Rise in child poverty recorded

The numbers of children experiencing consistent poverty increased last year for the first time since 2006 according to the State of the Nation's Children report published today.

The report, which is published every two years by the Department of Health, is a compilation of various sources of information on children's lives.

It shows progress in several areas including a decline in child deaths and teen births, and an increase in immunisation. However it shows an increase in abuse, poverty, and numbers waiting for social housing.

The research has also found that Traveller children, immigrant children and children with a disability or chronic illness fare less well than the general population of children across a range of markers.

The number of children living in consistent poverty had fallen from 11 per cent in 2006 to 6.3 per cent in 2008. However in 2009 that figure increased to 8.7 per cent. Children living in the south east of the country were far more likely than any other children to experience poverty with 18.5 per cent living in consistent poverty compared with 4.1 per cent in the mid east.

Children in the midlands also had high levels of consistent poverty at 13.9 per cent. Children in the midlands region were also three times more likely to be at risk of poverty than children living in the Dublin region. State-wide 18.6 per cent of children were at risk of poverty.

The number of households with children in need of social housing increased by almost a quarter between 2005 and 2008 to 27,704. By far the largest percentage of those families live in Dublin. Just under 30 per cent of all families in need of social housing live in Dublin, while just half a per cent live in Leitrim.

The number of confirmed cases of child abuse increased by just over 20 per cent between 2006 and 2008 to 2,164. The majority of these cases related to neglect, at 44.6 per cent, followed by cases of physical abuse which accounted for 22 per cent of abuse, emotional abuse at 20.1 per cent of cases and sexual abuse at 13.4 per cent of cases.

The Longford/Westmeath area had the highest percentage of confirmed abuse cases at 18.2 per cent, followed Dublin South West at 10.2 per cent. Cavan had no recorded cases. Although Wexford had just three per cent of all cases of abuse, almost half of all those cases related to sexual abuse.

Traveller children, immigrant children, and children with a disability or chronic illness were more likely to be bullied in school than other children. In 2006, the most recent figures listed in the report, 24.5 per cent of children aged nine to 17 reported being bullied in school. However among Travellers that figure jumped to 28.8 per cent. Some 29.5 per cent of immigrant children said they were bullied and 29.9 per cent of sick and disabled children reported bullying.

Traveller children, between the ages of 10 and 17 were the most likely children to have been drunk at least once a month, according to the 2006 figures. While 20.4 per cent of all 10 to 17 year olds reported having been drunk, that percentage rose to 27.9 per cent among Travellers.

Immigrant children reported far lower levels of drunkenness at 14.8 per cent, while disabled or sick children were close to the national average at 20.2 per cent.