A new 'report card' has given the government an F grade in child poverty - and it says it's getting worse.
The report by the Children's Rights Alliance - a coalition of more than 100 organisations - gave the government an overall C grade for protecting children - down from a C plus last year.
Tanya Ward from the Alliance says the worst performing areas were child poverty and health, because of the delay in the Children's Hospital and primary health care centres.
The report says the constitutional rights of children have improved, after the Children's Referendum was passed last November.
But, Tanya Ward says overall more children have been plunged into poverty in the past year:
new jPlayerPlaylist({ jPlayer: '#0', cssSelectorAncestor: '#jp_container_0' }, [ { title:'Tanya Ward, Childrens Rights Alliance ', mp3:'http://www.radiocms.net/content/hose/media/000124/161336_0726299.mp3'
} ], { swfPath: '/assets/includes/js/jPlayer', supplied: 'mp3', wmode: 'window' });
Cuts to child benefit may also be on the way
The Children's Rights Alliance is also criticising the government over a report which recommmends cuts to child benefit.
The Mangan Report which will be brought to Cabinet for discussion tomorrow recommends the government introduce a tax on child benefit or implement a two tier system.
Yesterday The Social Protection Minister indicated her preferred option would be to tax the allowance in a bid to slash €345 million per year of the social welfare bill.
Senator Jillian Van Turnhout - formally of the Children's Right's Alliance - says people are still coming to terms with cuts in Decembers budget.
