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Single Parents' Top Tips For The Summer Break
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05/07/06 The summer school break is a great chance to spend extra time with the children but it can also bring additional pressures for Britain's 1.8 million single parents.
Single parents may be worried about stretching the budget to cover increased childcare costs or holiday treats for the children and, especially for those facing their first summer as a single parent, feelings of loneliness or isolation can hit home.
The Royal Bank of Scotland Group and charity One Parent Families have produced Ten Top Summer Holiday Tips to help single parents to prepare for an enjoyable school break. There are tips on finance, tax credits, childcare, finding low-cost childrens' activities and on making contact arrangements with the childrens' non-resident parent. Pointers on specialist holidays for single parent families are also on offer.
Most single parents never chose to be raising their children alone but have been through divorce, separation or bereavement. Most are in their thirties and most (56 %) are working. Yet they are the poorest family type in the country. Forty one per cent of single parent families live on gross weekly incomes of less than £200 (compared to 17% of couple-families). Juggling work and family life, coping with loneliness and managing on a tight budget can be especially tough over the Summer break.
The national LoneParent Helpline can help with any issue affecting lone parent family life but some single parents will want local sources of help for the break. Callers to the Lone Parent Helpline can request a free database of support services in their area, including places for face-to-face advice. The free LoneParent Helpline is supported by The Royal Bank of Scotland Group and is open Monday to Friday, 9am - 5pm, on Tel No. 0800 018 5026. Every year the Helpline takes more than 20,000 calls from single parents wanting help. The Top Ten Summer Holiday Tips are available online at www.oneparentfamilies.org.uk/holidays.
Stephen Moir, Head of Community Investment at the Royal Bank of Scotland Groups says: "These Top Tips are a must for all lone parents who are looking for some advice on how to have fun with their children throughout the long summer holidays without overspending. The tips include advice on minimising the extra costs that the school holidays inevitably bring and signposts the kind of financial and practical support that is available. We hope that, along with the freephone helpline, it will be a useful resource to the many lone parents who want their children to have a great summer holiday."
One Parent Families' Chief Executive Chris Pond says: "Single parents will want to give their kids a bright and happy summer break but it can be tough if you're doing it all single-handedly and if money is tight. We hope our helpline and our Top Tips for Summer will make a difference to all the single mums and dads who want to avoid becoming isolated and to make the pennies stretch over a happy family break."
Notes to Editors
One Parent Families is the leading national charity in England and Wales providing direct services to single parents and campaigning on their behalf. Together with One Parent Families Scotland and One Plus, it runs the free Lone Parent Helpline, which is funded by the Royal Bank of Scotland Group. The One Parent Families website is www.oneparentfamilies.org.uk. In addition to producing a range of free publications on every aspect of one parent family life, it offers employment programmes to single parents who want to move back to the job market, working with private, public and other voluntary sector organisations to deliver these.
One Parent Families Scotland is a national organisation representing the 170,000 lone parents in Scotland. As well as operating the lone parent helpline in association with One Plus and One Parent Families, it produces a wide range of publications and runs local support and childcare services in various parts of Scotland.
One Plus is an independent organisation operating throughout Scotland which delivers new opportunities to lone parents and others facing disadvantage. The organisation works in partnership to offer advice and support, training, employment and care- based services, whilst contributing to the regeneration of local communities.
The Royal Bank Of Scotland Group has committed £1.5 million to the Lone Parent Helpline since 2002. The Bank also funds the charity's series of booklets on money issues including benefits & tax and returning to education, training and employment. Last year, the Royal Bank of Scotland Group spent £56 million on its community investment programme - a wide-ranging portfolio of partnerships with organisations working in the areas of social and financial inclusion, education and enterprise.
Press Contacts:
One Parent Families
Jane Ahrends, Press Officer
Tel:020 7428 5416
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