Support for single parents and their children

Gingerbread is a long‑established UK charity dedicated to supporting single parents and their children across England and Wales. Its mission is to help single parent families survive and thrive by providing information, practical support, community connection, and campaigning for their rights and fair treatment.

What Gingerbread does
1. Advice & Information
Gingerbread offers expert online information and guidance on key issues affecting single parents, such as:

Benefits, welfare and finances
Child maintenance and family law issues
Employment, training and finding work
Childcare and support with costs
All content is designed to help single parents make informed decisions about their lives and families.
2. Support Network & Community

Local volunteer‑led Gingerbread groups across England and Wales provide a space for single parents to meet, share experiences and support each other.
The Gingerbread Digital Community lets single parents connect with each other online, join themed groups, and take part in discussions.
3. Wellbeing & Emotional Support
While Gingerbread doesn’t offer clinical mental health services, it provides guides and resources on wellbeing, coping with stress, and finding emotional support tailored to single parents’ experiences.

4. Campaigning & Policy Work
Gingerbread advocates for single parent families at national level, pushing for improvements in policy areas like childcare support, welfare reform, flexible working, and reducing poverty and stigma faced by single parents.

Important Update
Historically Gingerbread ran a free specialist helpline offering personalised advice. However, the helpline closed in April 2025 due to funding changes. The charity now focuses on online resources, community support, and campaigns, signposting people to other services where needed.

‍ ‍ ‍ Who it supports
Single parents with majority care of their children
Parents navigating finances, work, and family life alone
Anyone who identifies as a single parent and needs information or community support

Categories:
Benefits advice and assessment
Advice for young people
Financial advice and support
Welfare rights advice
Family support groups and organisations
Connecting with others
Preventative services for children and young people
Helping with money
Information and advice
Youth support
Service access criteria:

Single parent families living in England and Wales

Additional needs catered for:
Hearing impairment friendly
Wheelchair accessible
Physical disability friendly
Takes place in the client’s home
Non English speaking friendly
Family Support, Financial, Finances, Employment, Advice, Legal, Gingerbread, Ginger Bread, Single Parent, Single Parents, Single parent family, Support for parents, Benefits, Money, Child, Children, Families
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