Our Children Deserve Better: Tackling Child Poverty
NIAPN 2024 AGM; Keynote Speaker: Fiona McHardy Poverty Alliance

Tuesday 23 April, 11am
UNISON, Galway House, 165 York St, Belfast

Register today:
NIAPN2024AGM.eventbrite.co.uk

Our Key Ask #3 is to provide support for private renters affected by Local Housing Allowance.

Rent has been rising at unprecedented levels in Northern Ireland, almost twice as fast as anywhere else in the UK.

lawcentreni.org/key-ask-3/

Our Key Ask # 2 is mitigating the two-child limit.

Research has shown families in Northern Ireland are disproportionately affected by the two-child limit due to larger average family sizes.

lawcentreni.org/key-ask-2/

Our Key Ask # 1 is resolving the five-week wait in Universal Credit.

In its UK Poverty 2023 report, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation highlights the five-week wait as one of the key elements in the benefit system that increases poverty.

lawcentreni.org/key-ask-1/

We've published an updated briefing on our key asks and next steps.

We hope that members and elected representatives will advocate for these asks in their daily work. They will go a long way to protecting those affected by financial hardship and poverty.

lawcentreni.org/briefing-paper…

OUT TODAY via Communities NI

NI Poverty And Income Inequality Report 22/23

communities-ni.gov.uk/publications/n…

Crystal clear that:
- Benefit Cap mitigations #CliffEdge25 must be addressed as a matter of urgency
- 2 child cap mitigation should be centrepiece of any new mitigations

Relative poverty=people living in households w/ income below 60% of the average for that year compared to the rest of population.1 child in 4 in NI feeling that reality often translating into⬇️social/emotional wellbeing,⬇️educational &health outcomes,⬆️need/costs for pub services

The fact that “single with children” is listed as the family type most vulnerable to living in relative poverty underscores the urgent need to mitigate the two child limit and extend the benefit cap mitigations.

The findings in this report are really concerning. In 2022/23, approximately 271,000 individuals in Northern Ireland were considered to be living in absolute poverty.

The percentage of children living in relative poverty is 24% compared to 18% in 2021/22.

Delighted to see this too!

Food insecurity was a big issue coming out of Women's Consortium & UlsterUni LawClinic research with local women - 78% reported feeling cold or hungry as a result of Cost of Living increases

The Northern Ireland Poverty and Income Inequality Report underscores the urgent need to address poverty here.

It is time to act now with an Anti-Poverty Strategy urgently needed, as well as action on the five-week wait, the two-child limit and support for private renters.

Just think about this statistic - 46% of all children in 3+ families were in relative poverty with the two-child limit a clear driver

Keeping the two-child limit is a political choice, it need not be like this Cliff Edge Coalition NI Communities NI Dr Ciara Fitzpatrick

Addressing social security challenges in partnership!

Listen to Siobhan Harding from Women's Support Net talk about our collaborative working approach and why it is more critical than ever.

To join Cliff Edge, contact Rebekah Corbett [email protected]

vimeo.com/manage/videos/…

Rise in child poverty statistics to a record high is a clear message to Government to scrap the two-child limit Cliff Edge Coalition NI

Looking forward to giving evidence to Assembly Committee for Communities on the Indep Review of #DiscretionarySupport , along with Les allamby who will speak to the Welfare Mitigations Review. Scheduled for 25 April, I will be speaking about our findings and recommendations: communities-ni.gov.uk/publications/d…

It has been noted by NI Audit Office that the 2021-2022 stats have been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic and they do not incorporate the impact of the cost of living crisis - which is likely to have worsened child poverty #ChildPoverty

Today’s report offers a valuable opportunity to learn lessons for the development of this new strategy.