Barnardos Ireland Launches Its Annual Christmas Appeal as Record Numbers Seek Support

Thursday 27th November: Barnardos children’s charity today calls on the public for urgent support this Christmas as newly released figures reveal a surge in demand for its services.

• 35,649 children and adults were supported by Barnardos in 2024, a 37% increase on the previous year and the highest level ever recorded.
• By 7th December 2025, Barnardos will have already surpassed last year’s total number of directly supported children and families relying on its services.
• Issues like domestic violence, the cost of living crisis and homelessness are placing severe pressure on families already under strain.
• Rising referrals, mounting pressure on waiting lists and increasingly complex needs are driving demand across Barnardos 56 service locations nationwide.

More children and families turned to Barnardos in 2024 than in any previous year. Through practical, emotional and therapeutic supports delivered in family homes, schools and communities across Ireland, the charity worked with over 35,600 children and families, a number set to rise before the end of 2025.

Barnardos mission is to ensure every vulnerable child in Ireland receives the support they need to overcome adversity. The latest figures are a stark reminder of how many children are struggling and how essential services like Barnardos are working in communities across Ireland providing hope and stability.

Launching this year’s Christmas Appeal, Mary Gamble, Barnardos Director of Fundraising, said:

“Barnardos staff are seeing families with increasingly complex, overlapping needs such as the impact of long-term emergency housing, domestic violence, addiction and traumatic bereavement. Many are facing several of these issues at once and at the centre are children who urgently need our support.

“Our Christmas Appeal is vital in generating the funds needed to provide our frontline service for vulnerable children. While the festive season is a joyful time for many, for families living with financial and social hardship it brings real fear and worry. As early as September, the parents we support are already asking how they will afford food, heating, and even the small gifts that make Christmas magical for their children.

“Our teams work intensively throughout this period to ensure vulnerable children experience stability, care, and the joy of Christmas. The support we provide goes far beyond meeting material needs, it offers dignity, reassurance and a sense of belonging that can shape a child’s life long after the holidays are over.”

Barnardos is urging members of the public to support its Christmas Appeal – Because Childhood Lasts a Lifetime.

Donate at www.barnardos.ie 

ENDS