The final item of business is a members’ business debate on motion S6M-14922, in the name of Karen Adam, on celebrating One Parent Families Scotland’s 80th anniversary. The debate will be concluded without any question being put. I invite members who wish to speak in the debate to press their request-to-speak buttons, and I call Karen Adam to open the debate. You have around seven minutes.
Motion debated,
That the Parliament congratulates One Parent Families Scotland on reaching the remarkable milestone of its 80th anniversary, and commends the charity for its unwavering dedication to empowering single parents to realise their full potential; recognises what it sees as the charity’s crucial role in offering a comprehensive range of support services, including family, employability, young parent support, welfare rights, and financial advice through its five family centres in Dundee, Edinburgh, Falkirk, Glasgow and North Lanarkshire, as well as its national lone parent helpline and digital services; acknowledges that the charity, originally established in the 1940s as the Scottish Council for the Unmarried Mother and Her Child, was founded with a mission to keep unmarried mothers and their children together; celebrates the charity’s extraordinary growth into an impactful organisation, employing 97 dedicated staff members, supporting over 8,000 parents, children, and young people each year, and providing what it considers to be life-changing welfare rights and financial advice that has, it understands, benefited nearly 4,000 families to date, resulting in financial gains for families exceeding £1.6 million; recognises that one in four families with children in Scotland are single-parent households, with 90% of these led by women; believes that, despite significant progress since the 1940s, gender inequality continues to fuel discrimination against many single mothers; understands the unique challenges faced by single parents combining the roles of sole carer and provider without the support of another adult, often facing a higher risk of poverty than other households; applauds the charity for its tireless advocacy for single parents at every level of government, working to create lasting solutions to what it sees as the widespread poverty that many face, and celebrates what it considers to be the remarkable resilience of single parents and the exceptional strength that they demonstrate every day in raising their families.
16:42
Before I begin, I want to take a moment to recognise the work of my colleague Stephanie Callaghan MSP on the issue and to thank her for the opportunity to lead this debate.
I also wish to congratulate One Parent Families Scotland on an extraordinary milestone—80 years of dedicated service to single-parent families. This anniversary not only marks the longevity of a vital charity but is a celebration of its unwavering commitment to empowering single parents to realise their full potential.
As we gather to commend the organisation for the incredible work that it has done, I will reflect on the realities that are faced by so many single parents across our nation. For many of us—me included—this is not just a policy discussion: it is personal. I know at first hand the struggles that come with raising a family on your own. I have lived the long nights when I finally tuck the children in to bed, which is when the day’s tasks actually begin. There is no passing of the baton and there is no partner to lean on when the weight of it all becomes too much. We are juggling bedtime stories and bills, school pick-ups and work commitments, and the burden is never shared. It is from that place of experience and empathy that I speak today. I have been that parent in the quiet home where exhaustion can sit heavy but the to-do list never seems to end. I know the anxiety that can grip you when an unexpected expense comes up or when you think about how you will manage tomorrow’s demands.
The truth is that single parents wear many hats and they wear them all at once—sole provider, caretaker, chef, taxi driver, financial planner and so much more. For that, they deserve our deepest admiration, not judgment or stigma. One Parent Families Scotland has dedicated 80 years to breaking down that stigma and to creating more understanding and a compassionate society. From its early days as the Scottish Council for the Unmarried Mother and Her Child, which was founded to keep mothers and their children together, to its modern incarnation offering a wide range of life-changing services, the charity has remained a lifeline for so many, whether through its family centres in Dundee, Edinburgh, Falkirk, Glasgow and North Lanarkshire or through its national lone parent helpline and digital services. It provides essential support that empowers parents and uplifts families.
The impact of that support cannot be overstated. The charity employs 97 dedicated staff members, who give their all to ensure that more than 8,000 parents, children and young people are supported each year. Nearly 4,000 families have received vital advice on welfare rights and financial matters, collectively benefiting from financial gains exceeding £1.6 million. It is transformative work, and it enables single parents to breathe a little easier and to focus more on their children and less on the stress of making ends meet.
However, we know that, for every success story, there are thousands of parents who are still struggling. One in four families with children in Scotland is a single-parent household, with a staggering 90 per cent of those familes being led by women. Gender inequality remains a persistent force that compounds the challenges that those families face. Society has made progress since the 1940s—thank goodness—but we must recognise that the burden and shame that single parents, particularly single mothers, continue to bear is deeply rooted in outdated societal attitudes.
Let us talk about that stigma. Too often, single parents are met with judgment instead of support. Society can be harsh, and some perceptions make an already difficult path even more isolating. The shame that is placed on single parents and the misconceptions about them are unfair and unfounded. They are warriors who are deserving of our respect and practical support, not whispered assumptions about their worth.
The work of One Parent Families Scotland is crucial not just because it offers practical support, but because it does so with compassion and understanding of the reality that single parents face. It acts as a tireless advocate that is pushing for systemic changes to end the widespread poverty that so many experience. Its services are not only practical, but life affirming, helping parents to find employment, supporting young parents and providing the guidance that is needed to navigate complex welfare systems.
For those who have never experienced this struggle, it might be easy to underestimate the sheer strength that it takes to do what some single parents do every day. It is not just about surviving; it is about thriving for the children’s sake. They create homes that are filled with love, opportunity and security, often despite overwhelming odds.
The charity’s legacy is built on the resilience and strength of the families that it serves. Almost a quarter of households are single-parent families, and One Parent Families Scotland’s support has been there every step of the way, advocating at every level of government to create lasting solutions to poverty. That advocacy, combined with tangible support, has empowered countless parents to move from crisis to stability.
I take my hat off to every single parent. I see them. I know about the sacrifices, the relentless hard work and the sleepless nights. They deserve our praise and unyielding support. They deserve a society that lifts them up instead of trying to pull them down.
I extend my deepest gratitude to One Parent Families Scotland for an incredible 80 years of service. I thank it for its advocacy, for its compassion and for ensuring that single parents are never alone in their journey. Let us honour this anniversary not just with words of congratulations, but with continued action and commitment to creating a Scotland that truly supports all families.
16:49
I thank Karen Adam for securing the debate and for allowing MSPs to join her in celebrating One Parent Families Scotland’s 80th birthday. Her motion describes One Parent Families Scotland as performing “tireless advocacy”, and that is absolutely right. It is very difficult to miss representations from the organisation whenever the Parliament discusses social security or parental support. It is visible, consistent and true to the aims of supporting single parents in Scotland.
Karen Adam’s children are lucky to have her. I congratulate her on her ability to share how difficult it is to be the one parent who is sitting there, feeling alone. I was raised in a one-parent household from the age of four. My mum had a good job, but she also had two kids. It is only with the benefit of hindsight in adulthood that I realise the difficulties that I would have presented her with when, at various ages, I complained to her about not having a brother, about being left at after-school clubs because she left for work at 8 in the morning and got home at 6.30 in the evening, and about wanting to go to Disneyland in the summer. She did not complain about those comments, but I am sorry now for saying those childish things.
The thing is that children do not understand why they do not get what they want, why their pal got more toys from Santa even though they did the hoovering, or why the popular folks are wearing Ugg boots and holding new phones but they are not. Those factors must put such a lot of pressure on any parent, especially when the state seems to turn its back on the ones under the most pressure and on their struggles by removing the little support that allows them to provide their kids with the basics.
Like the Scottish National Party, One Parent Families Scotland has been extremely clear about its opposition to the two-child cap on benefits. Back in 2017, when the Conservatives first made cuts to child tax credits, the move was described in this Parliament as having “gone too far”. Labour’s amendment to the Government’s motion, which was voted through with the Government’s support, included the following line:
“further condemns any government that forces women to relive a horrific event in their lives to access social security for a third child”.—[Official Report, 25 April 2017; c 22.]
Yet here we are, seven years later, and it is a Labour Government that we must condemn for forcing women to relive horrific events, for pushing children across the United Kingdom into poverty and for rebranding and relaunching as a Labour policy one that goes too far and is too cruel.
As the Labour Party has failed to take the opportunity of writing its own budget to remove the cruel and unfair cap, what is now Government policy is keeping children in poverty. It is also making life harder for single-parent families by costing them up to £3,235 a year per child, and it is indefensible. Any Government that forces women to relive a horrific event in their lives in order to access social security for a third child should be condemned. Labour should listen to One Parent Families Scotland, families across the UK and the former Labour MPs who refused to back the policy and do the right thing for the hundreds of thousands of children it is consigning to poverty and confusion.
16:52
I, too, thank Karen Adam for bringing the debate to the chamber and for making such an honest and frank opening speech.
I congratulate One Parent Families Scotland on its 80th anniversary. We have just heard from Ms Adam a fantastic overview of what that organisation does. It was founded as far back as the 1940s, since when it has grown into a major Scottish charity, which, in 2022-23, had an income of more than £2 million. It provides family support services, employability services and welfare rights advice, as well as campaigning on prominent issues such as ending the so-called young parent penalty in the welfare system.
I acknowledge that most of One Parent Families Scotland’s work is on the financial implications of lone parenthood and the monetary support that is available, and that most of its lobbying is on additional financial funding. However, it would be remiss of me not to highlight its excellent work to support lone parents in engaging and parenting their children. Knowing how to communicate with a child when the other parent does something differently, or how to balance the effects of an absentee parent on a child, or how to ensure that a safe and secure environment is always there for them when, at times, it seems that it is not, are all issues that plague every parent. However, achieving them as a lone parent is a mammoth task. Without proper support, provided in the right way, many single parents are caught up in a vicious cycle of ever-decreasing possibilities.
I note, too, the “Poverty proofing for families in or on the edge of care” report, which One Parent Families Scotland produced in conjunction with The Promise Scotland back in August 2023. We are now nearing the mid-point of the implementation plan on keeping the Promise. I fear that, without a renewed push, it might not be fulfilled, especially if we do not come to terms with the link between one-parent families, child poverty, and what happens to family finances when children are unable to live at home. I look forward to hearing tomorrow’s debate on those issues.
The report considers the financial impact in that scenario, highlighting that there is an extremely detrimental impact of poverty on a family when a child enters care, and if they return from care, and a related gap in policy resources and service delivery.
If a family relies on social security benefits, family poverty is likely to be precipitated and/or exacerbated when the child is taken into care. Yes, we can and should do more to look at how and when benefits are provided, but we must also do more to ensure that families are not solely reliant on social security in the first place.
I know from my involvement with the Social Security and Social Justice Committee and our work on barriers to parental employment that limited options for increasing income from employment, lack of childcare options, transport flexibility and greater impacts of conditionality in the social security system are all issues that hit single-parent households, resulting in 38 per cent of children in one-parent households living in relative poverty.
We simply cannot keep ignoring the barriers to helping people help themselves. We must do more to acknowledge the problem and to find solutions. The provision of 1,140 hours of childcare is a great policy, but failings in implementation have meant that local childcare offerings are not suitable to sustain a full-time job. That needs to change. Changes and cuts to local transport services mean that it is simply not possible for many people to get to work on time, especially when inoperable childcare proposals are factored in. That needs to change.
It is imperative that we move the dial and make changes to our structures not only to support single parents to look after their child in the best way but to support them financially.
16:56
I, too, thank Karen Adam for bringing this debate here tonight. I also thank those who are joining us in the gallery and are watching remotely. It is a pleasure to join colleagues to celebrate a remarkable 80th anniversary of One Parent Families Scotland—a charity that has been a beacon of hope and support for countless single-parent families across our nation.
For eight decades, the organisation has dedicated itself to ensuring that single parents and their children have the resource, the guidance and the advocacy that they need to thrive in an ever-changing world. One Parent Families Scotland began its journey at a time when society turned a blind eye to the struggle of single parents. Founded in the 1940s, its mission was simple yet profound: to keep families together, providing vital support to unmarried mothers—a phrase that is taken from its original name—and their children at a time when they faced significant societal stigma and hardship. Fast forward to today, and that compassion has blossomed into a wide-reaching network of family services that touches the lives of thousands of families throughout Scotland. However, families still live under that stigma today.
What makes One Parent Families Scotland truly special is its unwavering commitment to holistic family care. It understands that single parents face a unique set of challenges. Imagine a mother juggling work while ensuring that her children are safe and cared for, often feeling overwhelmed and isolated. Imagine a father returning home after work, who still has to find time to help with homework and prepare dinner, all the while worrying about making ends meet. That is the reality for many single parents today, who often find themselves bearing the burden of the financial strain, the emotional stress and the societal pressure all at once.
Through their family support programmes, young parent initiatives, welfare rights advocacy and financial guidance, One Parent Families Scotland provides not just advice; it provides a lifeline, empowering parents to build better futures for themselves and their children. It is not just offering services; it is offering hope and a sense of community. The charity’s work is vital in breaking down the barriers, ensuring that single parents have access to the support that they need to navigate the very complex ways that their lives have developed.
Today, families across Scotland face unprecedented pressures, including rising living costs, the impact of austerity and the on-going challenges stemming from a pandemic that have made life particularly tough for single-parent households. Many grapple with the increasing cost of childcare, housing and living expenses.
One Parent Families Scotland is at the forefront of addressing those issues, and its campaigns—including the make the case and better off: universal credit campaigns—are vital in amplifying the voices of families. It fights tirelessly for the financial support that many single parents so desperately need and advocates for policies that will alleviate the burdens that they carry.
At the heart of the charity are the stories of real people—parents who face each day with resilience and determination. One mother recently shared how the support that she had received from One Parent Families Scotland helped her to navigate the emotional turmoil of separation, providing not just practical advice but a community that understood her struggles. Each of those parents has a story to tell that is filled with struggle but also triumph, because One Parent Families Scotland stands beside them, offering practical assistance, a listening ear and a compassionate heart.
Let us celebrate the 80 years of One Parent Families Scotland and let us renew our commitment to supporting single-parent families across Scotland. Together, we can continue to build a future in which every family has the opportunity to thrive, nurtured by a community that cares. It is our responsibility as policy makers, community members and fellow citizens to ensure that single parents are not left to face these challenges alone. We must stand together, advocate for change and work towards a society in which every family can flourish.
17:01
I thank Karen Adam for her motion, for her opening remarks and for securing this important debate. I join her and other members in congratulating One Parent Families Scotland on its anniversary and its wonderful work.
Any family can become a one-parent family. Some are planned that way, and I hold great respect and admiration for those who are able to take on that commitment alone. However, others never have the chance to be anything else. Most one-parent families were once two-parent families, with partners who expected to share the joys and tribulations of making a home, caring for their children and watching them grow in a world of change and crisis. Whatever happened to change that—whether it was a long process or a sudden tragedy; whether it was separation or bereavement—could happen to any family of any size with children of any age. One Parent Families Scotland stands for those parents, whatever their experience of loss, grief, abuse, isolation or poverty.
The One Parent Families Scotland services, including those in Dundee, offer help with the practical challenges of being a parent alone, of work and childcare, of housing and energy, and of health and wellbeing. One Parent Families Scotland brings parents together in interest groups where they can share not only gardening, cooking or walking but experiences, support and empowerment.
Nationally, One Parent Families Scotland speaks with the voice of expertise—the expertise of real experience—in its research, policy and campaigns, building, as it says, a vital bridge between single parents and decision makers. That bridge is needed more than ever. Every one of the blows that fall on the people of Scotland—those oppressions that we name as though they were natural events, such as the housing emergency and the cost of living crisis—falls most heavily on the shoulders of one-parent families, especially if, as is usually the case, that one parent is a woman.
As Karen Adam’s motion notes, One Parent Families Scotland began in 1944 as the Scottish Council for the Unmarried Mother and Her Child. We can all imagine why it was needed, but are we really doing any better now? We have the two-child limit, with its crude and baseless assumptions; the daily stigma of means-tested school meals; the failure to make childcare and public transport affordable and accessible; and last week’s decision to sacrifice effective rent controls to the landlord lobby. Those policies punish single mothers and their children just as cruelly as any wartime disapproval.
I join in the warm congratulations that were extended to One Parent Families Scotland on its anniversary. I applaud its important, encouraging and inspiring work in Dundee and beyond, and I join Karen Adam in recognising the strength and resilience of single parents across Scotland and beyond.
Resilience is what you have to find when you are repeatedly assaulted. It means that you keep getting back up again and again, which is what women—parents—do for the sake of their children, at least for as long as they can. Sometimes, they do not get back up again. Sometimes, the one-parent family becomes a no-parent family.
Here is a suggestion. What if, for the next 80 years, we stopped attacking single mothers and their children; stopped privileging those who exploit them; and stopped ignoring their needs when we develop budgets, policies and legislation? What if we made sure that they had the basic conditions in which to live, work and travel, and to feed their children, keep them warm and safe and give them what we would recognise as a happy childhood? No one should have to be resilient all the time.
17:05
I thank my colleague Karen Adam for bringing the debate to the chamber, and for her customarily powerful and moving opening speech. I also thank Stephanie Callaghan for her work in this field.
The debate is really a celebration of the 90 per cent of women—and the 10 per cent of men—who are raising their family single-handedly, often against very challenging odds. It also celebrates One Parent Families Scotland on the charity’s 80th anniversary—what a fantastic achievement. The charity helps lone parents to cope by providing essential services including welfare rights and financial advice, which—let us face it—can prove to be a minefield for the best of us.
In preparing for the debate, I had a look at the charity’s excellent website. I can honestly say that every piece of advice that a parent could want is there, including a helpline for answers at the end of the phone and a chat service. Crucially, there is also advice for anyone who is a student and a single parent or anyone who becomes pregnant while studying. After all, being a parent should not be a barrier to achieving a full and rewarding career. With support and the correct advice, it is possible to make it work.
As the motion says, the charity was originally founded
“in the 1940s as the Scottish Council for the Unmarried Mother and Her Child”
with the aim of keeping
“unmarried mothers and their children together”.
That strikes me as remarkable, when we think of what we now know was happening then and in the decades to follow, with babies being forcibly and cruelly removed from their unmarried mothers to be given up for adoption. Immediate respect and gratitude must go to One Parent Families Scotland for carrying on the pioneering and humanitarian work of the charity’s original founder, and I am proud to wear the rosette tonight in acknowledgment of its amazing work.
As we have heard, the charity has offices in Glasgow, Dundee, Edinburgh, Falkirk and Lanarkshire. It employs 97 members of staff; supports more than 8,000 parents, children and young people annually; and provides welfare rights and financial advice that has benefited nearly 4,000 families, resulting in financial gains of more than £1.6 million for families. That is pretty astonishing.
We all know that parenthood can be difficult, even for couples who work as a team and share the responsibility for the massive decisions that have to be made daily. For single parents, however, that difficulty is much greater. In today’s society, there is intense peer pressure among parents to provide expensive and commonplace items, such as mobile phones, sports equipment and much more, and I applaud the way in which lone parents can cope with that. We are living through a cost of living crisis, and there is a far higher likelihood that single-parent families will experience poverty in comparison with other households. Scotland’s groundbreaking child benefit payment helps in that respect.
Of course, despite significant improvements since the 1940s, gender inequality remains a major cause of discrimination against many single mothers, who make up 90 per cent of lone-parent families. The stigma from decades ago, which Karen Adam talked about, might have gone but, sadly, discrimination remains in certain areas of society. As we have heard, single parents face unique challenges in combining the roles of sole carer and provider without the ability to pool resources with another adult. Therefore, organisations such as One Parent Families Scotland are a vital lifeline, and I cannot praise the work that they do highly enough.
I say as a final word to all the lone parents out there that no one underestimates the challenges that you face, but in spite of it all, you are doing great.
17:09
I congratulate Karen Adam on bringing the debate to the chamber, and on her eloquent and moving speech. Her description of her personal experience authenticates everything that she said, and I add my voice to hers in tribute to the work of One Parent Families Scotland.
One of my main reasons for deciding to seek election to public office in the first place was to promote my strong belief that strengthening the family is fundamental to a better society. In my estimation, no other issue is comparable in its importance. Strong families, in all their shapes and sizes, are the foundational unit of society. We know that the costs of family breakdown are enormous, and helping families to work things through and stay together in order to build a better life is the starting place for improving our nation. Social skills and life lessons are best developed within a functioning family, and society benefits tangibly when things such as caring, sharing and collective responsibility are learned in the safe laboratory of the home.
I believe, therefore, that we all owe our gratitude to those who dedicate themselves to supporting the family, especially one-parent families, in which one adult has to shoulder every responsibility. To those counsellors, social workers, mediators and grandparents who dedicate themselves to supporting marriages and families when the going gets tough, I say: thank you.
I would suggest that every public policy and piece of legislation be tested against its family friendliness. Does it help or hinder parents in their responsibilities? Does it make it easier or harder for families to stay together? In the main, although by no means exclusively, one-parent families have a mother and not a father, as was highlighted in the previous speech. Most often, it is a single woman who does the caring and the nurturing, and the raising of children.
One of the crucial questions in our society that we ought to face up to is this: where are the fathers? Perhaps we should have a debate in this place that is dedicated solely to the subject of the role of fathers in families and in the raising of children, because too many children grow up without the good example and the parenting of a father. It is a complex issue, but it is fundamental to a healthy and prosperous society.
A survey this week revealed that almost half of all mothers who return to work after having a baby plan to quit their jobs in the following 12 months, because they are not satisfied with the support that they receive when they return to work. That is a dire statistic for single mothers.
Will the member take an intervention?
Of course I will.
I call Bob Doris.
First, I should apologise, Deputy Presiding Officer, as I will not be present for the entire debate. No discourtesy is intended.
Mr Kerr makes an important point when he asks where the fathers are, and I want to name check Fulton MacGregor and the cross-party group on shared parenting that he convenes. There are positive role models out there for fathers; it is not just about talking the talk, but walking the walk, and Mr MacGregor has done a real solid job in bringing those issues to the Parliament.
I am grateful to Bob Doris for that intervention, and I add my support for the cross-party group and the work of Fulton MacGregor.
Returning to the issue of single mothers, and mothers in general, finding it difficult to return to the workplace, I know from experience that if a business owner does not take the necessary steps to accommodate the demands of family life, they will, in time, lose the talent and goodwill that they need to build a successful business. The same is true at the macroeconomic level, because taking care of the family makes good business and economic sense.
Whenever anyone, or any organisation, gives essential support to families, especially when they are struggling, they are providing an invaluable social good. We are fortunate to have organisations such as One Parent Families Scotland contributing to the betterment of our society by supporting the family, in all its shapes and sizes, so consistently and effectively.
17:14
I thank Karen Adam for bringing this important debate to the chamber, and I thank all the members who have taken part. I welcome the One Parent Families Scotland representatives who are in the public gallery.
Back in September 2022, I had the pleasure of attending and speaking at the launch of the One Parent Families Scotland report “Living without a lifeline” at the Scottish Storytelling Centre. I was struck then, as I am now, by the importance of tackling poverty, especially given the cost of the school day and the impact that stigma can have on one-parent families. I am therefore delighted to close this members’ business debate to celebrate the 80th anniversary of One Parent Families Scotland, which has worked tirelessly to support families to achieve their potential, to reach a decent standard of living and to contribute to Scottish society.
As Karen Adam highlighted, single-parent families make up a quarter of all families with children in Scotland. Over the years, One Parent Families Scotland has supported thousands of parents and children, and it continues to do so each year, making an intrinsic difference to the lives and future chances of generations of children across Scotland. The support and advice, and the strategies and tools, that the organisation’s dedicated staff provide have helped to empower parents and increase children’s resilience, confidence and academic achievement.
When the charity was formed all those years ago, single parenting was a taboo subject, which had a damaging impact on mother-and-child relationships. Thankfully, through the work of charities such as One Parent Families Scotland, attitudes have changed for the better. I therefore join my colleagues Stephen Kerr, Martin Whitfield and Maggie Chapman in paying tribute to and celebrating—as they did eloquently—the strength, love and resilience of single-parent families across Scotland, and the work that One Parent Families Scotland does with them.
The Scottish Government wants to ensure that every child has the nurturing care that they need to get the best start in life and to fulfil their potential. We want to protect parents and carers from stigma and give them the resources and the help that they need, where and when they need them, to ensure that children have what they require for healthy development.
We know that parents and carers are the strongest influence on a child’s life, and by helping parents, carers, families and communities to build better lives for themselves and their children, we can help to ensure that every child has the best start in life. Being a parent or carer is one of the most rewarding and important roles that anyone can take on, and we recognise that the challenges are even greater for single-parent families, who are disproportionately impacted by issues such as poverty.
There can be no acceptable number of children living in poverty in Scotland, and ending child poverty is a national mission of the Scottish Government and the top priority of our First Minister. In our document “Best Start, Bright Futures—Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan 2022-2026”, we identify six priority family types that are at greatest risk of poverty. That includes lone-parent families, of which about 90 per cent are headed by women, and young mothers under 25. We know that both those groups are at considerable risk of poverty. We therefore recognise the critical role that advice services such as One Parent Families Scotland play across Scotland’s communities.
Key to tackling child poverty is helping people to understand their rights and seek solutions in a range of areas such as benefits, debt, housing and homelessness. By providing access to advice on income maximisation and debt management and other valuable support, the One Parent Families Scotland advice and information service is working with the Scottish Government to reduce child poverty across Scotland. We have provided more than £500,000 of funding this year to the service in recognition of its ambitions to improve and increase the financial wellbeing of single parents and their families.
We are also supporting One Parent Families Scotland with core funding. Since 2016, through our children, young people and families early intervention third sector fund, we have been providing more than £370,000 annually to support organisational costs, which enables One Parent Families Scotland to continue its vital work, because we want to ensure that every child has the best possible start in life.
I draw attention to Emma Roddick’s speech, in which she illustrated clearly how children can make demands on parents, who often have to balance those demands within their means. I take the opportunity to highlight the work of Parent Club Scotland, which provides, through its website, email programme and social media channels, supportive tried and tested tips and advice for low-income families to help parents with the everyday challenges and issues that they face.
Roz McCall raised the issue of single parents not being able to work and their need to have benefits while they cannot access the type of work that they need. Benefits provide an important lifeline and, although this Government does what it can, I take the opportunity to call on the UK Government to abolish the two-child cap, which serves only to push hard-pressed families further into poverty and denies parents vital financial support that is needed to look after their children.
Rona Mackay was right to mention the game-changing Scottish child payment and the positive impact that it has had. I mention the value of the baby box, which provides very important resources in the early stages.
The Scottish Government will continue to work with fantastic organisations such as One Parent Families Scotland to support single-parent families and ensure that all children in Scotland grow up loved, safe and respected and can realise their full potential. I congratulate One Parent Families Scotland on its remarkable 80 years of service to single-parent families across Scotland and simply say thank you.
That concludes the debate. Before we move to the next item of business, there will be a brief pause to allow members on the front benches to change places.
Air ais
Decision Time