Single parents are calling for the Constitution to be amended to explicitly recognise families that are not based on marriage, and for all State documents such as passports to be updated to reflect that diversity of family life.

Louise Bayliss, co-founder of single parents group, Spark, said: “Every single parent has to say their home is not a family home due to the conveyancing form. Every single parent has to go through legal hoops to get a passport for their child. It’s stressful, demeaning and can be expensive.

“We want the Constitution to recognise single parents and their children as families.”

Section 2 of the Family Home Protection Act 1976 a “family home” is recognised as a “dwelling in which a married couple ordinarily reside”.

This section of the act was, legal experts advised, originally devised to protect a woman’s home if her husband tried to sell it.

However, the legislation has not been updated and doesn’t take into account single-parent families.

Likewise, under the Passports Act 2008, consent is sought from both parents or guardians for the issuing of a child’s passport, regardless if one parent is absent.