70% of parents worry about not being able to provide daily essentials, report finds
Some 47% of parents said they and their children have gone without or cut down on one or more of heat, electricity, medical, and food over the past six months.
A Barnardos cost-of-living report has also revealed that 40% of parents said they had to cut back on clothing for their children. This figure is slightly down from 43% in 2023, but higher than 34% in 2022.
Some 47% also said they have had to cut back on social activities for their children this year. This compares to 57% in 2023.
According to the survey, which was carried out by Amarach Research, 81% said that cost of living increases had negatively affected the children in their care.
Meanwhile, almost two in 10 said it significantly negatively impacted them as well. Lone parents were far more likely to report having gone without or cut back on items.
For example, 30% of lone parents said they and their children cut back on food — in comparison to 17% of two parent families.
Elsewhere, 70% of parents said they sometimes or always worry about not being able to provide their children with daily essentials. 26% said they are always worried about it.
Commenting on the findings, Barnardos CEO Suzanne Connolly said: “Staff across our services are reporting that the cost-of-living increases are having a detrimental impact on the health and wellbeing of the children in the families we support.
“Unfortunately, the result of our latest survey shows similar levels of children and families going without essentials when compared to last year, when inflation was at an historic high, and the Government had put numerous support measures in place.
“There is a risk that without additional targeted supports this year, as prices remain high, more and more children will be pulled into deprivation and will go without for longer.”
Last week, at the inaugural child poverty and wellbeing summit, Taoiseach Simon Harris said it his him ambition to make sure that Ireland becomes the best country in Europe to be a child.
He said: “I am very conscious standing here today, as Taoiseach of one of the wealthiest countries in the European Union, that there are still too many children who go to bed hungry; that there are still far too many children who don’t have a roof over their head; that there are still too many children who don’t have that opportunity to reach their full potential through no fault of their own.”
However, in order to make this a reality, Barnardos said that the Government must “increase the Qualified Child by a minimum of €5 for under 12s, and €10 for over 12s” in social welfare payments.
It also wants the Government to benchmark social welfare payments “in line with minimum essential standard of living measurements”.
And finally, it would like “all financially vulnerable families to be automatically placed on the lowest energy tariffs”.
Barnardos commissioned Amarach Research to carry out a nationally representative survey with 1,000 parents and guardians with children under 18 years of age in their care. The survey was carried out in April of this year.
