Barnardos has today launched its annual Pre-Budget Submission and for the first time is calling on the Government to address gaps in funding for Family Support services delivered by the charity and others.
Dublin, 11 July 2019 – Barnardos has today launched its annual Pre-Budget Submission and for the first time is calling on the Government to address gaps in funding for Family Support services delivered by the charity and others. The organisation is also urging the Government to use Budget 2020 to make a number of sustainable investments, which would support Ireland’s most vulnerable children to reach their full potential.
Suzanne Connolly, Barnardos CEO, said: “Since 2007, Barnardos has published a Children’s Budgetwith the aim of putting children’s interests at the centre of the budgetary decision-making process. For the first time ever, we are calling on the government to adequately fund Family Support services. Budget 2020 can begin to do this by, restoring a funding cut imposed on Barnardos and other organisations receiving funding under Service Level Agreements from Tusla Child and Family Services, at a cost of €3 million.
“Earlier this year Barnardos commissioned Just Economics, an independent research company, to investigate the effect that funding cuts imposed over a decade ago are having on our ability to deliver services to children and their families. As part of the research, Barnardos managers highlighted that cases have become more complex, there has been an increase in waiting lists and pressure to close cases early. The report authors also compared Ireland’s expenditure on preventable social problems with ten European countries and they found that Ireland performs second worst. The authors conclude that due to the underfunding of services, Ireland is spending €6.95bn more on addressing preventable social problems.
Barnardos’ Children’s Budget also recommends the Government provides increased funding for health services, targeted social welfare payments, resources to prevent, and support those experiencing homelessness and to begin to introduce truly free education.
Ms. Connolly continued: “Barnardos vision is a country where every child can reach their full potential and this can only be achieved by targeting income supports at the poorest families, providing a well-resourced health service and ensuring that all children get the same opportunities in school through the introduction of free education”.