The Scottish Committee made an approach to join with the National Council for the Unmarried Mother & her Child (NCUMC) in England, who had been working with unmarried mothers and their children since the First World War. The Scottish Committee then became ‘The Scottish Committee of the National Council for the Unmarried Mother and her Child’, headquartered in London.

Although the close relationship was initially valuable, since Scots law and administration were so different, it was decided it would be better for the Committee to formally separate. With the National Council’s agreement, at a meeting that was held in the City Chambers in Edinburgh on 28 May 1945, with the Under Secretary of State for Scotland present, the independent organisation held its first annual meeting. The Scottish Committee became the Scottish Council for the Unmarried Mother and her Child.

The Council moved into its first office, renting space from the National Council for Women at 22 Stafford Street, Edinburgh. They also purchased a typewriter and filing cabinet.

In late 1956, the treasurer’s report stated that the Council’s balance sat at just over £30, and permission was given to apply for an overdraft of up to £100. An Extraordinary Council meeting was called in January 1957 to review the work of the Council and to consider its future “in view of the financial position, which was disturbing”. With extra funds and a slight increase in ‘affiliation fees’, the financial situation improved and the work continued.

Two of the Council’s recommendations concerning the registration of “illegitimate births” were incorporated into the new Birth, Marriage & Death Registration Act.

Julie-Ann Macqueen, first Director of SCSP, was awarded an OBE.

The annual report stated that the Capital Reserves had “greatly benefited from the activities of St. Andrew’s”. The university’s Students’ Union had donated £130 in profits from their ‘contraceptive vending machine’.

The Edinburgh Sitters project, now known as Firsthand Lothian, was established.

Having had only seven members of staff in 1980, the SCSP employed over forty staff in 1985.

The Strathclyde Project separated from SCSP and became “OnePlus: One Parent Families Strathclyde”.

Julie-Ann Macqueen retired and her successor, former Training Officer Sue Robertson, was appointed Director.

Stigma towards single parents remained a challenge for the organisation. Reflecting the climate of the time, the organisation changed its name to One Parent Families Scotland (OPFS).

Dundee Sitters (now Flexible Childcare Services Scotland) established.

The Lone Parent Helpline was launched as the Information service expanded.

A new Family Support project was set up in Dundee, providing outreach work to families with little-to-no services.

The Childcare@Home service was expanded into Aberdeenshire.

Alongside the Child Poverty Action Group, The Poverty Alliance and others, OPFS entered the Scottish Campaign on Welfare Reform (SCoWR), a coalition of charities established to highlight concerns about the UK  government’s welfare proposals.

OPFS Lanarkshire service established.

STV Appeal funding helped develop family support work at Braes, the young lone parent pathway and peer mentoring in Lanarkshire. Over the next two years, the peer mentoring work was also introduced across other OPFS services.

Funding was lost for childcare services in Renfrewshire and later North Lanarkshire, but expanded and diversified in Dundee and Aberdeenshire – supporting out of school childcare services and providing specialist services for children with disabilities.

With annual revenue in excess of £2.8m, OPFS became an accredited Living Wage Employer. The organisation received 2,848 helpline enquiries and directly supported 2,062 families through group and individual support.

In 2017, STV awarded us 2 years extra funding which enabled us to restructure our Falkirk Service to include benefits advice, serving healthy family meals and offering activities at Family, Food and Fun, setting up community groups, emergency store and clothing bank.

OPFS established a mental health and wellbeing service for single parents.

The former FM Nicola Sturgeon visited the Glasgow service to meet with single parents.

Flexible Childcare Services Scotland was successfully launched as an SCIO after OPFS found that, due to due to the lack of flexible childcare provision, single parents were unable to engage in training, education or employment.

OPFS moved from Gayfleid Square to York Place where Malcolm Chisolm officially opened the office.

Launch of a new website for single parents to provide a wide range of supportive information and advice for single parent families on topics including:

Health and wellbeing
Money
Children
Home
Relationships

The ‘Living without a Lifeline’ report published, based on surveys and focus groups with 260 single parents and highlighting their experiences and priorities, including the cost of living, family finances, social security, childcare, employment, education, mental health, and the impact of COVID-19.

Making a difference to the lives of single parent families in Glasgow

‘Making the Difference’, an evaluation of OPFS Glasgow services is based on interviews with staff involved with delivering and managing OPFS Glasgow services, focus groups with single parents, meetings with Glasgow City Council staff and desk-based research.

The report describes how OPFS Glasgow’s unique model of service delivery, which covers the entire Glasgow City Council area, is designed around the specific needs of single parent families and is supporting them to achieve faster and more sustainable improvements to their emotional and financial wellbeing.

View the report