An overwhelming majority of people believe families struggling to pay for winter coats, school shoes or nutritious meals for their children deserve more support from the State than other families, new research from the Children’s Rights Alliance suggests.
More than 60 per cent of 1,006 people polled by the market research company Red C said there should be increases in social welfare to children in low-income families instead of an increase in the universal child benefit payment.
More than three quarters said social welfare payments for children in low-income families should be increased while more than 80 per cent said the budget should invest in additional resources for preschool services that support children in low-income families.
The poll for the alliance was conducted last month among what was described as a nationally representative sample of adults aged 18 years and over.
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In advance of the budget it highlighted the need for targeted anti-poverty budget measures rather than blanket increases.
Citing reports of moves to increase the universal child benefit payment for all children or roll out another once-off double payment, the chief executive of the alliance, Tanya Ward, said most people “are in favour of a more targeted approach, with two-thirds in favour of increasing supports to children in low-income families instead of increasing the universal payment”.
She said one in five children experienced deprivation last year with many families “focused on just surviving the next few days. These families need additional support to keep their head above water, and these results tell us the public recognise this and want resources directed towards helping them.”
[ One in five children in Ireland live in households unable to buy them shoesOpens in new window ]
“A continuation of ‘once-off’ and ‘top-up’ payments will not help the children and families most in need,” Ms Ward said. “It’s just not enough to support families experiencing multiple deprivations and very low incomes who are literally in the cold trying to figure out how to stretch their income to cover the bare essentials.”
The alliance wants the Qualified Child payment to be increased by €6 a week for children under 12 and €15 a week for children over 12.
“In a giveaway budget, raising this targeted payment is not a tall ask. What we are calling for are supports that enable these families to keep milk in the fridge that week, to buy a packet of vests or a raincoat for the winter months or afford the pair of football boots so their teenager can play with his friends. Denying them this basic dignity for the sake of bonus payments for everyone leaves these children further behind and goes against the Government’s ambition of reducing child poverty.”
It also wants the free schoolbook scheme to be widened to include the senior cycle and an expansion of the hot school meals programme as well as an investment of €1 million in a pilot initiative to address the issue of ‘holiday hunger’.
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