Comptroller and Auditor General for Northern Ireland calls for the creation of an integrated, cross-department anti-poverty strategy
The Northern Ireland Assembly: The report stated: “Northern Ireland does not currently have a childcare strategy and provides considerably less government support for childcare costs than in England, Scotland and Wales.' Photo: Kelvin Boyes/Pool/Getty ImagesAbout one in five children in Northern Ireland are living in relative poverty before housing costs, a new Audit Office report has found.
The report set out a lack of significant progress on the main child poverty indicators, with about 20 per cent of children in Northern Ireland living in relative poverty before housing costs, and between 7 per cent and 9 per cent living in low-income households that cannot afford basic goods and essential activities.
“By the time they reach primary school, children from low-income families are already up to a year behind middle-income children in terms of cognitive skills. The report found that the 2016-2022 child poverty strategy set no clear targets for poverty reduction, nor was there any ring-fenced budget attached to it.The report highlighted gaps in Stormont departments’ understanding of accountability arrangements and a lack of joined-up working between them in the delivery of the strategy.
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