A typical case

A mother approaches us for help because she is concerned about the behaviour of her pre-teenage child. What might appear a straightforward cause, perhaps involving some therapy for the child, actually has many more complex issues:

The mother is in the midst of separation from her physically abusive husband. At the same time, she has to work full-time, arrange for her children to go to school and cope with financial worries.

Emotionally, this Mother is struggling. Unresolved issues from her past, concerning her relationship with her husband, continue to haunt her. Her self-esteem is very low and as a result, she lacks confidence in many day-to-day situations and decisions. All this leads to a very isolated existence. She struggles daily and barely copes.

How can this Mother be helped?

SHELTER’s Single-Mothers’ Support Network, launched in January 2004, is aimed at helping such mothers deal with issues typical to single mothers by giving them advice and support, sometimes from people who have gone through similar experiences. They may need professional help such as counselling or from legal services. This network is aimed at providing the follow-up support to help them, ultimately, to become more independent in the way they cope with these issues and to enable them to feel part of a wider community again. They may then be in a position to help others.

The support network’s objectives include:

-  Providing the necessary support, help and advice to individual mothers referred to the network.

-  Highlighting the needs of single-mothers on a local and national basis, with the aim of establishing a coordinated approach to these issues and to raise public awareness

-  Empowering individual mothers, ultimately, to be interdependent and to be able to function independently in day-to-day life.

(UPDATE : This service has been currently discontinued and is no longer available)