Media

For press-related enquiries, requests for information or to arrange interviews or comments, please contact: media@opfs.org.uk or call 0131 556 3899. 

Key Statistics

  • 9 in 10 single parent families are headed by women.
  • 12% of single parents are fathers.
  • The average age of a single parent is 39, and 1% are teenagers.
  • There are 144,000 single parent families, making up 25% of all families with dependent children.
  • 4 out of 10 children in poverty in Scotland live in a single parent family.
  • 33% of single parents identify as disabled.
  • Single parents have the highest proportion of households in fuel poverty.
  • The financial wellbeing of single parents is declining, those is ‘serious financial difficulties’ rose from 23% in October 2021 to 34% in December 2022.
  • 38% of children in single parent families are in poverty, compared with 24% in other families.

See annual report below for references.

Describing One Parent Families Scotland

Below are some descriptors to use in communications about One Parent Families Scotland.

The acronym OPFS is used below. The first time you use our acronym, explain it in full, and then refer to it by initials, for example, One Parent Families Scotland (OPFS). Don’t use an acronym if you are not going to use it again later in the text.

Vision and Mission

Our Vision

A Scotland where single parent families are celebrated in all their diversity, are treated fairly and live free from discrimination and poverty.

Our Mission

To amplify the voices of single parent families in their unique role as sole carers and breadwinners and together challenge stigma, poverty and inequality to achieve change.

The OPFS descriptor

Describing OPFS

One Parent Families Scotland is the national organisation for single parent families.

We support family wellbeing, empower single parents with the right advice and information and enable parents to access training, employment and education. Our national advice and information service and family hubs in six local areas reach thousands of single parent families each year.

We campaign for improvements in the here and now and for structural and systemic change alongside single parents who are experts in their dual role of caregiving and providing for their children. We take an intersectional approach, recognising most single parents are women and that many BAME, disabled and young single parents face multiple structural barriers affecting access to services and opportunities.

Describe OPFS in one line

One Parent Families Scotland provides single parent tailored information, support and advice, and campaigns with single parents to make their voices heard to encourage positive policies for single parent families.

Our strapline

Changing lives, challenging poverty

OPFS strategy 2019-24

The OPFS strategic plan describes what One Parent Families Scotland is working to achieve, in partnership with single parents, over the next three years. It is based on principles of equality, fairness and inclusion. We value and support the meaningful participation of single parents in shaping and delivering our services and to campaign for positive change in policies affecting single parents lives.

Strategic Plan 2019-24
CTA Image

Annual Report and Accounts

View our annual report for 2023-24

OPFS Logo

To use our logo for print media download the high resolution EPS version.

Logo for online purposes download SVG version

Low resolution JPG version can be found here.

One Parent Families Scotland Introduction

One Parent Families Scotland is the leading charity working with single parent families in Scotland. We provide expert advice, practical support and campaign with parents to make their voices heard to change the systems, policies and attitudes that disadvantage single parent families.

One Parent Families Scotland Advice & Information service

One Parent Families Scotland offers single parents a wealth of advice and information on tailored topics, a dedicated free phone helpline, live chat and face-to-face family support services.

One Parent Families Scotland Health & Wellbeing service

OPFS knows that poverty and inequality, alongside the particular challenges that single parents across Scotland face, can have a significant impact on the mental health and wellbeing of both parent and child(ren). Find out more about our Health & Wellbeing services for single parents.

Support One Parent Families Scotland

Through our work with single parents in Scotland over the past 75 years, we have learnt that what family’s value most about One Parent Families Scotland is that we understand what it means to be the sole carer and breadwinner in the family – juggling work, education, childcare and quality time with children.

Please support our work by donating. Your money will make a real difference to the lives of many single parent families.

Privacy Overview

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View Privacy policy

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: