27th June 2009
‘Group pictured at Gingerbread’s Open Day in Ballymena with Therese Milligan, Lone Parent Support Worker, (centre)’
Gingerbread held an Open Day on Wednesday 24th June at it’s Northern Area Lone Parent Centre in Ballymena to promote its new advice and support service for lone parents across the Northern Health and Social Services Board area. The new service offers a one stop contact point to help guide lone parents through many of the difficult issues that they face and ensure that they are able to take up opportunities available to them.
The service offers free, confidential and impartial generalist advice and support to lone parents across a wide range of issues.
For more information and full details, 'click here.'
18th June 2009
Gingerbread, Barnardo’s and Action for Children (all members of the Child Poverty Alliance), presented information to MLA’s in the Long Gallery in Stormont on Tuesday 16 June 2009 outlining how Family Support can contribute to the relief of Child Poverty.
Marie Cavanagh, Director of Gingerbread, presented a DVD in which lone parents explained in their own words, their lone parent circumstances, their need for support to overcome the barriers they face as lone parents and the issues that impacted on them as sole carers and their attempts to work outside the home.
Although the lone parents in the DVD had come to lone parenthood in different ways there were four common themes expressed by all.
These were their:
· Primary childcare role/responsibility
· impact on/change in career
· low income/part-time work/self-employment
· Isolation/confidence/support
In the course of the seminar Gingerbread highlighted four things that we would like to develop with Government and would go some way to achieving the eradication of Child Poverty by 2020.
Four things we would like to see:
- Childcare – realistic approach which includes childcare from Early Years through to Teens if we are to make Work an option for parents generally and lone parents in particular.
- Training and Employment – continue to support lone parents in pursuing higher level qualifications which lead to sustainable jobs.
- Income levels – part-time work and benefits levels don’t work – poor parents and very poor lone parents are budgeting as best they can. Income levels do not reflect the realities of live and must be reviewed.
- Wrap-around services delivered through partnership – this is essential when we are developing and designing Family Support and is an area were the voluntary and community sector have performed well.
5th June 2009
There are places available for the popular 'Marks and Starts' programme for lone parents starting in September across Northern Ireland!
Click here for more info or contact Avril in Gingerbread on 028 9023 1417
28th May 2009
Gingerbread Times Summer 09
In the latest edition, Gingerbread launches multi -lingual leaflets for lone parents from minority ethnic communities, advice - your questions answered, Chartered Institute of Building donate to Gingerbread NI, holiday information for one parent families, training courses - enrol now and find out much much more. If you would like to become a member of Gingerbread NI please email or complete the online registration form.
30th April 2009
Click here for more information or on the above flags for leaflets
30th March 2009
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This leaflet has been designed by Gingerbread NI to provide practical holiday information and contacts for organisations that may be able to assist with holidays for One Parent Families.
Please note that inclusion of information does not constitute a recommendation by Gingerbread NI, it is merely a suggestion for you to investigate further.
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23rd Jan 2009
Following the recent announcement that NI has suffered its biggest annual rise in unemployment in 37 years BBC Newsline's Laura Burns spoke to Annette O'Hagan,a lone parent member of Gingerbread NI about what it is like to look for work as a lone parent who has been out of the job market for several years.
Click here to view interview.
24th November 2008
Gingerbread NI celebrated 30 years of operation in Northern Ireland by hosting a special event for their lone parent members in recognition of the work of the charity over the last 30 years.
At the event in the Holiday Inn, Ormeau Avenue, Belfast Gingerbread held its 30th Annual General Meeting and over 50 lone parents from all over Northern Ireland received awards and were applauded for their achievements in training throughout the year.
Click here for more information
