Systemic barriers are keeping families in poverty, summit hears
'I really feel we are completely forgotten about' — One Family's policy manager Carly Bailey quoted the words of one lone parent trapped in poverty. Picture: iStock
The Government must tear down the “systemic barriers” keeping families in poverty, a major conference has heard.
With the budget looming, One Family — which represents single-parent families — said the Government must take urgent action in multiple areas such as housing, childcare, and access to social welfare payments if it is to achieve its goal of reducing child poverty in Ireland.
“There are solutions to the unacceptably high rates of child poverty and deprivation, but we need the political will to action necessary change,” the charity’s policy manager Carly Bailey said.
“These barriers are not unbreakable," she said.
"They were designed by our systems and can be dismantled by the people in the room at this summit.”
On Thursday, Taoiseach Micheál Martin hosted the Child Poverty and Well-being Summit in Dublin’s Aviva Stadium.
The Government said the objective of the summit was to bring together leaders, policymakers, practitioners, and change-makers from across sectors to explore how we can drive systemic change that delivers results for children.
It came after it announced a new child poverty target for 3% of children or less to be living in consistent poverty by 2030. This is against the current figure of 5.5%.
However, an ESRI report published this week suggested that one in five children live in families below the poverty line when housing costs are accounted for. This is similar to the child poverty levels during the financial crisis.
“Families on the lowest incomes face real challenges,” the Taoiseach said.
“That is why our response will target resources to where they are needed most.
In calling on the Government to take action, One Family used testimonials from parents to highlight the situation many like them are facing.
One lone parent said that when her landlord decided to sell her rented apartment, she had to move county and stay with friends and family to avoid having to enter homeless accommodation.
She now pays a quarter of her income for social housing which is damp and mouldy, and without space for her child to play.
Her medical card is going to expire soon and she is not eligible for back-to-school support payments as she works full-time.
“I followed the rules, I played by the handbook, and yet here I am, faced with another barrier," she said.
“I do wonder if I would’ve been better off waiting to go back to work full-time. I’m a working-class single parent and I really feel we are completely forgotten about.”
One Family urged the Government to take several actions to help families like this one, including the development of a new Family Homeless Strategy with the funding and resources required to tackle record rates of homelessness.
It also called for increases to child support payments and the back to school clothing and footwear allowance, including repeat payments at six-month intervals as children grow.
Ms Bailey added: “It’s critical that Government learns from the experiences [parents] shared today and takes the urgent action in Budget 2026 to meaningfully address child poverty and wellbeing.”
