On Friday 19th September 2025, Children in Northern Ireland (CiNI) formally responded to the Consultation on the NI Executive Anti-Poverty Strategy. We have voiced serious concerns about the Draft Strategy and echoed the wider analysis from across civil society that the proposed framework is ‘not fit for purpose,’ due to the absence of a clear action plan, measurable targets, and adequate prioritisation of children and young people.
CiNI’s response highlights the need for a lifecycle approach that recognises the changing needs of individuals from childhood to older age, alongside an intersectional perspective that addresses the ways in which poverty is experienced differently depending on factors such as disability, ethnicity, gender, and family circumstances. Without these, CiNI warns the proposed strategy risks becoming a framework for ‘business as usual’ and will fail to tackle the root causes of poverty.
We emphasise the need to reflect the evidence-based recommendations of the Expert Advisory Panel and Anti-Poverty Strategy Group (formerly the Co-Design Group), and the need to properly harness partnership working with the voluntary and community sector.
The response also draws attention to stark disparities between Northern Ireland and neighbouring jurisdictions on key supports such as Free School Meals and holiday food provision. Unlike Scotland, Wales, England, and the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland still has no universal Free School Meals scheme or dedicated holiday hunger programme. This leaves children here at a disadvantage, with research showing that 1 in 3 children are growing up in food-insecure households.
CiNI argues that an effective Anti-Poverty Strategy must be rights-based, evidence-led, and grounded in lived experience. It should include measurable targets, strong governance, and secure investment in both statutory and voluntary provision. Above all, CiNI calls for the Executive to adopt the clear, practical recommendations already developed by experts and civil society to ensure that no child in Northern Ireland is left behind.
Read CiNI’s full response here.
On Friday 19th September 2025, Children in Northern Ireland (CiNI) formally responded to the Consultation on the NI Executive Anti-Poverty Strategy. We have voiced serious concerns about the Draft Strategy and echoed the wider analysis from across civil society that the proposed framework is ‘not fit for purpose,’ due to the absence of a clear action plan, measurable targets, and adequate prioritisation of children and young people.
CiNI’s response highlights the need for a lifecycle approach that recognises the changing needs of individuals from childhood to older age, alongside an intersectional perspective that addresses the ways in which poverty is experienced differently depending on factors such as disability, ethnicity, gender, and family circumstances. Without these, CiNI warns the proposed strategy risks becoming a framework for ‘business as usual’ and will fail to tackle the root causes of poverty.
We emphasise the need to reflect the evidence-based recommendations of the Expert Advisory Panel and Anti-Poverty Strategy Group (formerly the Co-Design Group), and the need to properly harness partnership working with the voluntary and community sector.
The response also draws attention to stark disparities between Northern Ireland and neighbouring jurisdictions on key supports such as Free School Meals and holiday food provision. Unlike Scotland, Wales, England, and the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland still has no universal Free School Meals scheme or dedicated holiday hunger programme. This leaves children here at a disadvantage, with research showing that 1 in 3 children are growing up in food-insecure households.
CiNI argues that an effective Anti-Poverty Strategy must be rights-based, evidence-led, and grounded in lived experience. It should include measurable targets, strong governance, and secure investment in both statutory and voluntary provision. Above all, CiNI calls for the Executive to adopt the clear, practical recommendations already developed by experts and civil society to ensure that no child in Northern Ireland is left behind.
Read CiNI’s full response here.
