One Parent Families Scotland

What One Parent Families Scotland does

One Parent Families Scotland (OPFS) is a registered Scottish charity (SC006403) and company limited by guarantee, founded in 1944 and headquartered at 2 York Place, Edinburgh. It operates as the leading charity dedicated to single parent families in Scotland, delivering a multi-channel portfolio of advice, welfare rights, employability, family support, mental health, and crisis services through a freephone Lone Parent Helpline (0808 801 0323), online chat, an online community forum, a podcast, and face-to-face local service hubs in Dundee, Edinburgh, Falkirk, Glasgow, and North Lanarkshire. Beyond the five core hubs, Local Services also references East Renfrewshire and Angus, indicating broader regional coverage.

OPFS's product and technology surface centres on self-service digital tools rather than proprietary AI: a Benefits Calculator, a Budgeting and Debt Planner, a dedicated advice sub-brand 'My life and me', the OPFS Forum, and an OPFS Podcast. Specialist service lines include One-to-One Support, Welfare Rights, Employability and Learning, Crisis Support, Children's Support and Childcare, Mental Health and Wellbeing, Domestic Abuse Support, Legal Support Information, and dedicated support for single dads and young single parents (with a Young Parents Hub covering Glasgow and Lanarkshire). A Child Maintenance Navigation Website co-developed with parents launched in July 2026. Childcare delivery has been spun out into a sister organisation, FCSS (Family Childcare Solutions Scotland).

The business model is non-commercial: services are free to single parent families, with revenue derived from donations, charitable grants, and public funding including the National Lottery Community Fund. The organisation pursues a dual service-plus-advocacy model, combining direct service delivery with policy campaigns, commissioned research (e.g. for The Promise), and employer-of-choice accreditations (Investors in People Gold, Living Wage, Living Hours, Family Friendly Working Scotland). OPFS operates exclusively within Scotland, with no disclosed revenue, headcount, or M&A activity in the provided data.

Name

One Parent Families Scotland

Legal name

One Parent Families Scotland

Website

https://opfs.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1944

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

One Parent Families Scotland is a registered Scottish charity founded in 1944 that provides advice, welfare rights, family support, employability, and crisis services to single parent families across Scotland through a helpline, online tools, and five regional hubs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Family Support Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Family & Parenting Support Services (BPAGAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Family Resource Centers & Wraparound Support Services (EDACALAH), Parent Support Groups & Peer Networks (EDACALAG)

Keywords

• Single parent support
• Family welfare advice
• Benefits advisory
• Charitable family services
• Community support

Headquarters

HQ city

Edinburgh

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Funding: OPFS operates as a registered Scottish charity (SC006403) funded primarily through donations, charitable grants, and public funding. The organization receives support from funders including the National Lottery Community Fund. As a non-profit, services are provided free of charge to single parent families.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

One Parent Families Scotland (OPFS) is a registered Scottish charity that provides expert advice, practical support, and advocacy services for single parent families across Scotland. The organization delivers a freephone Lone Parent Helpline, face-to-face local services through hubs in five locations, digital self-help tools (budget planner, benefits calculator), an online community forum, podcasts, and tailored support programmes covering welfare rights, employability, crisis support, children's services, and mental health and wellbeing.

Product overview

One Parent Families Scotland operates as a charitable organization offering a unified portfolio of support services for single parent families. The core offerings include the Lone Parent Helpline (freephone 0808 801 0323) and online chat support, complemented by digital self-service tools such as the Budgeting and Debt Planner and Benefits Calculator. The organization maintains a dedicated advice platform called 'My life and me' (mylifeandme.opfs.org.uk) alongside an online community forum (OPFS Forum) and podcast. Face-to-face services are delivered through local hubs in Dundee, Edinburgh, Falkirk, Glasgow, and North Lanarkshire, providing one-to-one support, welfare rights advice, employability and learning support, crisis support, children's support, and group activities. The organization also provides practitioner training and recently launched a Child Maintenance Navigation Website co-developed with parents.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• My life and me: A website dedicated to gathering advice and tips from single parents covering topics like money management, relationships, and parenting.
• Lone Parent Helpline
• OPFS Forum

Products and services

• Lone Parent Helpline Freephone helpline (0808 801 0323) available Monday-Friday 9.30am-4pm providing immediate advice and support to single parents across Scotland on money matters, children, Universal Credit, and services.
• Online Chat Support Real-time web chat service allowing single parents to connect with advisers directly through the OPFS website for immediate support.
• Budgeting and Debt Planner Self-help online tool enabling single parents to create weekly budgets, track income and expenses, and manage debt repayments including priority and non-priority debts.
• Benefits Calculator Free online tool that helps single parents identify which UK and Scottish benefits and financial support they may be entitled to.
• My life and me Dedicated sub-brand website gathering advice and tips from single parents covering topics such as money management, relationships, parenting, health, and wellbeing.
• OPFS Forum Online community forum where single parents can discuss topics, issues and comments affecting the daily life of single parent families.
• OPFS Podcast Podcast featuring single parents, politicians, OPFS staff, volunteers and expert voices relating to single parent families in Scotland.
• One-to-One Support Face-to-face and remote support from local teams providing emotional and practical assistance to help single parents find answers to the challenges they face.
• Welfare Rights Service Adviser support to help single parents navigate the welfare system and ensure they receive their entitled benefits.
• Employability and Learning Support Support for single parents considering employment, studying or training, including help with childcare arrangements and career development.
• Crisis Support Emergency assistance for single parents facing unexpected circumstances and struggling to make ends meet in difficult situations.
• Children's Support and Childcare Project staff provide one-to-one support to children, or work with parents and children together, to overcome difficulties within the family home or in school.
• Groups, Community Hubs and Activities Family days and parent-only groups providing opportunities for single parents to meet others and reduce feelings of isolation and loneliness.
• Support for Single Dads Specialized support services for single fathers addressing their unique needs and challenges.
• Support for Young Single Parents Dedicated young parents services including a Young Parents Worker and Young Parents Hub in Glasgow and Lanarkshire for parents in similar situations.
• Training for Practitioners Training services provided to practitioners and professionals working with single parent families in Scotland.
• Local Services Face-to-face family support services delivered through local hubs in Dundee, Edinburgh, Falkirk, Glasgow, North Lanarkshire, East Renfrewshire, and Angus using a family support model.
• Child Maintenance Navigation Website Website co-developed with parents providing clear, independent information and support with child maintenance arrangements.
• Ask a Question Service allowing single parents to submit questions to experienced advisers on topics including services, money matters, children, and Universal Credit.
• Mental Health and Wellbeing Support Mental health and wellbeing support service for single parents and their families including counselling, anxiety reduction tips, and emotional coping strategies.
• Domestic Abuse Support Specialized support services for single parents facing domestic abuse situations.
• Legal Support Information Information and guidance on various ways to get help with legal costs and advice in Scotland for single parents.

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• FCSS (Family Childcare Solutions Scotland)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister organization that runs flexible childcare services. OPFS previously operated childcare services that are now managed by FCSS
• Energy Action ScotlandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReferral partner for energy advice services referenced on OPFS cost reduction pages
• The PromiseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOPFS was commissioned by The Promise to research what happens to family finances when a child enters the care system in Scotland

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Citizens Advice (UK-wide): Citizens Advice is the UK-wide parent of Citizens Advice Scotland and the largest free independent advice provider in the UK. It is a broad incumbent in the same advice space as OPFS, with overlapping capabilities (benefits, debt, employment) but a much wider scope than OPFS's single-parent focus.

Direct peers

• Citizens Advice Scotland: Citizens Advice Scotland provides free, independent advice on benefits, debt, housing, and employment across Scotland via local bureaux and online channels. It is directly comparable to OPFS's welfare rights and money-advice services, and competes for the same Scottish single-parent beneficiary segment in many of the same geographies (Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee, Falkirk).
• Family Lives: Family Lives provides a helpline, online forum, and parent support services across the UK for families in stress or crisis. Comparable to OPFS's Lone Parent Helpline, OPFS Forum, and crisis support services, with a similar target audience of parents in difficult circumstances.
• Gingerbread: Gingerbread is the UK-wide national charity for single parent families, offering advice, information, and peer support. It is the most direct peer to OPFS, serving a near-identical beneficiary population with similar advice, helpline, and community services, though operating across the whole of the UK rather than just Scotland.
• Parentline Scotland (Children 1st): Children 1st operates Parentline Scotland, a helpline and family support service for parents across Scotland, alongside wider child welfare programmes. It is directly comparable to OPFS's helpline and one-to-one family support model, serving the same Scottish parent population with similar services.
• Home-Start UK: Home-Start supports families with young children through trained volunteer home visits and local family support, with a Scotland network of local schemes. It is highly comparable to OPFS's face-to-face family support hubs and one-to-one children's support model, serving similar vulnerable families.
• Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG): CPAG works on poverty and welfare rights advice for families with children, combining direct service tools (benefits calculators, advice lines) with policy advocacy. Comparable to OPFS in combining frontline family welfare advice with systemic policy campaigns, and operating a similar hybrid advice-plus-advocacy model.

Regional players

• Scottish Women's Aid: Scottish Women's Aid is the lead Scottish organization supporting women and children experiencing domestic abuse, operating a national helpline and local services. It is comparable to OPFS's domestic abuse support product and serves an overlapping single-parent population in Scotland.
• Shelter Scotland: Shelter Scotland provides housing advice, homelessness prevention, and family housing support across Scotland via a national helpline and local services. It is a regional peer serving overlapping client needs (housing, benefits) within the same Scottish geography, and competes for some of the same funder pool.

Others

• Money Advice Trust: Money Advice Trust operates National Debtline and Business Debtline, providing free debt advice across the UK. It is thematically adjacent to OPFS's money and debt-advice products (e.g., the Budgeting and Debt Planner) but is a specialist debt provider rather than a general family support charity.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/opfs
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/oneparentfamilies
• Facebookfacebook.com/OneParentFamiliesScotland
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/one-parent-families-scotland
• Instagraminstagram.com/oneparentfamiliesscotland

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about One Parent Families Scotland