Ms Susanne Rogers:

Social Justice Ireland welcomes the opportunity to make a submission to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Children and Equality on the topic of child poverty and deprivation. Child poverty does not exist in a vacuum. Children live in families, households and society. They are impacted by the physical environment in which they live. They are also one of the most vulnerable groups in any society. Consequently, the issue of child poverty deserves particular attention. The current surplus of resources available to the Government represents a major opportunity to address once and for all this persistent and damaging problem. Childhood lasts a lifetime and childhood experiences of poverty are linked with adverse outcomes in almost all areas of life. A recent study found that even a short-term or one-off experience of poverty in childhood is enough to affect a child's development. The establishment of a child poverty and well-being programme office in the Department of the Taoiseach is a welcome development and one that must be continually underpinned by real strategic action. It is an acknowledgement that Ireland is experiencing high, stubborn levels of child poverty, that the issue is multifaceted and it also demonstrates a willingness to tackle it Child poverty, however, is essentially an issue of low-income families. One in seven children is affected, or one in five once housing costs are factored in. This figure highlights the scale of such households across the State. Investments made now, while requiring considerable resources, will reap substantial rewards for individuals and society in the longer term. Child poverty solutions hinge on issues such as adequate adult social welfare rates, decent rates of pay and conditions for working parents and adequate and available public services.

If the Government really wants to deliver on child poverty and well-being commitments, then it must make income adequacy for vulnerable households and investment in public services and infrastructure a priority.

Adequate levels of social welfare are essential to addressing poverty. In general, the fluctuations in the poverty rates of those largely dependent on the welfare system has correlated in the past with policy moves that allowed the value of welfare payments to fall behind wage growth before eventually increasing these payments to catch up. This highlights the need for sustainable solutions over reliance on short-term interventions.

The Government has clear anti-poverty commitments outlined in the current roadmap for social inclusion and the sustainable development goals. Given that those most at risk of poverty are often the most reliant on the social protection system, if they are not to fall behind the rest of society at times of economic growth, the benchmarking of welfare rates to wage rates is essential.

Our submission focuses on the six areas identified by the child poverty and well-being programme office as having the potential to make the most difference to those children living in poverty. These measures are wide ranging - from the benchmarking and indexation of social welfare rates to the living wage, housing first for families and refundable tax credits for low income workers. We look forward to engaging with the committee on these issues.