Over 250,000 children left in poverty in Ireland as campaigners demand ‘Children’s Budget 2026’

The Government is being urged to use Budget 2026 to deliver targeted income supports to children living in the “deepest levels of poverty,” as new figures show more than one in five Irish children are experiencing enforced deprivation.

At the launch of End Child Poverty Week, the Children’s Rights Alliance (CRA) said over 256,000 children in Ireland are going without basic essentials such as food, heating and clothing.

Tanya Ward, Chief Executive of the CRA, said the ongoing cost-of-living crisis and inflation are “raining down on children and young people” in families already stretched to breaking point.

“We cannot discuss ways to mitigate the impact of child poverty without discussing the role income plays in perpetuating inequality,” she said. “Constant worry about eye-watering increases to daily essentials like milk, bread and butter leaves little room to even contemplate the components of a happy childhood like birthday parties, social outings or afterschool activities.”

The Alliance is calling for Budget 2026 to be a “Children’s Budget”, including a €15 weekly increase in the Child Support Payment for children over 12 and a €6 increase for children under 12. According to the group, current welfare supports fall well short of covering the real cost of raising a child, particularly for older children in secondary school.

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A new RED C poll commissioned by the Alliance found strong public support for these proposals.71% of people believe the Government should increase social welfare supports for children in low-income families and 73% agree that additional means-tested child support should be introduced.

Ward said that while previous budgets included one-off top-ups and bonus payments, these did not close the widening gap between low-income families and the Minimum Essential Standard of Living. “Universal increases alone won’t cut it. Unless we see tangible changes in targeted supports for families trapped in consistent poverty, we will not break the cycle,” she said.

Tanya and the CRA are "urging the Government to think bigger when it comes to Budget 2026 if it is to be the first of successive budgets that sustain investment behind the drive to reduce child poverty.”