Help for Single Mothers UK - Charities, Finances, Legal & More

Last updated on August 15th, 2023 at 11:07 pm

What help is available for single mothers in the UK?

Whether you’re a new single mum for the first time, or you’ve been a single mum before but it’s been a while – you may be wondering what help for single mothers (UK) is available. Single parents have a lot to juggle and to think about on a daily basis, so it’s always wonderful when someone says ‘hey, don’t worry we can help you with that’.

If you’re looking for financial, emotional, material, or organisational help, we here at Just-Us-Two.com have compiled all the information we could find on the internet to answer the question – what help is there for single mums?

5 Charities that Help Single Mothers

A good place to start for help of any kind is a non-profit organisation. Charities are the backbone of many communities. As a single parent, you might think that you don’t need or want ‘charity’, either out of pride or misunderstanding. Accepting help from a charity is not at all a reflection on your ability to cope. It’s simply help that we all deserve and are entitled to, because life shouldn’t be an unbearable struggle.

Here are five charities and their websites for you to chose from. One of them might have something to offer that could go a long way towards helping you on your journey as a single parent.

Home Start

www.home-start.org.uk

This charity runs groups especially for young mums under the age of 25 to meet and support each other. These groups are accessible in 13 locations across the UK. They’re designed to eliminate loneliness and isolation and create a safe space free of the judgement that often comes with motherhood at a younger age. Find your nearest Home Start charity here.

Family Lives

www.familylives.org.uk

Family Lives was formed over forty years ago by volunteers, with the aim of ensuring that all parents had somewhere to turn before they reached crisis point. They know that the right support at the right time makes all the difference.

Gingerbread

www.gingerbread.org.uk

They provide information to help single parents support themselves and their family. And they campaign and influence policy to reduce stigma against single parents, and make services more accessible to all families – whatever their shape or size.

The Buttle Trust

www.buttleuk.org

Buttle UK is a charity dedicated to helping children and young people in the UK who have experienced crisis, living in financial hardship and dealing with multiple challenging social issues. Through them, you can apply for one of their Chances for Children grants if eligible, which are designed to improve chances and transform the lives of children at a financial disadvantage.

Family Action

www.family-action.org.uk

Family Action works to tackle some of the most complex and difficult issues facing families today – including financial hardship, mental health problems, social isolation, learning disabilities, domestic abuse, or substance misuse and alcohol problems.

Financial Help for Single Mums

Are you a single parent in the UK with low earnings and a limited amount of savings? Then it’s likely that you’ll be eligible to receive Universal Credit from the government. The first thing you need to do if you’re a new single parent with money worries, is to go to the gov.uk website and use an eligibility calculator. You’ll then be able to find out what single parent benefits you might be entitled to.

You can also use entitledto.co.uk to check.

Lower-cost retailers to shop from:

PatPat.com is a shopping deal site for all the family. Buy baby shower gifts, baby clothes, and multi-buys for their kids, all at the lowest prices and all our products are quality assured. Everything is a deal.

Poundshop.com is the UK’s most successful online pound shop to date. They sell a wide range of goods, focusing on Food & Drink, Household, Home & Garden, Health & Beauty, Kids, Pets and more. Focusing on brands and great value

Iceland is recognised as the UK’s leader in frozen food and operates over 950 stores across the country, together with a multi-award-winning online shopping service.

Aldi Specialbuys are unique and exciting products at everyday low prices.

Childcare Help for Single Mothers in the UK

Free childcare for 2 year olds is available to those who meet the criteria of

Being on income support or JSA
Claiming Universal Credit with a household income of less than £15,400 annually or less
Claiming tax credits with a household income of less than £16,190

You can read some of the other criteria here.

All 3 to 4-year-olds in England can get 570 free hours per year. It’s usually taken as 15 hours a week for 38 weeks of the year, but you can choose to take fewer hours over more weeks, for example. And some 3 to 4-year-olds are eligible for 30 hours free childcare a week. Check if you’re eligible and find out how to apply on the gov.uk website.

However, alongside these free hours it’s important to remember that you may still have to pay for things like nappies, meals and for trips. This will depend on the childcare provider or type that you’ve opted for.

If you’re not on Universal Credit you could also be entitled to Tax Free childcare. This is the scheme where you pay 80% of your children’s childcare costs into a specially made account, and the government top it up with the other 20%. All of the childcare fees are then paid out of that account.

Single Parents’ Day

21st March 2022

Did you know that the 21st of March is national single parents day? It’s been a ‘thing’ in the US for a while, but it’s recently started to reach UK shores, too.

Celebrating single parents day is a good mental and emotional booster. You’ll find much more content out there relating to single parenthood, thanks to this day. And through that, you might find a new community!

It’s a good opportunity to remember that although single parenting can be lonely, you’re not alone. And there’s plenty of reasons to celebrate you and other parents like you, for your hard work!

Check for trending #singleparentsday on social media on the 21st.

Practical Help for a Single Parent

Sometimes it can feel like you’re barely keeping your head above water. Putting food on the table, clothes on backs… being mum, dad, breadwinner, night nurse, breakfast chef. All you.

That’s why one of the skills you really need to learn is simply this – asking for help. Getting a helping hand from those around you, whether it’s for a bit of babysitting, some DIY in your house or a shoulder to cry on.

Read this article on support systems for solo mums, here.

Legal Advice and Help for UK Single Mothers

The sheer task of transitioning from partnered parenting to single parenting can sometimes be bumpy. You might find you need a little help starting the process of a divorce.

Or perhaps you and your partner can’t come to an agreement on child maintenance or custody arrangements.

You might also be struggling to cut ties from an ex who’s abusive, harrassing you or using your kids as a tool to play manipulative games.

With any of the above, it could be easy to get frightened or overwhelmed by the complicated jargon, rules, and processes that you may be feeling bombarded with.

It’s important to just take a deep breath and stay positive – the help is out there for you, you just need to know where to find it.

Referring back to the top of this post, there are family charities who cover all of these topics with helpful advice and links on their websites. A good all-rounder is also to contact Citizens Advice regarding any legal issues or questions you may have.

Safeguarding for Single Mums

And if it’s your safety you’re concerned about – it’s essential that you contact the police or a local women’s refuge. A call to Women’s Aid could give you a faster response, too.

Report it to the police if someone has committed a crime against/threatened/harassed/stalked you or your children.

Never worry that you’re wasting anyone’s time. Safety is paramount.

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