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25.03.25 Barnardos children’s charity responds to latest CSO wellbeing statistics published today
- The results from the statistics published today show the damaging impact living in poverty and deprivation is having on children across the country.
- The charity is calling for Budget 2026 to focus on reducing poverty and deprivation for families, by taking measures such as expanding fuel allowance and benchmarking social welfare payments to minimal essential standard of living.
- Almost four times as many people experiencing enforced deprivation last year reported low life satisfaction-compared to those not experiencing deprivation (28% compared to 7.7%).
- They were four times more likely to feel down heartened or depressed most or all of the time and similarly four times more likely to say they felt lonely most or all of the time.
20.03.25 Barnardos children’s charity is calling on the Government to provide targeted supports such as increased child support payments and expanding the fuel allowance for struggling families. The calls come on the back of the latest poverty statistics published today by the CSO Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC).
Today’s findings show that the number of children at risk of poverty increased across the country (from 15.3% to 17.2%). The number of children experiencing consistent poverty increased substantially from 4.8% to 8.5%. It is almost certain these figures would have been significantly higher had it not been for the cost of living measures, which the Government has stated they will not be repeating this year.
Children living in one parent families were almost twice as likely to be in consistent poverty compared to those in two parent families (11% compared to 6%). This shows yet again the Government is not doing enough to provide sufficient targeted supports to better protect children most at risk of poverty.
11.03.25 Barnardos children’s charity is calling on the Government to provide targeted supports such as increased child support payments and expanding the fuel allowance for struggling families. The calls come on the back of the latest CSO Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC) statistics published today. The findings show that more than one in five children are living in enforced deprivation – having to go without basic necessities, such as clothing, adequate nutrition and heating in their homes in 2024.
For children living in one parent families this figure was again much higher, with more than two fifths (46.3%) experiencing deprivation.
These statistics mirror what Barnardos is seeing across their services. Families are struggling to provide their children with fundamental basics required for a decent childhood. For far too many their quality of life has continued to worsen. Their incomes are squeezed further to the point of being forced to wait longer to buy new clothes; getting cheaper but inadequate footwear; cutting out all extracurricular activities, among other difficult decisions.
The cost of living measures introduced in previous budgets have helped prevent more children and young people from experiencing deprivation. Once off measures in the budget have clearly gone some way to helping families, providing some respite. As have more permanent measures like extension of hot school meals and free schoolbooks. However, they have clearly not gone far enough. The Government needs to prioritise providing additional targeted supports such as expanding fuel allowance as well as increasing thresholds in order to protect children most at risk of going without basic essentials.
Barnardos CEO Suzanne Connolly said
‘The latest statistics demonstrate little to no progress was made last year in tackling enforced child deprivation, confirming what we are seeing across the country in our services. Too many children are living in homes with parents struggling daily to provide their children with absolute basics. The Government needs to continue targeting supports at families most at risk of being pulled into further deprivation. Action needs to be taken to ensure all children have equal access to necessities like heating, clothing, activities. The things needed for a decent childhood. The longer children experience deprivation the bigger an impact it has on their current and future health, development and overall wellbeing – because childhood lasts a lifetime.’
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Notes to editors:
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