A quarter of parents (26%) in Northern Ireland with children aged 18 and under, struggled to provide sufficient food for their children over the past 12 months, according to new research published by Barnardo’s NI. (1)
The research also showed that a majority of households with children (51%) have had to reduce their spending on food in the last year to save money.
One in four children in Northern Ireland are growing up in poverty. For a child, that can mean getting by without being able to put the lights or heating on, having hot meals or being able to contact your friends. It means worrying about where your next meal will come from and what the future holds.
David* is from Belfast, has five children and is a single father. He has struggled to put food on the table and pay the bills. David has been supported by Barnardo’s NI Early Intervention Family Support Service.
He said, “I have worked all my life, but when my kids came to live with me, I had to come out of work to look after them. They were tough times.
“Food was a big concern for us. I often thought, where is the next meal coming from? My mum used to empty her fridge for us when we went round. I’m diabetic and I have seen myself go a day, maybe two days without eating, just to make sure my kids had enough.
“I was sceptical about going into food banks in case people seen me, but the help they have given us is unbelievable. Every Monday they pulled a van up outside my house and emptied it for us, because they knew our situation.
“If I didn’t have my kids I would be on the streets. The food banks and Barnardo’s have been a godsend. Barnardo’s came into my life like an angel. I can’t believe how many good people there are around who want to help you. These people helped me with everything and without them I don’t know where I would be today.
“Barnardo’s also sorted us out with vouchers for a food shop and helped me get grants to furnish our new house. The last house we were in got infested with bed bugs. We were all getting eaten alive. The house and everything was fumigated, but they came back. I told the housing executive they had to get us out of that house. We had to leave everything behind, literally just closed the front door behind us. We had next to nothing, and then we really had nothing. We had to start all over again. It was really hard. We were using towels as curtains. I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy.
“The house we are in now is a bit small for all of us, I sleep on the sofa every night, which is fine as long as the kids all have a bed. As a family we have definitely had our struggles, but I think we’re coming out the other side. Everything is going in the right direction, thanks to the help of Barnardo’s, the food banks and all the other organisations.
“I have been pulled through the mill and back out again. So many people have said to me, I don’t know how you’re still standing, but I just don’t give up. It’s for my kids. My hopes for the future are for us all to be happy and I want my kids to be proud of me and know that I will always be there for them.”
Barnardo’s NI Senior Policy & Public Affairs Lead Trása Canavan said:
“Sadly, our new research that shows parents are struggling to feed their children, has not come as a surprise. We know that there are thousands of families across the country who can’t afford to put enough food on the table or keep the electricity meter topped up.
“It is totally unacceptable that in 2024, children in Northern Ireland are still growing up in poverty and that so many of them will spend this winter feeling cold, hungry and left out.
“We can’t keep mitigating the impacts of poverty, by setting up food banks and breakfast clubs for children. We need to make sure they don't need those food banks or breakfast clubs in the first place. We need to address the root causes of poverty and not just the symptoms.
“We’re calling on the NI government to take urgent action to end child poverty, starting with the delivery of a meaningful and robust Anti-Poverty Strategy and we’re urging Westminster to end the two-child limit on universal credit, which disproportionately affects families in Northern Ireland.”
Every year Barnardo’s NI supports thousands of children and families across the country who are struggling - to help them keep the power on and the fridge stocked so they feel safer, happier, healthier and more hopeful.
*David’s name has been changed to protect his identity.
1. All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 138 parents of children aged 18 and under. Fieldwork was undertaken between 1st - 8th August 2024. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).