Call the Lone Parent Helpline on 0808 801 0323

Last updated: 25/10/2022

Our support and advice for single parents includes information about benefits and tax credits, childcare, separation, work, child maintenance and more.

If you can’t find the information you are looking for or just prefer to talk to us, call our Lone Parent Helpline. We are here to help.

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The Lone Parent Helpline

The Lone Parent Helpline provides advice and support to single parents. Call us about anything from dealing with a break-up, sorting out child maintenance, understanding benefits, money when having a baby, studying or moving into work. We provide a free confidential friendly service that provides advice and supports your wellbeing, whatever you are going through.

Live chat

You can speak with our advisers on our webchat if you prefer it to calling the helpline. Webchat is open Monday to Friday 9.30am to 4pm.

Email us

You can also email us at advice@opfs.org.uk.
We will respond to your email query as quickly as we can.

“It’s specifically for single parents so I felt they would understand my situation better than a general helpline or service."

- Caller, Lone Parent Helpline

Advice and Information

Take a look at our video about our Advice and Information service team, which includes the information topics we provide guidance on and the Lone Parent Helpline.

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When can I talk to the Lone Parent Helpline?

We are open Monday to Friday 9.30am to 4pm.

Is the Lone Parent Helpline open on public holidays?

The helpline is open all the public holidays except Easter, Christmas and New year. We are also closed between Christmas and New Year.

Is it free to call the Lone Parent Helpline?

Your call is free of charge from any UK landline or mobile. One Parent Families Scotland pays for the cost of the calls.

Will a call to the Lone Parent Helpline appear on my phone bill?

No. Any calls to the Lone parent Helpline will not appear on any phone bill.

Is there an interpreting service for people who do not speak English?

Yes. We can provide interpreters in up to 250 languages. If English is not your first language and you would like talk to us via an interpreter, call us and let us know which language you require, and we will immediately connect you to an interpreter.

Is there an interpreting service for the deaf and hard of hearing?

 

Users of Scotland’s British Sign Language Interpreting Video Relay Service can contact us via contact SCOTLAND-BSL. You need to be online and have downloaded the contactSCOTLAND-BSL/interpreternow software app. Call 0131 510 4555 to connect to the online interpreter using your usual phone. Alternatively, you can download the BT Relay UK app and an assistant will help you throughout the call, free of charge.

Do you offer webchat for single parents too?

Yes. You can speak with our advisers on our webchat if you prefer it to calling the helpline. Webchat is open Monday to Friday 9.30am to 4pm.

What happens to my personal information?

Only OPFS receives your personal information. We only use it for the purposes of dealing with your enquiry, quality monitoring or evaluating the services we provide. Your personal information and details of the enquiries received are stored for a time on a secure database. If for any reason you wish to have your personal details removed please contact us again at advice@opfs.org.uk. For more details on how OPFS collect and use your data, please read our Privacy Policy.

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

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Covering your tracks

You may not want other people to know that you’ve been searching for information or help from OPFS.

When browsing the internet whether on a mobile phone, tablet or computer, you leave a ‘history’ trail of pages and sites you’ve visited.

It’s impossible to completely avoid being tracked online but if you’re worried about someone knowing which sites you’ve been looking at, there are some things you can do to help cover your tracks.

If you’re using a laptop or desktop computer, try keeping another document or website open in a new tab or window while browsing. If someone comes in the room and you don’t want them to see what you’re looking at, you can quickly switch to another window or tab.

Deleting browsing history

You can delete the history of websites you’ve visited, but it’s important to know that if you delete your browsing history, someone else using the same device may notice.

If you share a tablet, mobile phone, laptop or computer with someone, they might notice that passwords or website addresses have disappeared from their history.

Find out how to remove your browsing history and other data from some of the most commonly used browsers:

Browsing in Private mode (incognito)

When browsing ‘incognito’, the internet browser won’t store cookies or record your browsing history on the computer, mobile or tablet.

This option is available on popular web browsers i.e. -

Toolbars

If you use a search toolbar in your web browser, remember that your searched items can be saved as part of your history. Find out how to delete your searched items from the following search engines: