Latest news with #Children'sRightsAlliance
Irish Independent
25-06-2025
- Health
- Irish Independent
‘Over 10 years later, I still suffer from panic attacks' – people who were in child residential care tell of troubles they faced in system
He painted a sad picture of his chaotic early years in the care system at an event organised by the Children's Rights Alliance, attended by Children's Minister Norma Foley. When the system worked, it worked really well, he said, but when it failed, it could leave you feeling more defeated than before, he told the gathering of children's rights advocates yesterday. He 'absolutely hated' his first residential placement. It was a perfect picture of 'children should be seen and not heard'. He felt like a case file or a problem to be solved, rather than a child. He was suffering from severe mental health difficulties due to trauma early in life. 'I was given no privacy, no autonomy and no real voice in my care,' he said. 'Decisions about my life were never mine to be involved in. I didn't have access to any real meaningful mental health support.' They were told the only way to stop my panic attacks was to ignore them He said he was made to feel ashamed if he ended up in hospital. 'I remember when they were told that the only way to stop my panic attacks was to ignore them,' he said. 'No one stood up and said that doesn't sound quite right. Instead, if I dared to have a panic attack, staff were instructed to completely ignore me for up to an hour. 'Over 10 years later, and I still suffer from panic attacks.' The next home was the opposite. His room had art supplies and teddies and staff paid attention to the things that made life worth living for him. He started to act his age and felt less institutionalised. 'I finally felt heard, seen and safe,' he said. 'I was never made to feel like I was seen as a case file. I was seen as Kai.' As an early school-leaver, he felt he would never see the walls of a college, but last week he got a first-class honours in his social care degree. He called for the voices of children in care to be heard when reforms to the system are considered and more support for young people after they reach 18. 'At times my mental health had to be in crisis before anyone listened or acted, a failure that not only nearly cost me my life, but took my best friend from me at age 16, a loss and pain too well known within this community,' he said. There is a need for up to 300 social workers to respond to increasing demand Andrea Reilly, who suffers from foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), said she found it a challenge to access services and support while in foster care. She felt support was crisis-led. 'Unless the shit really hits the fan, you're not going to get the support needed as quick as other people,' she said. Kate Duggan, CEO of Tusla, said there is a need for up to 300 social workers to respond to increasing demand, and an extra 200 beds in residential care. Due to staffing challenges, a social worker apprenticeship scheme is in place, which she described as a 'gamechanger'. However, it will take up to three years to see the outcome on the ground. The Children's Rights Alliance is calling for an additional €50m in Budget 2026 to provide investment in core child protection and welfare services. Ms Foley said a new framework for alternative care to support children and young people will be complete by the summer of 2026.
Irish Examiner
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
Government should shoulder payroll costs in childcare sector, Oireachtas committee told
The Government should take on the payroll costs of childcare providers and make early years educators public sector workers as part of essential reform to the system, an Oireachtas committee has heard. Children's Rights Alliance CEO Tanya Ward told TDs and Senators on the Oireachtas Children's Committee that it could be a 'groundbreaking move'. She said that one in four early years educators are leaving the sector and the main issue is the 'lack of parity of esteem' with the likes of primary school teachers. 'They all go in with the same aspirations, but the primary school teachers will stay in that area of education,' she said. 'And the early years educators won't because they can't live on the wages and salaries. And then any move forward towards affordability, a move towards a public model, the first thing has to be recognition and pay and conditions for the staff working in the services.' In a wide-ranging hearing, the Children's Rights Alliance also fielded questions around the safety of kids online and data on child poverty. Online safety Describing the availability of pornography as a 'massive issue', Ms Ward said the younger a child is when they come into contact with violent pornography, the more damaging it is. 'We are hearing, as you would know, from the rape crisis centers,' she said. 'They are saying it seems to be a feature in some of the sexual assaults that are happening for teenagers. And some of those teenagers present as adults when they come looking for treatment. 'It should be the case that no child should arrive and land on a pornography site, and we need to put the onus actually on the provider to ensure they don't have children accessing the site.' Child poverty She also said that statistics have shown that over 100,000 children in Ireland are living in consistent poverty, 'feeling the grind of deep poverty and the isolation of social exclusion day in, day out'. This has been exacerbated by the housing crisis, leaving thousands of children living day-to-day in emergency accommodation. As well as that, children are living in overcrowded accommodation which is impacting their education and growth. On Monday, Taoiseach Micheál Martin told the National Economic Dialogue that recent increases in the number of children living in poverty must become a 'temporary spike, out of line with the overall trend'. 'Therefore, for Budget 2026, I have asked my ministerial colleagues to plan and come forward with measures that will really make the difference to the most vulnerable families and children,' he said.
Extra.ie
17-06-2025
- Business
- Extra.ie
Two-tier children's allowance now likely in October's budget
Extra child benefit payments for lower-income families are being discussed ahead of the October Budget, as Cabinet ministers have been ordered to bring forward ideas to alleviate child poverty. Taoiseach Micheál Martin set out his stall on core issues he hopes to see addressed in Budget 2026, with anti-child poverty measures and a disability package to be prioritised in the formulation of the social welfare package. Today's top videos STORY CONTINUES BELOW Speaking at the National Economic Dialogue in Dublin, one of the main precursor events to the budget negotiations over the summer, the Fianna Fáil leader said 'nothing was off the table' in targeting our most vulnerable children. Taoiseach Micheál Martin. Pic: Michael Chester His comments come as research from the ESRI has found the number of children who are materially deprived rose in 2023, with almost one in five children now deprived, but not at risk of poverty. A separate report from the Children's Rights Alliance, published last week, showed the number of children in consistent poverty had risen by over 45,000 in a year, bringing the total to over 100,000. In a speech at Dublin Castle yesterday, Mr Martin said, despite increased spending on welfare supports, 'the most recent figures show an unwelcome increase in persistent child poverty'. The Fianna Fáil leader said 'nothing was off the table' in targeting our most vulnerable children. Pic: Getty Images 'We need to make sure that this increase turns out to be a temporary spike, out of line with the overall trend. Therefore, for Budget 2026, I have asked my ministerial colleagues to plan and come forward with measures that will really make the difference to the most vulnerable families and children,' he said. An ESRI paper this month found the system of child-related cash and in-kind benefits 'significantly reduces child income poverty and deprivation'. It said the introduction of a second tier of means-tested child benefit payments is the most cost-effective option to prevent child poverty, and would lift 55,000 out of income poverty. The Programme for Government commits to examining a two-tier system of benefits, which includes more targeted payments on top of the universal rate. Asked if the Government would consider the ESRI's suggestion, Mr Martin said 'nothing is off the table' in budget negotiations. Taoiseach Micheál Martin. Pic: Sasko Lazarov/© 'There's a wide menu we can choose from to target resources to meaningfully impact on the child poverty situation. That's not just in terms of income supports, but also in terms of other initiatives in education. For example, the Deis+, which would target more children in particular with severe disadvantage,' he added. According to the ESRI, the effective top-up of the existing €140-a-month child benefit would cost the State € 772 million annually. Mr Martin acknowledged that introducing another tier of support would be costly, but said child poverty will be a priority issue in budget negotiations. The comments come amid a pivot in fiscal policy, with officials signalling capital investment will take precedence over one-off financial supports in budgetary policy over this Dáil term. Finance Minister Jack Chambers and Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe. Pic: Sam Boal/Collins Photos Money ministers Jack Chambers and Paschal Donohoe have ruled out a cost-of-living package for 2026, while it has emerged that income-tax cuts are not being viewed as a priority. A well-placed source confirmed discussions on how the two-tiered system would operate are ongoing. However, they said it is 'too early' to speculate how the scheme might operate and how much funding will be required. The source said it is unlikely the universal child benefit will see any decreases. However, asked if the basic rate will be raised in addition to a second layer of payments being rolled out, the source said the Department of Social Protection's focus will lie with measures for lower-income workers. The Department of Finance. Pic: Gareth Chaney/Collins Photos 'We are still in the very early stages of figuring out what a two-tier child benefit system might look like, and discussions remain active. But the Taoiseach's messaging is clear: child poverty and disability will be two key areas addressed in the social welfare package. And that is what the Department is focusing on.' The source could not elaborate on whether certain middle-income earners will qualify for an extra level of support, saying no decisions have been taken on the parameters of a new system. Another Government source signalled an expansion of existing, lesser-known measures will likely form part of any package. They pointed to the Equal Start initiative which aims to ensure children experiencing disadvantage have equitable access and participation in early learning and care and school-age childcare. It provides universal and targeted supports to families and childcare settings. The initiative currently supports 35,000 children, with a senior Government source saying the programme will likely be further expanded in Budget 2026. The source also indicated more resources will be provided to family resource centres, which provide universal services in disadvantaged areas. Louise Bayliss, head of social justice and policy at St Vincent de Paul, told that older children and teenagers are disproportionately affected by poverty. 'We know the needs of babies and very young children are met under existing social welfare payments. However, the older children get, the wider the gap between their needs and the State supports they qualify for grows,' Ms Bayliss said. She said the ESRI's two-tier system does not recognise the difference in needs between children under 12 and those older than 12. Meanwhile, one senior Coalition figure said a separate disability package will be introduced in the budget, which is likely to include the annual cost of disability payments promised in the Programme for Government. The Taoiseach also said yesterday he wants the movement of therapy services into schools to be significantly funded in the budget. He also indicated the process of scrapping the means test for the carers allowance will begin in the next budget.
RTÉ News
11-06-2025
- General
- RTÉ News
Child-related benefits lift 15,000 children out of poverty
Child-related benefits have lifted over 150,000 children out of poverty according to the Economic and Social Research Institute. The study, published as part of the ESRI's Budget Perspectives 2026 series, evaluated the impact of existing benefits on child poverty. It found that Ireland's system of child-related cash and in-kind benefits has significantly reduced child income poverty and deprivation. In-cash benefits such as Child Benefit and Working Families Payment are considered in addition to in-kind child-contingent benefits such as National Childcare Scheme subsidies and free school books and meals. These benefits according to the ESRI are lifting an estimated 157,000 children out of income poverty and 94,000 out of consistent poverty. Yesterday, the Children's Rights Alliance published its latest Child Poverty Monitor which showed that there were almost 103,000 children in households in consistent poverty last year. Consistent poverty describes an income below the relative or at risk of poverty threshold and a person who cannot afford at least two of 11 deprivation indicators. Those indicators include having two pairs of strong shoes, a warm waterproof overcoat and eating meat, chicken, fish or a vegetarian equivalent every second day. The ESRI found that when it accounted for both in-cash and in-kind child benefits, the simulated child At Risk of Poverty (AROP) rate for 2025 was 13.9% (165,000 children). It concluded that in the absence of in-cash benefits, the AROP rate would be 10 percentage points higher. When it examined in-kind benefits, such as free preschool and school meals, the AROP rate would be 1.5 percentage points higher in their absence. Accounting for both in-cash and in-kind child benefits, researchers found a simulated child consistent poverty rate of 5.6%. In the absence of these supports the child consistent poverty rate would be 13.6%. The research explored ways to further reduce child poverty. A proposed second tier of means-tested Child Benefit "emerges as the most cost-effective option" according to the report. It would reduce the child AROP rate by 4.6 percentage points (lifting 55,000 children out of income poverty) and consistent poverty by 2.1 percentage points (lifting 25,000 children out of consistent poverty) - at an annual cost of approximately €772 million.
Irish Examiner
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
Irish Examiner view: What kind of future are we building?
It has long been a cliché to seize upon a particular headline or story as illustrating the seriousness of a society's challenges, the personification of its problems. However, this week offered us a true indictment of our country. The Child Poverty Monitor report for 2025 was launched yesterday by the Children's Rights Alliance, and shows that the consistent poverty rate among children is higher than in any other age group. It also found that the rate also rose significantly last year. The term 'significantly' is appropriate. CEO Tanya Ward said: 'What is deeply concerning is the number of children in consistent poverty, who are living in these conditions perpetually, which rose by a staggering 45,107 in 2024 to 102,977. 'These are children for whom a decent standard of living and aspirations of a better future diminish day by day.' Notwithstanding the untruths promoted by the far right and other bad actors, Ireland is a wealthy country with huge resources. The fact that over 100,000 Irish children are in consistent poverty should be a matter of profound shame for all of us. It is a betrayal of the principles of any civilised democracy that such a situation can develop. As Ms Ward pointed out, not only are those children in the grip of poverty now, their chances of a better future are compromised by the conditions and circumstances we have allowed to become a toxic web this country. The housing and accommodation crisis is clearly one of the dominant strands in that web, which made another announcement yesterday particularly timely. Housing minister James Browne brought proposals to Cabinet for an overhaul of rent pressure zones, which will now apply across the entire country. This move is part of an overall Government plan to attract international investment to kickstart the building of apartments. Facilitating property investment by overseas operators is not a move likely to win favour with many people struggling to find homes, but all options must be considered in a crisis of this scale. That is no exaggeration when over 100,000 children are in poverty, and when the prospect of intergenerational poverty is very real for many of them. Trump's vain display of power Senator Tom Clonan made a telling comparison online yesterday when considering the situation in Los Angeles, where US president Donald Trump has mobilised thousands of National Guard troops. They have been sent to the city in response to the reaction of locals to a series of crackdowns on and arrests in immigrant communities, which included the arrest of a union leader acting as an observer. The National Guard presence has now been augmented by the mobilisation of hundreds of US Marines, a rare instance of US army personnel being deployed on home soil. Nothing says loss of civil control and order quite like sending in the army, no matter the location. As Mr Clonan noted on social media, in a nod to our own recent history, it is 'never a good idea to deploy marines/paratroopers into civilian environment — we learned at considerable cost in Ireland that 'police primacy' is only solution to public disorder'. Whether Trump is genuinely interested in quelling public disorder or has another agenda altogether is another matter entirely. The governor of California is Gavin Newsom, one of the (increasingly numerous) potential Democratic Party candidates who may run for president in 2028. Is Trump trying to blacken Newsom's reputation ahead of that campaign or does he have even baser reasons? We have seen over the decades that military adventures are a tried-and-trusted ploy of US presidents seeking to distract voters from other issues — though such adventures tend to occur abroad rather than at home. Trump has had a well-publicised spat in recent days with X owner Elon Musk —his billionaire backer and one-time sidekick — with the two exchanging various insults online. Sending armed troops to the second-largest city in the US is the kind of expression of raw power that might be expected of someone fond of expressions of raw power. That may be Trump's motivation, but for many others it looks like another marker of US decline — with the end of that decline not yet in sight. Fact or fiction The death of novelist Frederick Forsyth was announced this week. He was 86. A successful journalist in the 60s, he was broke when he hit upon an idea for a thriller, writing The Day of the Jackal in 35 days. The book became a runaway success and Forsyth went on to write a series of thrillers including The Odessa File and The Dogs of War — they sold in their millions and many were also made into successful films. He spent several years living in Wicklow during the 70s, availing of the Irish tax exemption for artists and writers which had been introduced by Charles Haughey. He would later claim that when he told Haughey of his desire to leave Ireland and return to Britain, he was offered a seat in the Seanad — though it might be as well to file that yarn with his claim to have spied for M16 while working as a journalist. In later years, he advocated for Brexit and doubted climate change, but was always honest about his motives. 'I am slightly mercenary,' he said once. 'I write for money.' Read More Irish Examiner view: We need to eradicate TB for good
