Trustee Viewpoint – Paul’s Story

Published: 2 May 2024

Our Trustee, Paul Coulson, shares the life experiences that influenced his decision to become a part of Working Families.

I grew up in a single parent family, in a Council estate in Grimsby. I never felt deprived as I knew that both of my parents supported me and my brother and that they wanted the best for us. For my mum, though, I know she faced immense challenges in raising us. She worked hard, day and night. She had several part-time jobs, including evening and night work, ensuring that we always had food on the table whilst also being at home when we were young.  

A number of years later, I became a single parent myself. My children were aged 9, 8 and 5 at the time. Thanks to the changes guided by Working Families and championed by progressive employers, I was blessed with a much more positive experience than my mum had. My employer gave me a great deal of flexibility, so that I could continue to work full-time. Of course, it was hard work working full-time alongside looking after three primary school children but then all parenting is hard work, isn’t it! The difference was, I really felt genuinely supported by my employer. It was a privilege to be so present with my young children, an experience that I had missed out on in their first few years due to the demands of work. 

I also began to see a change at the school gates. To start with, I noticed that there weren’t many of us dads doing the school run or going along to school plays and events. Over the next few years, though, there were more and more of us. The inevitable ‘mums’ WhatsApp group had to be renamed to the ‘parents’ group when I joined and other dads followed. 

To an extent, my experiences reflect societal change but still too many families share my mum’s experiences and not enough share mine. When an opportunity arose to become a trustee for Working Families, I knew the stars were aligned. Further societal change needs to be embraced, supported and encouraged. Working Families works with employers, Government and families themselves to improve the choices open to them and lead continuous change for the better in the workplace and in society. 

There is still so much to do.  Many people are still not given access to the choices they need to enable them and their families to thrive. 

I love being part of an organisation which is so focused on helping to achieve the things that my mum didn’t have and which so many still don’t have. I hope I help in some small way by recognising the vast improvements that I benefitted from, and by helping continue the journey. 

Find out more about our Board of Trustees.