "it is very clear to us that many of those coming to us do so in times of great difficulty when they feel they have nobody to turn to and no-one to listen to them."
The number of people accessing the information and support service increased from 1,090 in 2002 to 1,624 last year. This increase in callers has led to the decision by One Family to start "to provide all members of all one-parents families with practical information on a range of issues, from family law to social welfare, as well as somewhere to call for support."
Ms Kiernan is expected to call on the Government today to "recognise that almost 12 per cent of the population live in one-parent families but increasingly turn to One Family because they experience inequalities, discrimination and disproportionate rates of poverty".
Single parent households are among those at greatest risk of poverty.
The new lo-call helpline, called Ask One Family, can be reached on 1890 - 662212.
