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2.9.2. The Well-Being of Single Parents
In 2022, as part of the Innovation Programme, a team was formed to support single parents. The initiative was led by the Ministry of Social Affairs in cooperation with representatives of the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Justice, the Social Insurance Board and local governments.
The project developed solution ideas for supporting parents both before and after the birth of a child.
One of the team’s key insights was that parents are often neither aware of nor adequately supported in preparing for the challenges of raising a child alone. Unless they have deliberately built a support network, the burden they must carry on their own can become overwhelming.
Parents are also often unaware of the legal consequences of not establishing paternity, and how this may affect the child, the mother and the father.
A solution is planned to raise biological parents’ awareness of the importance of formally establishing paternity and to provide guidance on coping with the challenges of raising a child alone.
In practice, during a routine appointment, the midwife provides the expectant mother with guidance and relevant information about single parenthood and the formal establishment of paternity. If the consultation reveals that the mother or the family as a whole needs additional support from another specialist, the midwife can direct them to the appropriate source of further assistance or information. The solution involves a more deliberate approach by midwives to addressing these issues and sharing relevant information. Although it relates to parenting education more broadly, the project focused specifically on the period of pregnancy.
The second solution focused on building a support network
The aim was to make it easier for parents to come together and support one another by drawing on their individual strengths. To facilitate community-building, we used the Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) approach. This work was carried out in cooperation with the Viljandi Perepesa family centre, operated by the Foundation for the Development of Child Well-Being. The support community now meets regularly and is planning new community initiatives. Following the pilot, the Foundation for the Development of Child Well-Being has also begun developing community-based approaches as a core area of activity across all of its Perepesa family centres in Estonia.
Read more (in Estonian):
additional reading (in estonian):
Daniel Kotsjuba, Ulvi Tüllinen: "Igal lapsel on õigus kahele vanemale. Eestis on ligi 9200 isakandeta last" | Postimees
Iga lapse õigusest tunda mõlemat vanemat ja suhelda mõlemaga | Ministry of Social Affairs
Project duration: 2022
The project was implemented as part of the Innovation Programme.
Last updated on 11.09.2025
Activities and projects in the field of innovation are funded under the European Union Cohesion Policy 2021–2027 measure.
Last updated: 23.02.2026
