Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 14 December 2021

Joint Committee On Children, Equality, Disability, Integration And Youth

Child Poverty: Discussion

Ms Gillian O'Connor:

I think the question was whether families feel that it is difficult to access or ask for help. Our experience is that it can be challenging for families to access help. Within communities where there is multi-generational education inequality and poverty, and with that there is a very real experience of isolation and shame that further marginalises families and makes it really difficult to access services. We believe in community-based services and projects like our own because we are based in the community. We have established long-term relationships with the community. We have a solidarity approach so work alongside children and their families in that community development piece. We really look at how we can challenge those inequalities with families. I think that people and communities do feel that the Government has failed to act.

In terms of tackling poverty, there are very real and tangible issues around housing, health, fuel and food poverty, and the longer-term issues concerning education. I am based at my organisation's homework club in Dolphin House and an important part of our service is to provide hot meals. Such provision assists children to develop socially and we meet a real need. For us it is about those long-term sustainable supports for community-based organisations like ourselves that are needed to tackle poverty. The effects of income poverty are linked to health inequality - children experience more ill health - and there is housing and labour market disadvantage. We see that children in poverty experience multiple and cumulative disadvantages that are inexplicably linked to all of these things. Parents who have access to resources can support their children in things like school readiness, which are really important for their long educational journey.