Daily struggles for some households are having negative social, emotional and cognitive impacts on parents and children, according to a new survey from children’s charity Barnardos.
The survey found 47% of parents said their children went without or cut down on food, heat, electricity and medicine over the past six months.
It also found that more than a quarter of the number of parents and guardians surveyed said they were always worried about being able to provide their children with daily essentials.
Barnardos Chief Executive Suzanne Connolly the demand for food vouchers has never been so great.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, she said small things that other children take for granted – such as having an ice cream or a pizza – are simply not available to some families.
“Can you imagine what it’s like living in a household where you’re having to make those type of choices about whether to have the heating on, or to have a variety in your diet in terms of food.
“And can you imagine what it’s like for parents having to say to children, ‘we can’t do what your friends are doing’. ‘You can’t have those social activities because we can’t afford it’.”
Ms Connolly says the survey, which was carried out last month, found that 26% of parents are always worried about their ability to provide daily essentials for their children, while 47% percent are forced to cut back or do without heating, electricity, food and medical supplies.
She said once off-measures delivered by the Government to help families cope with cost of living increases, did have a positive impact but that more consistent changes are now needed to have a more lasting effect.
Social welfare must be benchmarked to the minimum essential standards of living, financially vulnerable families should be on the lowest tariff and qualified child allowance should be increased by €5 for under 12s and €10 for over 12s, she said.
The survey sought the views of 1,000 parents and guardians with children aged under 18 in their care.
