One in ten Northern Ireland children in poverty

Save the Children says that one in ten children living in Northern Ireland are in relative poverty. That amounts to 40,000 children who are unable to be properly cared for.

From the BBC, we find out more about the statistics from Save the Children.

Head of Save the Children in Northern Ireland Fergus Cooper said that number would rise in 2011.

He said cuts in the executive's spending would begin to take effect and result in job losses.

He suggested that unless the government takes urgent action many more children will fall into severe poverty.

"Families are getting by on less than £7,000 a year for a lone parent with one child and less than £12,500 for a couple with two children," he said.
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The Northern Ireland figures are part of a UK-wide report, Severe Child Poverty: An Update, commissioned by Save the Children from the New Policy Institute, which reveals that 1.6m children across the UK live in the deepest poverty, a figure the charity said is "unacceptably high".

The report also revealed that in Northern Ireland there is a higher likelihood of severe poverty among children in households where no-one is employed. About 29% of children in workless families are affected by severe poverty compared to around 4% of children in families where at least one parent works.

The figures also show that the risk is far higher among children living in lone parent households. And they indicate that the problem is worse in western counties with severe child poverty standing at 12%, compared to 7% in the east and a level of 5% in Belfast.

Over 100,000 NI children 'live in poverty'

from the Irish Times

Over 100,000 children are living in poverty in Northern Ireland, it was revealed today.

Rising food and fuel bills could bring more young people into deprivation in the next few years, a report added.

Among the 47 recommendations contained in the report, by the Committee for the Office of the First and Deputy First Ministers (OFMDFM), were that more affordable childcare must be provided to allow struggling parents to go back to work and there should be re-doubled efforts to encourage uptake of benefits.

“Having more than 100,000 children living in poverty in the 21st century is totally unacceptable,” the report said.

A typical refill of home heating oil now costs almost £600 in Northern Ireland, while the price of food staples like bread and cereals has soared because of worldwide shortages and increased production costs.

The report called for the ministerial executive to put pressure on the British government to provide further support for low income families.

“The committee identified that one of the most significant barriers to employment for low income families is the lack of availability of good quality, affordable childcare in Northern Ireland,” the report added.

“This is particularly the case for lone parent families with a child who has a disability and is also a specific problem in rural areas.

“The committee is of the view that childcare provision in Northern Ireland is woefully inadequate.”

Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People Patricia Lewsley said the report was a powerful reminder of the urgent need to tackle the misery that blights so many children’s lives.

Quarter of Northern Ireland children 'living in poverty'

from Ireland Com

More than 100,000 children in Northern Ireland - one in four - are living in poverty, according to figures released by Save the Children today.

The children's charity called on First Minister the Rev Ian Paisley and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness to make eradication of child poverty one of the key priorities of the new Executive.

The call was made in Save the Children's first annual report on the state of child poverty in Northern Ireland - A 2020 Vision - announced at Clifton House, Belfast's former Poor House.

Alex Tennant, a researcher with the charity, said: "The eradication of child poverty should be the priority goal of the new Assembly, transforming society, making it a better, fairer, safer place for our children, and for all of us.

It was estimated that there were 130,000 children in poverty in Northern Ireland in 1999 - now reduced to 100,000 - and that it should be cut to 65,000 by 2010. That means action is needed to take 35,000 children out of poverty in the next three years if the 2010 transitional target is to be reached.

The Save the Children report said the restoration of the Assembly, coupled with the main parties' commitment to tackling the issue, had created positive conditions for progress.