Understanding the difference we make – or measuring our impact – helps us to make sure that Gingerbread is an effective, well-run charity. We support single-parent families in lots of different ways, so we measure our impact across all our activities.
Find out more about the impact and reach of Gingerbread’s work in 2023-24 and our plans for the year ahead in our latest impact report.
The information section of our website is the first port of call for many single parents. Our website was updated in 2023, enabling visitors to search, filter and save information on every aspect of single-parent life – ranging from benefits, flexible working and childcare, to bereavement and separation.
‘I was too scared to phone the advice line. After what I’d been through with domestic abuse it was hard to reach out … It was helpful for me that the information was just there, so I could just click on it on the website.’
Our free helpline and webchat offer single parents personalised advice to suit their circumstances. Welfare benefits and tax credits, child maintenance and family law are the most common reasons for people to get in contact with us, highlighting that family finances and relationship breakdown are major areas of difficulty for many single parents.
‘The support I received from [the helpline] was invaluable today and I feel much better placed to take the next steps to deal with my situation. I felt heard and feel infinitely better after my call today. Thank you.’
We know single parenting can often feel lonely. Sometimes, speaking to someone else in the same situation can make a world of difference. So we connect single parents on and offline – through our forum, our digital community and our local support groups across England and Wales.
‘The forum is a good place to chat as everybody has different experiences but it’s nice to talk to people who actually understand the stresses of being a single parent.
[My group] has given me the opportunity to meet other people who have been through similar things and I have made friends for life. I feel stronger because of them.’
We help single parents to focus on their wellbeing and mental health through a programme of regular workshops, which run online throughout the year.
‘I enjoyed the space and taking time to reflect on things that are important for me to implement in order to feel good and manage difficult situations. It encouraged me to know what I was already doing and to see how far I’ve come and to build on prioritising me.’
Gingerbread stands alongside single parents in advocating for change on issues they care about. We speak out to drive lasting change and hold leaders accountable. The decisions to move to an upfront payment of the childcare element of Universal Credit and to scrap the £20 application fee for the Child Maintenance Service, as well as the passing of the Child Support (Enforcement) Act were all issues on which we have regularly campaigned.
