Choices - One Parent Families West of Scotland
Choices helps to deliver the Lone Parent Helpline and offers specialist information, advice, and support to lone parents and practitioners across the West of Scotland.
It provides:
- Information, advice and support to Lone Parents;
- Expert specialist lone parent information to practioners;
- Lone parent engagement & employability work and participatory lone parent consultation activities.
All Services to lone parents are free, independent and confidential.
Advice to Lone Parents through the Free Phone Lone Parent Advice Line
0808 801 0323
Lone Parent Rights Advisors give free information and advice on:
- Welfare Reform
- Benefits
- Tax Credits
- Childcare
- Education/Training
- separation & divorce
- Child Maintenance
- Local Area Information
- Legal Rights
- Employment Rights
- Housing, etc.
A range of short accessible fact sheets are issued to callers requiring more detailed information.
Free Phone Advisor Line - an information resource for practioners
0808 801 0323
Specialist Advisors provide free specialist information to local practioners on the range of issues affecting one parent families enabling staff in local employability, family support and childcare agencies to provide effective advice and support to lone parents on a range of complex issues.
Lone Parent Engagement & Employability Services:
0141 847 0444 - Lee Anthony
Choices Lone Parent Engagement & Employability team offers the following services:
- using OPFS Communication Channels to reach lone parents
- Energizer and Motivator Courses
- Pre-Employment Support courses
- In-work Support.
A Welfare Rights Service:
0141 847 0444 - Craig MacKenzie
The Welfare Rights Service provides:
- specialist advice on Benefits, Tax Credits and Child Support including in-work support, Housing/Council Tax Benefit, and disability benefits.
- advocacy and tribunal representation for Lone Parents
- training
- one to one consultations by appointment, including outreach work.
Seminars, Training & Lone Parent Participatory Consultations:
0141 847 0444 - Marion Davis
Training courses and seminars offer specialist information & advice for those working with Lone Parents through:
- Lone Parent Awareness Training for Front-line Staff
- specialist material covering key areas
- a quarterly e-bulletin Update
- policy briefings on areas impacting on lone parents.
- Consultations with lone parents using Participatory One Parent Proofing techniques.
Related News
Chill and Chat Motherwell (Posted on 14th April 2010)
One Parent Families Scotland's 'chill and chat' meets every Thursday in The Zone on Hamilton Road offering advice on everything from childcare to employment.
Training development coordinator Linda Pople said: "There is nothing like this available in North Lanarkshire so we initially set up the group as a sort of pilot to see if there was a need and clearly have found that there was.
The chill and chat's next meeting will be after the Easter break on Thursday, April 22.
If you would like to find out more call 0141 847 0444 or 0808 801 0323.
Advice Only One Phone Call Away for Worried Mums
The government is introducing changes to lone parent’s benefits so that people with younger children have to look for work as a condition of claiming benefit. OPFS, Scotland’s only dedicated lone parent organisation, has produced a fact sheet "Lone Parents: Changes to Income Support & Jobseeker’s Allowance" to provide worried lone parents with more information.