Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The work of the Child Poverty and Well-being Programme Office is to prioritise action across government in areas that will have the greatest affect for children and families experiencing poverty.

From Poverty to Potential: A Programme Plan for Child Well-being 2023-2025was published last year and is the initial Programme Plan for the Child Poverty and Well-being Programme Office in the Department of the Taoiseach. The programme builds on six focus areas identified by Government which have the potential to bring about significant change for families and children.

The role of the Department of the Taoiseach is to co-ordinate and focus government action.

To facilitate this, the Office has established a Cross-Government Network on Child Poverty and Well-being. The Network has met twice to date, with a further meeting scheduled for Q1 2024.

The Programme also envisages a national Child Poverty and Well-Being Summit in 2024. This will be a pivotal moment to take stock of progress and shape the agenda for future action on child poverty.

As well as driving implementation of commitments on the six focus areas, the Office will also undertake strategic initiatives aimed at enhancing the efficiency and efficacy of cross-government responses.

The first of these was a commitment to assisting children and their families, with a particular focus on those who are experiencing poverty, in Budget 2024.

The Programme Office applied a cross-government approach, that culminated in the development of the reportBreaking the Cycle: New Measures in Budget 2024 to Reduce Child Poverty and Promote Well-being published on 14 November.

The report captures new and increased Budget spending across 12 government departments and reveals how the new budget focus is accelerating and deepening our collective ambition for children.