Barnardos urges no cuts to child benefit

Children’s charity Barnardos is calling on the Government not to cut child benefit in next week’s budget

At the launch of its budget campaign in Dublin, the charity urged the Government to spare already hard-pressed families further hardship in the budget

Barnardos CEO Fergus Finlay said that, while ministers and EU commentators talk of Ireland emerging from the recession and the bailout agreement, parents around the country continue to feel despair and hopelessness at the extent of stress and financial pressure they are experiencing on a daily basis just to put food on the table for their children.

“The challenges facing the families we talked to are heartbreaking. Every single parent wants to give their children the best they can. But the impact of five brutal budgets is pushing them to the limits. Many parents have told us that putting food on the table for their children often means going without food themselves.”

Mr Finlay said that, if the Government believes the country is on the road to recovery, it needs to reflect this in the budget by not hitting families already at breaking point.

“If the Government is hopeful Ireland is on the road to recovery, they must transfer this hope to families and communities who are reeling from ongoing cuts to supports and services.”

“A family with four children has lost €1,638 as a result of direct cuts to child benefit and the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance since 2011. Budget 2014 must show that the Government are in touch with reality and spare families any further hardship,” he said.

In advance of the budget, Barnardos is calling for:

* Child Benefit to be retained at the current level.

* Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance to be increased.

* Family Income Supplement for those in low paid jobs to be maintained.

In education, the charity is calling for:

* The introduction of a mandatory school book rental scheme in all schools.

* Investment in affordable quality childcare and after-school care services.

In health, Barnardos is calling for:

* The roll-out of free medical care to all children beginning with free GP care.

* Sufficiently resource the Child and Adolescent Mental Health teams as well as the Community Mental Health Teams.

The charity also urged that the Child and Family Agency must be appropriately resourced to ensure that it can work with families at a preventative stage rather than only respond to families in crisis.