THERE were calls last night for more action to be taken to protect "key programmes supporting families" amid the escalating cost of living crisis.
The charity, Parentkind, had urged politicians to come together to ensure that "needed programmes don’t become victims of the political process".
It comes after Education Minister Michelle McIlveen last week announced that children entitled to free school meals will receive a school holiday food grant this summer.
The move came amid fears that thousands of families in the north would miss out on free school meal entitlement over the summer months due to the lack of an Executive at Stormont.
Parentkind last night said while they welcomed the £12.6m summer holiday food grant, doubts remain around other programmes such as Engage and Engage II, which supported pupils’ learning and engagement following the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The charity added that the funding allocation is an early sign that, despite a new Executive not being formed at Stormont, "actions can be taken to ease the funding gap arising as a result of the current stalemate".
John Jolly from Parentkind last night called for more to be done to protect other key programmes supporting families.
"Our polling starkly demonstrates the increasing financial pressures on families, and the fact that results show that low-income families are more worried about the cost of living just drives home the need to fund programmes like this," he said.
"Put simply, parents need support, and they shouldn’t have to worry about how and whether they can afford to feed their children.
"Whilst this funding allocation is welcomed, there are still too many programmes at risk due to the absence of a budget in Northern Ireland.
"We urge policy-makers and members of the shadow Executive to come together, aside from any political negotiations, and make sure that brilliant and much needed programmes don’t become victims of the political process.
"Programmes like Engage and Engage II, designed to offset the negative impact that Covid-19 had on learning hang in the balance.
"Happy Healthy Minds, a programme offering mental health support to young people is another example, where things are currently stuck because a budget hasn’t been set.
"We hope that politicians will ensure that children and their families are supported against the challenging backdrop of a cost of living crisis and the ongoing impact of Covid, and that they do not become collateral damage as a result of no Assembly."
