Hansard

I should begin by declaring an interest, because I am a councillor on Fife Council, which provides funding to Fife Gingerbread.

I congratulate David Torrance on securing the debate. Fife Gingerbread is an organisation that is rooted in Fife communities, providing vital peer support for lone parents. I am pleased to have the chance today to speak about that work.

Anyone who has raised children, let alone raised them single-handedly, will know that it is hard work. Apart from the day-to-day joy of scraping food off the walls and kissing goodbye to one’s bed, the relentless responsibility, worry and sheer exhaustion one experiences can take their toll. Not only do lone parents have to deal with all the challenges and worry by themselves, but they face additional multiple barriers around income, security and stigma.

Lone parents do tough and important work, and Fife Gingerbread does tough and important work to support them. Led by a hard-working and dedicated team, Gingerbread provides non-judgmental advice, information, encouragement and understanding to lone parents across Fife. Gingerbread also engages with all levels of Government on behalf of lone parents to make sure that their voices are heard.

Gingerbread does not tell lone parents what to do or what is wrong with them; it provides the support that lots of lone parents need to be able to meet the challenges that they face, to know that they are not alone and to recognise their own strengths.

Just over a week ago, I spoke at the Fife launch of research undertaken by Fife Gingerbread in partnership with the Poverty Alliance. Together, they have produced a report called “Surviving Poverty: The Impact of Lone Parenthood”. The research is focused on the experiences of lone parents living in rural Fife and was carried out by a team of community researchers who were themselves lone parents. The report tells us that although lone parents need our understanding, without the right actions, they and their children will continue to struggle.

We have to take action to mitigate the impacts of welfare reform. As I have said before in the chamber, the Scottish Government must use its powers in health, housing, childcare and education. To tackle child poverty, we need sustained investment in the early years, education services, extracurricular activities and informal educational experiences. We must also recognise that by helping parents, we help children.

Debt is an enormous worry for lone parents. Colleagues will be aware of the excellent work by Kezia Dugdale, through the debtbusters campaign, to raise awareness of the dangers of payday loans and strengthen the role of credit unions. I will be taking that work forward in Fife.

Making available affordable, flexible and good-quality childcare has to be at the top of the to-do list of any Government that is serious about tackling child poverty and removing barriers to work for lone parents.

The report also highlighted the importance of public transport. It is clear that the current system of bus services is failing these families badly. That is why we should support attempts to look at re-regulation of buses in Scotland.

We must also ensure that it pays to be in work, which is why I am a firm supporter of the roll-out of a Scottish living wage.

Fife Gingerbread is also at the heart of early years work in Fife.

I just could not miss this opportunity to make those voices heard here in the chamber. In such frightening and uncertain times for lone-parent families, it is critical that we continue to celebrate, support and, as policy makers, take forward the work of Fife Gingerbread.

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