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ONE IN SEVEN children in Ireland is lost to homelessness, poverty or neglect, according to children’s charity Barnardos.
A new campaign, Lost Childhood, highlights the ways in which children can be forgotten about or neglected.
Barnardos wants €250 million to be invested to help the 173,000 children in Ireland who are living in poverty or unable to access services such as healthcare.
Speaking about the campaign on RTÉ Radio 1′s Morning Ireland, Barnardos CEO Fergus Finlay said the situation for many children has worsened in recent years.
“When I started working in Barnardos 12 year ago times were really tough and difficult, difficult for Barnardos and difficult for the people we worked with and so on, but there were no homeless children then — there are 3,000 homeless children now.
You can’t gainsay the fact that children are kind of the forgotten scandal in Ireland and what really bothers me is that we’ve been here so many times before, we been through so many generations that have said, ‘We’re never going to let this happen again.’
“We’ve seen so many scandals, we’ve seen so much hurt, so much pain. Now we’re living through another generation which is failing its children,” Finlay said.
Barnardos has proposed the following measures:
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to many people gaming the system
@Cantspell Sowhat: & too many irresponsible people having children they cannot afford !
@John Judd: We have birth rate like one of third world countries – we have to do something with our abortion law or we finish like one of them.
@cortisola: that’s an interesting viewpoint actually. Good one
@cortisola: We?? You’re not Irish. Your horrendous grammar consistently proves this.
@Ciara Ni Mhurchu: It’s a good point though, make the scroungers abort the clump of cells before they turn into baby toerags.
@Let free speech live: So, with that statement, you’ve just demonstrated that you have absolutely no understanding of the complex issues that relate to a woman’s/couple’s decision to have an abortion.
@Cantspell Sowhat: children? Gaming the system, nice
@Ciara Ni Mhurchu: I have bad grammar in all languages I talk unfortunately. Must be dementia from too much stress.
@Cantspell Sowhat: your response is typical of a smug dort (dart) line comment and you feel safe/pc to criticise ethnic Irish people you feel are inferior to YOU????
On the latest figures to had, Barnardos chief executive Fergus Finlay earns €117,511: https://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/barnardos-fergus-finlay-salary-in-excess-of-hse-pay-rates-audit-finds-1.2818430 How much is he willing to give to this campaign?
@BrianMcB: what do you think a fair salary would be?
@Paul Fahey: 45
@Paul Fahey: you expect someone to run a charity to work for 45k? Grow up
@Louise Tracey: sorry that should be directed at @Cantspell
@Louise Tracey: yes i do
@BrianMcB: These heads are paid huge salaries so why are they not raising funds needed? It is an indictment on this country to see how children are treated while priority is given to causes for women who want abortion instead of women struggling to raise their children or those forced to go abroad for surgery. Far more spent on agenda pushing like SSM. The needs of an Taoiseach and his buddies – Zappone etc. are priority over the needs of children. We need an election & people to stand up who will stop the arsing around and represent the wishes of the families up and down the country who are homeless, threatened with losing their homes and living in poverty, and do something to provide a proper health service where children and elderly won’t be spending hours in A & E when injured and ill.
@Sighle A. Ni Chuana: put your name down,i would give u my vote. To many newbees coming into the country , when is the last time you seen a newcomer or any of there 30 relatives homeless?
@Sighle A. Ni Chuana: Excellent points.
@Sinead Hanley: thank you
@Louise Tracey: I don’t believe the job equates to running a business in the real sense. €45 would be plenty.
@Cantspell Sowhat: but you are aware that large charities need to be run like businesses to be successful? Now, no CEO for even a small sized company does the job for 45 grand why would someone running a big size charity do? It‘s the same job, the same hours, the same responsibilities only a different industry for less than 10 grand more than the overall average wages in Ireland. A good sales rep can earn 3 times as much without any further responsibility or people management duties.
@Cantspell Sowhat: Then you do it for €45000.
@Sighle A. Ni Chuana: Perhaps some women choose abortion because they don’t want to live in poverty for the rest of their lives?
@BrianMcB: Fergus is just another
Of
Labour’s champagne socialists. Michael D, arrogant former DL&NK fan Eamon Gilmore and of course arrogant former DL & NK fan Pat Rabbitte just fine champagne socialists examples.
@Ciara Ni Mhurchu: so u would kill a child because u dont hve enough money, says it all
@Cantspell Sowhat: I had an abortion for many reasons but mainly because I didn’t want to be pregnant, give birth or end up homeless and in poverty.
@BrianMcB: mmmm yeah Brian, mmmmm I can smell you insight and intellect from your balls, smells like vinegar.. mmmmmm share that knowledge you big genius with a rapist on your picture, tell us all what’s what. Tell us to close our wallets cos someone gets paid disconnect electricity cos they charge people including charities you’re such a big genius
@Cantspell Sowhat: do you work for a charity? I’ll bet you don’t. I think you should get sacked for being an ignoramus but c’est la vie, I’ll have to wait for my negative hopes to work out. Try finding a ceo who isn’t totally incompetent or a thief for €45k
@Johnny Bellew: you can fill a 45k caravan with what you don’t know, ‘I don’t believe’ who gives a f**k what you believe? You’ve no idea what a chief exec does, go back to the public sector wait for your tea break
@Cantspell Sowhat: it does, to a misogynist.
“Guarantee that no child spends more than six months in emergency accommodation and substantially increase the building of social housing”. Impossible to guarantee that, its up to the parents to accept/reject a house they are offered. The building of housing estates is already increasing, I drive by many building sites on my commute to work.
@Do the Bort man: Well the problem is many families don’t receive an offer for many years. In places like Limerick the new build social housing has gone to people in regeneration schemes.
Shock statement, why put homeless in there, as there are over 1.2 million children (under 18) in the country, and it states that 3k are living in emergency accommodation. Apply the maths, and the 1 in 7 stat drops to 1 in 400 of kids being in emergency accommodation.
@Do the Bort man: and your point is?
@Cantspell Sowhat: I thought it was fairly self explanatory. 1 in 7 kids are not effected by homelessness as the headline suggests.
@Do the Bort man: is 1 child not 1 to many
@Cantspell Sowhat: It is, but it’s still a misleading headline
@Do the Bort man: The headline is:
“One in seven kids lost to homelessness, poverty or neglect”
They are not highlighting just homelessness.
@Pat Bateman: is that what you take from the artical of children who have no homes
@Cantspell Sowhat: yes
@Shakka1244: I know that, but the figure that are actually effected by homelessness is a tiny fraction of what the headline states, which effects its credibility.
What’s this ‘we’re’ business. Surely is their parents who are failing them?
How about we neuter people who can’t afford kids but have them anyway and then send the bill to the taxpayet
@Mary Murphy: i suppose u support abortion
@Cantspell Sowhat: I support myself and my family. Not sure the same can be said by the scroungers in this country.
@Mary Murphy: hope you dont hit a bend on that straight road
@Cantspell Sowhat: if it’s the road to righteousness, I am sure you can lead the way for me. Otherwise I may burn in the eternal fires of hell.
@Cantspell Sowhat: ye big pussy, come on send your number and come outta hiding behind your fake account. You’re a pathetic wimp and a loser. And I’ll tell you that right into your pathetic face and you’ll take it then I’ll tell you again when you’re on your back. Talking to a woman like that.. come on
Our Charities are Failing our trust
Are “we” failing them or are they’re parents failing them?
@Damon16: I agree and think that neglect may be more associated with parents or family then by any system – but who are we to say, the article uses emotive words and shock statistics to make a point but does not define the meaning of the words used, like a definition of poverty and neglect.
Maybe stop having kids if you’re homeless ? Just an idea.
Yeah but the recovery!
Cue the Blues Shills…
@Willy Malone: enlightened comment as always. Anything constructive to add? Or just your usual unpleasant sound bites?
@Willy Malone: Delenda est Cathago
@Hurt Stoogie: Wally has never had anything constructive to say under the many names he has used here. Surprised he isn’t shouting ‘solidarity’ for some useless shower of wasters at the end of his comment
@Willy Malone: Which recession did you prefer, the 50s-80s or post celtic tiger?
@Do the Bort man: The left LOVE a good recession.
A better narrative would be HOUSELESSNESS
This objectifies the problem as a system failure
HOMELESSNESS subconsciously drives a negative connotation and victimises the individual.
@Ron: While I am not so sure of the negative connotation I sure do agree that people living in apartments and hotel rooms and other temporary accommodation should not be considered homeless in the same manner as someone with no place to rest their head including those resting in homeless shelters. We need to distinguish between those who have a home, even a temporary one, and those who have no place to rest their heads at night other then a homeless shelter
Why should our citizens both homeless and housed agree to participate or cooperate with a society or government or police force that creates adverse stressful miserable conditions in our society through vested interests, vulture funds, property speculating greed and corruption – this effects not just homeless but young people middle aged people, couples both working – miserable slaving away exhausted, carers. We’re all being effected together as citizens of Ireland.
@Diogenes: you had me at hello
@Mary Murphy: you act as if we’re all children and our parents (the government) are neglecting us. Maybe if we all here up we wouldn’t be so dependent and we make our way.
@Damon16: I think you have me confused with someone else. Diogenes syndrome?
Any way to find out exactly what we pay already for “homeless” children with their parents per night per Hotel Room, B &B ? And all that goes with that medical cards, crèche , uniforms , books, transport, etc.. while waiting for forever homes and than all the stuff added on to that.?
Just feel obscene amount of money spent per day and it’s not sorting or fixing the issue , it’s prolonging it. Before you all shout me down , zero problem with taxes used to help people who have fallen on hard times as that’s what it is for, but it’s never ending more people joining the list for homes because feel it’s their right.
This seems to be where money that could fund medical care, mental health care for children is spent.
Saying X amount are homeless they are not, they are in hotel rooms or B&Bs.
@Kerrie Roche: You go live in a hotel room or B&B and call it a home so.
@Dave Doyle: home is where the heart is Dave, and if I could not provide a home for myself Dave, my family or my friends would accommodate me till I sorted new place. If for some unknown reason that my family or friends could not provide shelter to me while waiting, I would be soo grateful to have a hotel room or B&B until found new place and once my family with me I would call it home. In none of the scenarios would I be “homeless” , But Dave you just think ah sure move in to hotel , stay there, have zero bills, stay there see how you’d like it ..add to the problem and the cost,
What a heartless society we have become. Some of the comments on here are disgusting. There are tens of thousands of children in this country suffering through no fault of their own and hardly a shred of compassion is shown.
You guys need to have a look in the mirror at what you have become.
@Shakka1244: what about the children’s parents, what do you think they should do?
@Tony Dowling: I think parents should look after their children but if they don’t, that’s not the child’s fault. Some however, again through no fault of their own (please refer to the economic collapse) do not have enough money to provide sufficiently for their children. The state should be stepping in.
In our failed society with the growing chasm between the “haves” and the “have nots”, I really do find it bizarre that the “haves” take the stance that the children of the “have nots” deserve everything they (don’t) get. The divide and conquer that FG push is just wrong.
@Shakka1244: Totally agree. Whether it’s on the homeless, distressed mortgages, kids in poverty,the health service, water,social housing, the same people let loose with what can only be described as disgusting comments. And they’re getting worse. The pure fascist content of some of them defy words.
The way i look at it is this is actually Fine Gael speak behind closed doors. Not the public FG of Leo’s propaganda department. FG are creating a social underclass just like 1930′s Germany. All they are short of calling for are extermination camps. We’ve alreadt seen Fred Croyden advocate for concentration camps. Now there’s calls for neutering and sterilisation.
The thing is we wouldn’t be seeing all these social problems were it not for the engineered, deliberate bank collapse. The socialising of private debt on the backs of those who never owed it. The destruction of public services, the taxing of people’s wages, the hiving off of public services like SW unemployment to private for profit companies just so the statistics can be falsified.
These people are very vocal, they have to be. They have to drown out those who see the reality for what it is. Society, particularly the most vulnerable, the old, the sick are being sacrificed on the altar of neoliberalism so the rich can get richer.
Where’s our minister for children now?—- too busy trying to ensure unborn children will be killed
@Kim Murphy: And you’re gagging for more to end up homeless and in poverty.
@Ciara Ni Mhurchu: rather have ur iphone than keep a child alive ,and u wonder why ur still single
@Cantspell Sowhat: I don’t have an iPhone but you seem to be very interested in me! Unfortunately for you, I’m not single and I’m a new mum to a gorgeous little girl. Sorry!
@Cantspell Sowhat: send me a pm on Twitter let’s meet and you can say that again your basterd, I’ll smack the smile off your head
@Gary Casserly: take your big boy tactics elsewhere ..attack the comment not the person..
@Siobhán Ni Mhurchú: nah he deserves a slap for that, let him come.
Chief executives have a legal responsibility, registered in their position to run any company. They’ve to oversee insurance, taxes, rents, property, legals, regulatory compliance, PRSI compliance, workplace relation compliance, they’ve to submit public figures that are combed through, legal action is taken against them if there’s any mistakes, if the company goes under they’re blacklisted from directorship and could face criminal charges. But here’s a bunch of librarians saying it should be done for €45k. So apply, offer to do all that for €45k and remember that the entire workforce and company rests on YOUR responsibility. Hell €45k, it’ll be a massive boost for YOUR salary no doubt!
If the top brass there cut their massive wages ,then there might be money for the homeless children
have your say