Denise Charlton: Child poverty must not be our shameful legacy

Almost 5,000 children in emergency accommodation and 230,000 in material deprivation. Something has gone badly wrong

There are an increasing number of families who do not have a place to call home. In the three years since the Children's Rights Alliance first partnered with Community Foundation Ireland to produce the original Child Poverty Monitor, the number of children in emergency accommodation has increased by 1,747 to 4,775. File picture

We remain at risk of being the first generation in modern times to hand over a poorer society to our children. This forecast of shame should be a national call to action so we can finally break the cycle of poverty and disadvantage.

The findings in the 2025 Child Poverty Monitor by the Children's Rights Alliance add to the growing body of evidence and research showing that more and more children and their families are faced with impossible decisions of heating their home or getting a dinner together that night or buying a warmer coat for winter.