Barnardos claims there isn't enough political will among Government Ministers to end child poverty.
The comments come after the Central Statistics Office today revealed that 8% of children in Ireland are living under the poverty line.
The charity says it's seeing far too many families struggling to access the basics, like food, heating and appropriate housing.
CEO Suzanne Connolly says children deserve to grow up happy and healthy:
"Childhood lasts a lifetime."
"Unfortunately, we know that unless action is taken quickly so too can the impact of poverty."
"Research continues to demonstrate that the longer children live in poverty the worse an impact it has on their future outcomes, particularly health, education and employment."
Barnardos Responds to Child Poverty Statistics #ChildhoodLastsALifetime https://t.co/lFXUwoM6YA pic.twitter.com/xEj4dCZPzT
— Barnardos Ireland (@Barnardos_IRL) December 17, 2021
Access To The Right Support
Suzanne continues to say this has to be stopped, and there has to be a plan to stop other families falling into poverty:
"It is vital we prevent more families entering poverty and make sure that those currently experiencing it are given access to sufficient resources and the right support to exit it as quickly as possible."
