Press Releases01 Dec 05

Archbishop Eames hosts Child Poverty Forum - Dromantine Conference Centre, Tuesday 6th December 2005

Archbishop Robin Eames will host a forum to consider child poverty in Ireland on 6th December at the Dromantine Conference Centre.

Representatives of state and voluntary organizations engaged in tackling child poverty will meet with church representatives with a two-fold objective.

1. To bring attention to bear on aspects of child poverty that persist despite the efforts of government and the anti-poverty agencies and
2. To prepare a challenge to the Churches, seeking guidance from the experts gathered to identify specific objectives that would inform the work of Churches in this area.

Archbishop Eames drew attention to the issue of child poverty in his address to the General Synod of the Church of Ireland this year. ?Too many instances of child poverty lie hidden behind the perception that the last decade has brought economic improvement to most people, hence our title ? De-coding society,? says Archbishop Eames. Quoting some recent research the Archbishop adds: ?I was particularly struck by a report by Save the Children earlier in the year which indicated that there was more severe child poverty in Northern Ireland measured as affecting 8% of children, than in other parts of the UK. A further 42% of children in Northern Ireland were classified as living in poverty, bringing the overall total to some 50% of children. And, in the Republic of Ireland, UNICEF report that Ireland?s children overall experience among the worst levels of child poverty in Europe apart from Italy with 15.7% of children living below national poverty lines.?

The Poverty Forum pulls together representatives of the agencies and state services working in the area as well as church agencies with extensive opportunity for debate and participation in panels and open fora. The task of the Forum is to highlight the big issues and then seek inputs about where the churches can make a meaningful impact. One of the afternoon speakers, Mr Nigel Williams, NI Commissioner for Young People, will present 'a challenge to the Churches'.

Among the speakers and panelists joining the Archbishop are:
Baroness May Blood, MBE , Chair of Shankill Sure Start/The Early Years Project & Chair of the Integrated Education Fund in Northern Ireland,
Sr Stanislaus Kennedy, Life President, Focus Ireland,
Ms Helen Johnston, Director, Combat Poverty Agency,
Professor Tony Gallagher, Professor of Education, Queens University Belfast,
Ms Emily Logan, Ombudsman for Children, Republic of Ireland,
Ms Teresa Pesce, Project worker, Barnardos (Republic of Ireland) and
chairing the panel discussions, Revd Bert Tosh, BBC Northern Ireland and the Most Revd Richard Clarke, Bishop of Meath and Kildare.

Archbishop Eames is eager that this issue remains on the immediate agenda of all denominations. "The Churches have a responsibility to address the issue of poverty among children, " he said. "This Forum is the beginning of a process and not a one-off event. It is certainly not the end of the story," he stressed.