Across Ireland, children are affected greatly by the recession. “In 2009, there were more than 96,000 children living in consistent poverty in Ireland – 28,000 more than the year before – and there were more than 205,000 children at risk of poverty”(End Child Poverty Coalition, 2011). Children are affected in many ways socially and educationally because families are lacking the income. Families have been put further into poverty due to loss of jobs, decrease in wages, and tax and welfare changes that have caused take-home income to be decreased.
Some of the things that children suffering with child poverty report that they are affected by the increased financial difficulty at home affect them in a number of ways including: experiencing hunger more often, they are living in damp and cold house as bills are unable to be paid regularly and the threat of being cut off from essential services such as heat and gas is significant. They are also unable to attend extra curricular activities or even birthday parties due to lack of disposable income.
Although education is a key to getting out of poverty many children are unable to attend school because they are unable to afford it. Those who do attend show up hungry and struggle. Others are unable to afford the books or mock exams to help them succeed in school. Many are also being delayed entrance into school because they have not obtained their required psychological assessment.
Many families are also unable to afford health care and some take their children to the pharmacist for advice but this increases the risk of children going undiagnosed. “These inequalities continue as Ireland’s two-tier health system means that service availability and treatment are largely based on the individual’s ability to pay rather than the patient’s need” (End Child Poverty Coalition, 2011).
I did find a link to You Tube while looking into the poverty in Ireland. I plan to watch some of the videos this weekend. I also hope that I may be able to find a professional contact.
http://www.youtube.com/user/BarnardosIreland
It is sad that children have to suffer for any reason especially since while as a child they are the victim in what is happening around them. Families are suffering around the world due to the rising cost of everything and our children are the ones suffering.
End Child Poverty Coalition. (2011). Child poverty: Ireland in recession. Retrieved from:http://www.barnardos.ie/assets/files/Advocacy/ECPC%20Child%20Poverty%20in%20Ireland%202011.pdf
aprilpettis 
Mar 18, 2012 @ 22:17:42
That number is very high. It seems as if something could be done to lower that number. It really affects me to read so much about childhood poverty knowing that it is nothing the children can do about this. It really seems that if doctors know that parents can not afford health care they would find it in thier hearts to do it for free.