Nearly 6,500 one-parent families contacted an Irish support group last year seeking information and support, a report said today.
The annual report of One Family calls on the Government to take account of different family structures in modern Ireland and highlights what it says is a need for greater resources to support services for one-parent families.
Karen Kiernan, One Family
Director of One Family, Karen Kiernan said the recent
"G case" and a number of other recent cases highlight the need for the Constitution, Irish law and services to reflect the diverse family forms in Ireland.
"It is no longer acceptable for the rights and responsibilities of parents and children to be largely determined by whether they live in a traditional married family or not," she said.
In the "G case", an unmarried father last week opened a High Court action to have his two-year-old twin boys returned to him in Ireland.
The man, known as Mr G, is taking the action against the mother of his sons, who took the children to England in December last year. He is being represented by former minister for justice Michael McDowell.
Ms Kiernan said her organisation has was concerned at what she called
the lack of support services for families going through transitions and the huge lack of provision for children in family law processes.
"There is also a lack of services for families after they have been through a separation or divorce and find themselves in lone or shared parenting situations," she said.
One Family, assisted by the Family Support Agency, is currently carrying out research into child and family contact centres in Ireland. Ms Kiernan said the research aims to inform Government of the needs of families in shared parenting situations.
Speaking today at an event to mark the publication of the 2006 annual report, Minister for Social and Family Affairs Martin Cullen said: "Although I believe that it is only through improved employment prospects that the risk of poverty and social exclusion of lone parents can be radically reduced, I also accept as do Government that activation measures without ancillary supports - such as education, training and childcare, - are not likely to succeed."
He said a process to test new lone parent proposals in both an urban and rural setting is due to commence this month.