Government strategies to end child poverty are missing the most vulnerable, the End Child Poverty Coalition will say today.
In its pre-Budget submission, the coalition will argue that while increases in child benefit have helped all children, the Budget must finally provide for an increase in the child dependent allowance (CDA).
This benefit, which is payable to the 230,000 poorest children in the State, has not been increased since 1994.
Some 237,000 children are in relative or income poverty while 66,000 live in consistent poverty.
Consistent poverty is living without a substantial meal every day or a warm winter coat, while relative or income poverty is living below a certain percentage of the average industrial wage.
The Government, in its National Anti-Poverty Strategy, sets 2007 as its target for eliminating consistent child poverty.
The numbers of children living in income poverty has remained "stubbornly static" over the past four years.
"Part of the reason for this," according to Ms Liz Kerrins, policy officer with the coalition, "is that a lot of the focus of anti-poverty policy is around job creation. While there is no doubt that this has reduced consistent poverty, it is not enough to really tackle relative poverty."
The coalition is calling for an increase in CDA from about €17 to €28 a week. Child benefit, it says, should increase from €131.60 to €149.90 a month.
