CHILDREN ARE bearing the brunt of the recession, with close to a third affected by some form of deprivation, according to a new report.
Poverty and deprivation is higher for children than for adults and has worsened with the economic downturn, the report by the Economic and Social Research Institute finds.
Child-specific deprivation rates are worst, at more than 20 per cent, in one-parent units and in families with low income, a father out of work or a mother with no qualifications, a disability or aged under 29.
Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton, who has been criticised by lone parents for her plans to remove child benefit from one-parent families for children over seven, said the report showed the importance for children of parents staying on in education.
“It is important to build up childcare systems that allow parents parenting on their own to be full participants in education and in the workforce and ultimately to be financially independent and to have an income to support their children with,” she said, speaking at the publication of the report yesterday.
According to the research, 30 per cent of children were in households experiencing deprivation, compared to under 20 per cent in 2008. The rate of deprivation was 23 per cent in the general population in 2010.
Deprivation rates for Irish children are high relative to other countries in western Europe.
In houses experiencing deprivation, many parents are diverting resources or are otherwise able to protect against deprivation specific to children, the report states.
Instability in the parents’ relationship increases the risk of child-specific deprivation, even in households that are not otherwise deprived, it finds.
Deprivation is measured by a household’s access to basic items such as food, clothing and heating. Child-specific deprivation differs in being based on factors such as having adequate food and clothing, books, toys and games, as well as school trips and doctor/dentist visits.
According to the ESRI, mothers’ employment is important in protecting children from child-specific deprivation, while all forms of deprivation are lower where the parents have high levels of educational attainment.
Ms Burton said that although the figures dated back to the time of the last government, she remained concerned at the findings and insisted that addressing issues of child poverty was a Government priority.
“The report supports international and national evidence that addressing poverty requires a multidimensional long-term strategy that cuts across many policy domains.
“I look forward to working with colleagues across Government, to not only address child poverty but also promote the longer-term wellbeing of children and improve children’s life chances.”
Ms Burton also said Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn and Minister for Children Frances Fitzgerald were “fully supportive” of her stand on the proposed withdrawal of benefits from the children of one-parent families after the age of seven.
Ms Burton proposed the measure in the last budget but last week she made its introduction conditional on a “credible and bankable commitment” in the next budget on affordable childcare to allow affected parents to return to work.
