Barnardos call on parties to offer 'concrete details' on plans for families in need

Vivienne Clarke

The CEO of children’s charity Barnardos has called on all political parties to offer concrete details about how they are going to invest in services for families in need.

Speaking on RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland, Suzanne Connolly said there was now an opportunity for the political parties to clarify their plans.

“So this is their opportunity. I'm calling on all of them today to do that because I think the certainty of the intent could be there if they put the resources behind it.”

According to its annual report, which was published today, there was a 25 per cent increase in the number of people supported by Barnardos last year.

The charity worked with 26,009 children and adults impacted by adversity and childhood trauma in 2023.

Ms Connolly said that the State had not invested in long standing family services for decades.

“The state and the government will invest in youth services, but not in those services that are the heart of the community. So we're constantly operating on a deficit, constantly having to say we just don't have the resources. So we're calling on the new government to do something about that, to invest not just in Barnardos but in the community and voluntary sector as a whole, because we do fantastic work.

“Fifty percent of our referrals are from Tusla. So we are working with the hard end in terms of risk to children. Everybody knows there are some children who are really in need of the types of services that we provide.

"So we want proper investment. We also want a family home strategy because the stress on children and parents by the failure to deliver in that context is just devastating.”

Ms Connolly also called for proper resources and services for families with children with disabilities.