Over the next three years, the Children’s Rights Alliance will:
Build a 2-3 person dedicated team to work on child poverty/social exclusion and improved outcomes across the lifecycle for children and young people.
Establish a Child Poverty Members Steering Group with key influential leaders from the sector to guide and provide direction to the Children’s Rights Alliance child poverty/social exclusion work.
Ensure the next National Policy Framework on Children and Young People contains a specific focus on child poverty.
Publish an annual Child Poverty Monitor to shine a spotlight on the key areas where children and young people continue to experience poverty including in accessing education, healthcare.
Run an End Child Poverty Week in the run up to the Annual Budget to put a national focus on child poverty.
Work to ensure that the Government implements an appropriate reception/accommodation response for Ukrainian refugees with a special focus on child protection/trafficking concerns and education.
Work to ensure that the recommendations in the White Paper on Ending Direct Provision continue to be implemented.
Commission/participate in strategic pieces of research to document the extent and nature of inequality and exclusion of certain groups of vulnerable children and young people.
Participate in pilot projects to highlight and address inequalities.
Impacts
The new National Policy Framework on Children and Young People (BOBF) will contain a specific focus on child poverty and included a suite of actions, including the establishment of a Child Poverty Reduction Implementation Unit, local child poverty plans and a specific target for early intervention and prevention/family support programmes.
Early intervention and prevention are core principles embedded in the next BOBF and key universal services are rolled out (for example, public health nurses for children).
Childcare is nearly free for families on low incomes and the State begins planning childcare to be available alongside education/training options.
The Government rolls out the National Childcare Action Plan with key regulatory measures and education requirements for childminders.
A new scheme with high level wraparounds (DEIS early years type programme) is introduced.
Free schoolbooks are introduced in primary school settings.
Every child is guaranteed a hot meal in their early years’ setting.
Qualified Child Increase (welfare payment) for children increases by 10%.
There are increased investments in play, extracurricular activities and play/recreation infrastructure.
The next Programme for Government adopts a key focus on child poverty, prevention and early intervention and commits to establishing a public early years’ childcare system.
Ensure that the reception system for refugees complies with human rights standards and all families with children live in own-door accommodation in the community.
Ensure that parents in Direct Provision can access the Child Benefit type payment for each of their children.
