CHILDREN'S RIGHTS ALLIANCE - REPUBLIC OF IRELAND LIMITED

Lobbying Organisation CHILDREN'S RIGHTS ALLIANCE - REPUBLIC OF IRELAND LIMITED

Date published 20 Jan, 2025

Relevant Matter Matters involving public funds

Public Policy Area Budgetary matters

Period 1 Sep, 2024 to 31 Dec, 2024

Specific Details To lobby for specific measures to tackle child poverty in Budget 2025

Intended results To influence decision-making for Budget 2025 including the need to target increases to income supports by raising the Increase for a Qualified Child; Invest in the roll out for the new Equal Start Model to address poverty and disadvantage in childcare settings; Increase Tusla’s overall budget to support its core child protection and welfare system. Extending free schoolbooks; investing in supports for non-DEIS schools and alternative education. Support for food poverty initiatives.

Name of person primarily responsible for lobbying on this activity Tanya Ward

Did any Designated Public Official(DPO) or former Designated Public Official(DPO) carry out lobbying activities on your behalf in relation to this return? You must include yourself, and answer Yes, if you are a current DPO or a DPO at any time in the past. (What is a Designated Public Official?) No

Did you manage or direct a grassroots campaign? No

Was this lobbying done on behalf of a client? No

Mass communications

Email All Oireachtas Members Email to all Oireachtas members calling for the following in Budget 2025: - Support for children and schools outside the DEIS programme - Extension of the Free School Books Scheme to Senior Cycle - Prioritisation of investment in Alternative and Out of School Education

Email All Oireachtas Members Email to all Oireachtas members calling for the following in Budget 2025: Increased investment in Equal Start the new funding model for early years to tackle poverty and disadvantage.

Email All Oireachtas Members Email to all Oireachtas members calling for the following in Budget 2025: -Develop and fund a pilot initiative for the expansion of school meals during holiday time. -Address holiday hunger in youth services by ringfencing funding for UBU services to apply for to support food poverty initiatives at a local level. -Continue the momentum in expanding hot school meals by funding all DEIS secondary schools to provide a hot school meal by 2025.

Email All Oireachtas Members Email to all Oireachtas members calling for the following in Budget 2025: Investing in Tusla's budget to enable the Agency to continue to provide existing levels of service and to meet increased demand.

Email All Oireachtas Members Email to all Oireachtas members calling for the following in Budget 2025: To target increases in child income supports towards raising the Increase for a Qualified Child.

Lobbying activity

The following activities occurred for this specific Subject Matter Area.

Phone call (2-5)

Regarding the need to prioritise funding for non-DEIS schools and for alternative education in Budget 2025.

Letter (2-5)

Letter to key decision makers about the need to target increases in child income supports towards raising the Increase for a Qualified Child.

Phone call (1)

Regarding the need to increase investment in the Equal Start funding model to tackle poverty and disadvantage in early years settings.

Informal communication (6-10)

Informal briefing at political panel event which called for the introduction of specific measures to tackle child poverty in Budget 2025.

Designated public officials lobbied

The following DPOs were lobbied during this return period on this specific Subject Matter Area. These DPOs were involved in at least one of the Lobbying Activities listed above, but not necessarily all of them. As returns are specific to a Subject Matter Area the above Lobbying Activities may be associated with multiple returns.

Roderic O'Gorman Minister (Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth)

Micheál Martin Tánaiste and Minister (Department of the Taoiseach)

Simon Harris An Taoiseach (Department of the Taoiseach)

Bernie McNally Secretary General (Department of Education)

Cliodhna O’Neill Acting Assistant Secretary (Department of Education)

Elizabeth Canavan Assistant Secretary (Department of the Taoiseach)

Mary Seery Kearney Senator (Seanad)

Marie Sherlock Senator (Seanad)

Patrick Costello TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Jen Cummins Councillor (Dublin City Council)

Richard Boyd Barrett TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)