Policy and Research
We work to achieve societal change, and this is at the heart of everything we do. We aim to bridge the gap between single parents and the decision-makers who have the power to make change happen.
Transforming Child Maintenance
Transforming Child Maintenance is a partnership project between Fife Gingerbread, IPPR Scotland, and One Parent Families Scotland. The project will work with parents, practitioners, and policymakers to make the case for a fairer system for children and families.
Learn moreThe Promise
OPFS has released a new report, calling for greater support and commitment from Scottish Government and local authorities to increase the chances of children in the care system being reunited with their families in line with the ambitions of The Promise.
Scottish Government and Parliament
Read submissions, briefings and responses to the Scottish Government and Scottish Parliament below.
UK Government and Parliament
Read submissions, briefings and responses to the UK Government and Scottish Parliament below.
Impact reports
We collect feedback on the key issues single parents face during the cost of living crisis through our local and national services. This feedback is compiled into bimonthly reports that highlight key themes, which guide future service delivery and policy priorities.
Universal Credit
See reports, research, submissions and papers relating to Universal Credit
The gendered impact of public debt
Living on a low income is strongly gendered in nature, with women, often due to social and family roles, experiencing greater levels of poverty. Aberlour Children’s Charity, OPFS and Trussell jointly funded this research to better understand the interaction between public debt and child poverty, investigate how gender impacts on prevalence of public debt and develop policy solutions that can help prevent and tackle its impact.
Households with a Disability and Lone Parent Families and the impact of Public Debt and Arrears
This joint report by Aberlour Children’s Charity, One Parent Families Scotland and Trussell focuses on disability and lone parenthood, individually and in relation to public debt.
Employment, Employability and Education
See research and submissions on single parent access to employment and education
Climate change and a Just Transition
Read One Parent Families Scotland's report based on consultations with single parents around topics relating to the transition to net zero, aimed at informing the Scottish Government's Just Transition plans.
Scottish Social Security Benefits & Local Authority Discretionary Payments
OPFS has consulted widely with single parents and other parties before submitting our responses to consultations to Scottish Social Security Benefits.
Single Parent Families and Poverty in Scotland
We believe tackling child poverty should be an immediate policy priority for the Westminster and Scottish Governments.
Children's rights
See submissions from One Parent Families Scotland on children's rights issues in Scotland and the UK.
Childcare
OPFS believes high quality, affordable, accessible and flexible childcare needs to be at the heart of early years policies.
Cost of the School Day - Participatory Budgeting Project
Parents supported by OPFS suggested ideas on how to use £10,000 in their school to reduce the cost of the school day.
Single Parent Proofing
OPFS was a partner in a UK wide “Participatory One Parent Proofing” initiative funded by the Big Lottery. Also, OPFS created a Proofing Framework specifically for Glasgow Lone Parents.
Making It Work Evaluations
Making it Work was a national programme operating in five areas in Scotland. It targeted single parents with young children in receipt of any benefit and experiencing additional barriers to employment.
Women’s Unfair Responsibility for Unpaid Care and Domestic Work
The Scottish Parliaments EHRCJ Committee agreed to undertake introductory work into ‘the impact of women’s unfair responsibility for unpaid care and domestic work during the pandemic and as we emerge from it’.
Single parents with disabled children
Read our briefing on main barriers affecting single parent families who have the additional challenge of bringing up a disabled child/children.