The paper constitutes a description of the experiences of single parents in relation to applying for welfare, and, particularly, with the conducting of community interviews. As part of the theoretical introduction the ideas expressed in Polish reference sources pertaining to the problems of single parents are discussed. On the basis of a qualitative analysis of the content of interviews with 12 single mothers the author describes the women’s ambivalent experiences during the stage of applying for welfare. It has been noted that social workers present negative behaviours that might be considered as breaching the natural and indefeasible right to dignity that every human being has, but the workers can also be empathetic and provide genuine help for single parents.