A new poll published this week by LucidTalk on behalf of Save the Children NI has laid bare public frustration with the failure to address child poverty in Northern Ireland. The results are stark:
80% believe child poverty has worsened in recent years, mainly due to the rising cost of living. 67% support universal access to affordable childcare. 66% back more social housing provision. 64% want increased funding for schools in deprived areas. 60% support universal free school meals. And yet, just 5% of respondents believe that politicians are currently taking meaningful action to tackle child poverty.
This overwhelming consensus sends a powerful message: people in Northern Ireland want a proper, resourced anti-poverty strategy—and they want it now.
A Strategy Long Promised, Still Missing
Under Section 28E of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, the Executive is legally required to adopt a strategy for tackling poverty, social exclusion and patterns of deprivation based on objective need. Yet, twenty-five years later, and one year on from the restoration of devolved government, no such strategy has been published.
In its submission to the Assembly a year ago, Save the Children highlighted this legal failure and made the case for a child-focused, measurable strategy. The paper also underscored the damaging lack of cross-departmental co-ordination and meaningful engagement with those experiencing poverty. “Past strategies,” it warned, “have failed due to weak accountability, vague ambitions, and the absence of lived experience in shaping policy.”
These points echo concerns raised in recent years by both the Northern Ireland Audit Office and the Public Accounts Committee, which have criticised disjointed anti-poverty efforts, poor delivery planning, and the absence of clear mechanisms to measure progress.
Local Government Has Stepped Up
While Stormont deliberates, local councils are already taking action. One example is my own council, Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council. A year ago we launched a cross-party Anti-Poverty Steering Group and published a framework strategy document.
Rather than waiting passively, the Council has begun mapping all existing services to identify gaps, duplication and inefficiencies; it is focusing on strengthening collaboration across council departments, from Community Planning to Economic Development & setting up closer working relations with stakeholders already delivering frontline support.
Longstanding initiatives such as the school uniform support scheme and the borough-wide Christmas toy donations—alongside food, fuel, and family support services—are now being drawn together under a shared strategy. The Council’s Anti-Poverty Strategy booklet sets out a commitment to practical action, clear principles, and ongoing community engagement.
Turning Pressure Into Policy
Separately (for now), in February, nearly twenty organisations launched an Anti-Poverty Strategy Group at Stormont to press for a credible and timely Executive-led strategy. Their Core Principles include time-bound targets, full resourcing, a lifecycle approach, and—critically—participation by civil society and most crucially those with lived experience.
The newly re-established Executive has now confirmed that a strategy is in development. But public confidence is low. The longer the delay, the greater the risk of compounding cynicism and leaving real needs unmet.
As Peter Bryson of Save the Children NI put it:
“People want an ambitious plan that sets out concrete targets, realistic objectives, and tangible steps to bring about transformation for the one in four children here who live daily with the limiting realities of poverty.”
Those words should not only guide Stormont’s next steps—they should define them.
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