One Parents Families Scotland is moving to new larger headquarters within Edinburgh
A chidren’s charity is set to move to new headquarters.
One Parents Families Scotland (OPFS) will move from its premises at Gayfield Square in Edinburgh to nearby 2 York Place on Friday (26 October).
Former politician Malcolm Chisholm, who fought passionately for the rights of single parents, will officially open the new headquarters.
OPFS director Satwat Rehman said: “OPFS has been based in a small flat at 13 Gayfield Square for 30 years and we are very excited to be in new, larger premises which will support the expansion of OPFS services.
“Our move is about more than a building – it’s symbolic of a journey to transform our services to really meet the needs of single parents and their children.” The new headquarters will coordinate OPFS activity, spread across its six sites around Scotland.”
OPFS is Scotland’s national single parent organisation. Building on 70 years of advocacy and service-delivery expertise, OPFS involves single parents, supports them to have a voice, provides expert information, advice and support, along with training activities, employability programmes and flexible, affordable childcare.
“Over decades One Parent Families Scotland has been at the forefront of championing and supporting lone parents and is now more needed than ever with 52% of lone parents living in poverty and worse to come with the roll out of Universal Credit,” said Chisholm.
OPFS says poverty in single parent families is rising all over the UK, and is seeing growing numbers through their doors. The charity aims to increase its provision of services, to build on activities which supported over 6,000 parents, children and young people last year and the new accommodation at York Place will ensure that this important work is able to continue.
Rehman said the charity chose to remain in Edinburgh and move to larger premises because it means the charity will remain in touch with its roots in the heart of the capital and near to the Scottish Parliament.
“OPFS has embarked on one of the most important phases in its history,” she said. “Our strategic vision will set out a goal of increasing the number of families whose lives we aim to transform over the next five years.
“The new base will allow for better collaboration across teams within OPFS while delivering important services across Scotland. Along with our highly skilled workforce, our new HQ will also be an exciting hub from which we will coordinate delivery of our support for families and flexible childcare services. We look forward to expanding the amount of support we offer to single parents and their children to achieve their potential from our new headquarters in central Edinburgh.”
