As seen on A Current Affair


Get the "best-of" single mum
news & forum posts...
get our monthly newsletter!

Subscribe to our mailing list

We take email privacy seriously




Follow Us! Get Breaking Single Parent News and the latest Single Mum Forum posts in your news feed everyday!


go to Facebook singlemum.com.au go to Twitter singlemum.com.au

Sponsored article - Co-parenting with your Ex

Single Mother Support Events

Single Mother Support Events



You can read our Link Disclaimer here



2012


...more info

MAMAPALOOZA Festival in Sydney
Sydney | 8-13th May 2012

Mothers of the world take note! - Sydney will be on the map in 2012 with a great Festival of Arts celebrating Mamapalooza 'the Auzzie way! A week of arts, entertainment and ideas starting on the 8th of May at Tap Gallery. Including an art exhibition with awards, an original songwriter night, stand-up comedy, an open seminar on mothers in the arts, and much, much more! more...


2011


Go to National Council for Single Mothers and their Children Inc. 2011 National Conference

National Council for Single Mothers and their Children Inc. 2011 National Conference
Melbourne | 18 November 2011

The Conference will bring together local and national experts to talk about the issues that confront single mothers, and to explore ways to improve the circumstances of single mothers and their children more...


Rally for Children's Safety at Parliament House Canberra on Wednesday May 25

Rally for Children's Safety at Parliament House Canberra
Canberra, ACT | 25 May 2011

Several speakers, including Helen Cummings, author of "Blood Vows" and Dr Lesley Laing, author of the No Way to Live Report. Free bus from Sydney to Canberra. Kids drawings and feelings needed - we invite anyone who's children have experienced trauma or feel unsafe about court imposed parenting arrangements to create a drawing or artwork respresenting how they feel more...


Letter writing workshop

FREE single mothers letter writing workshop
Melbourne, VIC | 14 May 2011

Do you want to write to politicians to let them know your views, but not sure how to do so? Join the Council of Single Mothers and their Children Vic letter writing campaign.Demand the Federal Government pass the bill to make Family Law safer for women and children. You may even have another issue you’d like develop a letter about. Free lunch and child care more...


Mothers at the Margins

Mothers at the Margins
Brisbane, Qld | 27 - 30 April 2011

Sixth Australian International, Interdisciplinary Conference on Motherhood 2011, The University of Queensland. Confirmed speakers include Andrea O’Reilly, Sonya Andermahr and Debra Creedy. Single mother papers presented, including solo mothers by choice more...






Life Matters International Women’s Day centenary event

Life Matters International Women’s Day centenary event
Sydney, NSW | 08 March 2011

Join the live audience as Richard Aedy hosts a forum, including special guests for a discussion on the achievements of the past hundred years, and the challenges remaining. Can women really have it all? The panel includes Professor Marie Bashir, the first woman to be appointed Governor of NSW, Hon Tanya Plibersek MP Minister for Human Services, Minister for Social Inclusion, Ann Sherry, CEO of Carnival Australia and former CEO of Westpac, New Zealand and the Bank of Melbourne, Miriam Lyons, Executive Director with the Centre for Policy Development and Kirstie Parker, editor of the Koori Mail. more...


2010

Parliament House Family Law Forum Sydney | 13 December 2010 -

Family Law Forum

Justice for Children is holding a forum on changing family law to protect children and in particular whether the Shared Parenting Bill that went through parliament recently will help. AND will the proposed amendments to Family Law (draft bill open for comment til 14/01/11) help? more...


Go to Walk Against Family Violence Melbourne | 25 November 2010 -

Walk Against Family Violence 2010

Join us at the Walk Against Family Violence 2010, Thursday 25 November, at 10:30am outside AAMI Park (Olympic Blvd). We will then walk to Federation Square for the Not1More event starting at 12:30pm more...


Go to National Council for Single Mothers and their Children Inc. 2010 National Conference Adelaide | 11 June 2010 -

National Council for Single Mothers and their Children Inc. 2010 National Conference

Guest Speakers covering topics: Family Law, Domestic Violence, Child Support, Centrelink Participation Changes, Social Security. Free Childcare more...


Go to Safer Family Law Vigil Sydney | 8 May 2010 -

Safer Family Law Vigil

"We are pleased to announce our upcoming Vigil (against domestic violence - remembering children who have suffered or died as a consequence)" more...


Go to National Council for Single Mothers and their Children Inc. 2010 National Conference Melbourne | 6 May 2010 -

Rally against Single Mother Poverty

END OUR POVERTY FOR MOTHER'S DAY RALLY - Thursday May 6, 11am, Bourke St Mall, by the giant (empty)! purse more...


Go to National Day to Remember, Candle Lighting Ceremony Canberra | 5 May 2010 -

National Day to Remember, Candle Lighting Ceremony

National Day to Remember those who have died because of domestic and family violence more...


Go to Legal Aid Rally - Legal Aid Matters Melbourne | 28 April 2010 -

Legal Aid Rally

Legal Aid Matters - The current state of legal aid funding leaves many vulnerable Australians without access to justice more...


2009


The Knock On Effect Sydney | December 2009 -

The Knock-On Effect

Events funded by NSW Violence Prevention Unit for 16 Days of Activism to stop violence against women and children - more...








What does it mean to be a single mum?Of course, the

kids

are the most important thing in a single mum's life. Kids are the focus and always have been. But along with the children, there are other matters that can confuse a single mum's life.

Centrelink

plays a big part of a single mother's life, mainly because this is where a large percentage of single mums get their finances from. Centrelink are the source from where the

single mother pension

, or as it is otherwise known, the single parent payment comes from. The single mother pension is a subsistence amount, but just the same, it is money to live on, and so it is important, no matter if it is called single parent payment, single mother pension or whatever Centrelink welfare classes it at the time

Often, single mums come out of a

divorce

or defacto relationship only to find that their troubles have just begun, and find that their first step leads them towards Family Law - it's time to engage a lawyer.
There are more than just Centrelink finance problems to worry about, as mentioned before, but also

child custody

issues. Child custody is something that hits right at the heart of

single mums

. If a single mother's ex husband or ex partner has been a domestic violence perpetrator, the mum may be greatly worried about child custody. They worry that their kids won't be safe with their spouse, who has already proven to be abusive because they caused

domestic violence

, which resulted in a divorce or separation.

Even so,

Family Court

will often still order a form of child custody named

Shared Parenting

. Shared Parenting is a form of child custody division of time or parental responsibility between the parents. Mother's often look for a good divorce lawyer to try to avoid share parenting with an abusive ex-spouse after divorce, however in many cases Shared Parenting is still the outcome after the divorce, no matter how good the divorce lawyers have been. They will often settle for visitation at a contact centre or access centre where fathers or mothers are supervised during child custody access.

Please remember the bigger font words,because we will use it often in our website.