12 October 2021. Barnardos welcomes commitments outlined today in Budget 2022, many of which will go some way to alleviating the stresses and pressures families experiencing disadvantage deal with on a day to day basis. The children’s charity however cautions that this should not be seen as a once off reaction to help families ‘get back to normal’ after the pandemic.
Barnardos CEO Suzanne Connolly said: “The reality is that normal is a fairy tale for many children and families, and the Government need to react accordingly. Budget 2022 should be a starting point to improve the lives of vulnerable children and families on which all future budgets routinely and consistently build. Multiple measures set out in the budget today will provide much needed help to vulnerable families and children. We particularly welcome commitments to increase social welfare payments, equalising back to school allowance for single and two parent families, expansion of the hot school meals programme and widening childcare support to more families living in disadvantaged circumstances. However, while positive and welcome, we must acknowledge that they only go some way to addressing the many significant challenges and difficulties these families face.
Below we highlight the announcements made today in comparison to our pre-budget recommendations.
- Increase funding for family support services.
It is very welcome to see an increase of €41 million for Tusla’s budget next year, however, it is crucial some of this additional funding filters down to the Community and Voluntary organisations providing frontline services. - Reduce schools costs.
We support increasing the back to school allowance by €10, equalising the threshold for one and two parent families, something Barnardos’ has long campaigned for, and expanding the hot school meals programme by a further €4million. However, we know that the measures only go some way to addressing the issues disadvantaged families and children face in relation to school and education, and are disappointed voluntary contributions and schools books were not addressed. - Tackle child waiting lists.
A commitment to tackle hospital and community waiting lists through a €250 million fund though welcome does not provide appropriate reassurance that sufficient funds will be allocated to address the specific needs of children. - Review and extend government childcare schemes.
Increasing funding to the childcare system by €78 million will better guarantee quality of provision for all children. Providing €9 million specifically to broaden the National Childcare Scheme will benefit vulnerable children experiencing disadvantage, in particular, those whose parents are unemployed or on low incomes. - Domestic violence
It is disappointing to see the government provided no additional funding towards domestic, sexual, and gender based violence services.
ENDS
Notes to Editor
Barnardos Pre Budget Submission
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