There are “still far too many” Irish children going to bed hungry in a country that is one of the wealthiest in the European Union, the Taoiseach has said.
Simon Harris said he wants to make Ireland the best country to grow up in Europe.
He made the comments as he hosted the inaugural Child Poverty and Well-being summit held at Dublin Castle on Thursday.
More than 300 participants from across Irish society took part in the event.
Leaders from the statutory and non-statutory sector met with policy-makers, service providers, academics, and children and young people in order to chart a new course for Ireland.
Participants discussed how Ireland can play a leadership role in Europe and in the world in its elimination of child poverty.
The views of children and young people was represented through art, music and in an animated video which captures the key concerns of the Summit’s Youth Advisory Group.
Speaking in at the summit, Mr Harris said: “It’s my ambition as Taoiseach to make sure that we become the best country in Europe to be a child.
“I am very conscious standing here today, as the Taoiseach of one of the wealthiest countries in the European Union, that there are still far too many children who go to bed hungry; that there are still far too many children who don’t have a roof over their head; that there are still too many children who don’t have that opportunity to reach their full potential through no fault of their own.
“I am also conscious that we also live in a world in which children are starving. And sadly and quite disgustingly, we live in a world where starvation is now used as a weapon of war. We have a lot of work to do.”
Mr Harris was also critical of the delivery of disability services for children in Ireland.
He pledged to “break down silos” and “blame-shifting” across Government departments.
“There is a resourcing issue and I’m also convinced there is a silo issue and I don’t want to be presiding over the biggest national game of pass the parcel when it comes to children’s disability services,” he said.
“We have to pull together. It can no longer be a question of, ‘I am not responsible for that, that is a education issue, or health or that’s a children’s issue’. Children don’t care, parents don’t care and I don’t care.
“There is only one Ireland, there is only one set of children with a disability and they need services.
“When we find ourselves investing in more money in services, but not meeting people in communities to say these services have significantly improved, that should haunt us.
“I am determined to break down silos, blame-shifting and pass the parcel. We have to stop that cycle.”
Former British prime minister Gordon Brown, who also spoke at the event, praised Ireland’s progress in reducing child poverty in recent years.
He told the audience: “I want to tell you that the whole of Europe is looking at what you’re doing because what has happened over these last few years, is that other countries have seen a rise in child poverty, and sadly that has been the case in my own country.
“What you have seen in this country is a falling child poverty as a result of deliberate decisions, constructive decisions that have been made by government.
“When I read the reports of Unicef and the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), they point not just to the fact that Ireland has been doing more, but that you are moving up the league for the provision of children’s services.
“And that does not make you complacent that makes you determined to do more.
“But it is important to recognise that where a decision is made to take action, and it’s organised in such a way that action is actually leading to results on the ground, then you can see the improvement and you can see the case for taking further action in the future.”
Addressing the summit, the Minister for Children, Roderic O’Gorman, said: “I am determined to ensure that every child in Ireland has the best possible start in life.
“To achieve this, we must do everything possible to ensure access to key services and supports for all children, including children at risk of poverty or social exclusion, and to break cycles of intergenerational disadvantage.
“The lasting impact of disadvantage in early childhood can be seen in inter-generational cycles of poverty and social exclusion.
“Equal Start, announced earlier this week, is the new model of Government-funded supports to ensure children experiencing disadvantage can access and meaningfully participate in early learning and childcare.”
