- Target:
- Ms Pru Goward, MP
- Region:
- Australia
- Website:
- www.friendsofsoleparents.org.au
AMENDMENT 1/09/12: Lone Parent Family Support has closed however the fight continues. We have set up & Incorporated a new Association in NSW called FRIENDS OF SOLE PARENTS to take over this vital role and are applying for Premises in the CBD, Government & Corporate Funding. Website at www.friendsofsoleparents.org.au. Like us on Facebook to keep up with news and events www.facebook.com/fospau Your signatures and comments on this petition are still important in support of our new Association and to comment on the closure of the historic entity that was Lone Parent Family Support. Please spread the word. Thank you.
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- Lone Parent Family Support Service was set up in the 1960's and was national with 50 branches.
- At the time of closure there were 3 branches remaining, all in the Sydney Metropolitan Area; in Dee Why, Parramatta and Sydney CBD.
- Funding was through the Department of Family and Community Services.
- There are increasing needs for the service due to multiple pressures on sole parent families. All costs of living are increasing, including food, electricity and childcare. The median rent for an apartment in Sydney is now $460 per week.
- Post separation, there are a often a multitude of agencies to navigate through as well as the Family Court.
- The transfer of recipients from Single Parenting Payment and onto Newstart in January 2013 will result in further financial stress.
- The service is free to sole mothers and sole fathers.
- The organisation has no political or religious affiliation and supports parents from all backgrounds and ethnicities.
- A new funding model has created challenges for this small-scale organisation. The closure occurred 24th August 2012.
We the undersigned, hereby petition the Hon. Pru Goward MP, Minister of Family and Community Services and Minister for Women, to save Lone Parent Family Support Service (LPFSS).
Since its inception in the 1960’s, this organisation has assisted thousands of lone parent families.
The activities of LPFSS are a good fit with the stated aims of the NSW Government in this Sector; that is to improve services for vulnerable children, young people and families.
Research demonstrates that emotional support of the parent in a sole parent context improves educational and social outcomes for the children.
The three remaining Sydney branches have hundreds of families on their books today who, if the closure goes ahead, will no longer receive support, counselling and referrals to other services.
Nationally, one in five children live in a sole-parent family and this proportion is forecast to increase further, which is why this is the wrong time to cut this dedicated service.
LPFSS is an essential targeted service serving the needs of sole parents and must be preserved as an integral part of improving outcomes for children in NSW.
We request an immediate postponement of the imminent closure and demand that an urgent review of its funding be conducted.
You can further help this campaign by sponsoring it
The Friends of Sole Parents Inc - (Save Lone Parents' Family Support) petition to Ms Pru Goward, MP was written by Julie Forster and is in the category Miscellaneous at GoPetition.