Omagh charity worker says it has been the ‘most challenging’ year

WITH more families struggling to make ends meet and less people in a financial position to donate to charity, this could be a cold and hungry Christmas for many local children.

In an ideal world, the misery of poverty would be offset by the kindness of strangers; for every family in need, there would be someone willing to give.

However, this is not the situation our local community finds itself in at the minute.

Earlier this week we spoke with a seasoned local charity worker who explained the perfect ‘cost-of-living’ storm that confronts local people this Christmas.

Emma Lynch has been with Action For Children for 13 years, but she says 2023 was the most challenging 12 months she has ever witnessed.

“There is no point in saying otherwise,” said Emma, when we spoke with her recently. “This year has been a really tough one, and the pressures that come with Christmas are only serving to make it worse.”

IMPOSSIBLE

This year, like many charities, Action For Children finds itself in the impossible position of having more people in need of their help than ever before, whilst the organisation itself has less resources than usual at its disposal.

“I have been with the Action For Children for well over ten years and I love what I do. But what we are facing this year is unprecedented. We have so many local families that need our help, but we don’t have the means to give them all the support they need.”

Emma, a Senior Social Worker with Action For Children’s Early Intervention Team, explained the work her team does for local families.

“We are primarily here to support children and young people’s behaviour and mental health, but we are also interested in supporting the wellbeing of parents too.”

Emma and her colleagues try to provide support and practical advice before a family requires the intervention of social services.

“We inform them about things like brain development, with the broader aim of helping them build a better understanding of why a child or teenager is behaving or feeling the way they are.

“We want to get into a home before problems, issues and unhealthy patterns become too deep and entrenched,” she said.

These days, Emma finds herself dealing with more young people with anxiety than she would have in years gone by. She also said she has noticed a marked increase in the amount of young people self-harming.

“It is getting more common, for sure,” said Emma. “I have worked with countless families where a child does not want to – or does not feel able to – go to school.

“Oftentimes, we only get the call when they are refusing to leave their room and their parents deem that the situation has reached crisis point.”

NEGATIVITY

Emma described the cycle of negativity which can take hold in such house.

“It can be really hard for everyone and the whole family can start to struggle; the child is anxious and not going to school, a parent’s mental health begins to suffer, the parent then starts to feel less able to deal with the young person, the young person starts to feel more isolated… and so on. It is really awful.”

Emma then explained how the additional pressures peculiar to Christmas can compound problems that have been present throughout the year.

“Money troubles are definitely tied to mental health problems, and December brings extra costs and pressures that ordinarily are not there during the rest of the year; extra heating, electric and food costs, and then there are the presents too. But it is not just people on benefits, but increasingly working people too.

“Christmas is always a busy time of year for us, but this year it has been crazy.”

This year, with so many charities appealing for the generosity of the public and local businesses, Emma said it has been harder than usual to attract donations.

“Virtually every charity has more people than ever that they want to help, but not enough resources to do it. Therefore, we all find ourselves in competition for people’s kindness. With less surplus money, both businesses and members of the public are being forced to be more selective about who they give to. All we can do is tell people what we are using their money for and hope they see the value in what we do.”

If you do happen to have a few pound spare this holiday season, consider helping Action For Children by either donating via their website, or calling into their Omagh premises on 2A Holmview Ave, Omagh, which reopens on January 2.

DESPITE all the coverage devoted to the ‘cost-of-living’ crisis in the last few years, there are still those inclined to imagine that profound poverty is rare around our local area.

However, new figures gathered by Action For Children show this simply is not the case.

On the contrary, the charity’s most recent research reveals that almost one-in-eight children in the North are growing up without the basics, with that figure likley to be significantly higher for Omagh.

The new polling also suggests a third of children fear that a friend or classmate won’t get any presents this year because their family can’t afford it.

Around 50,000 children in the North will be going without the basics this Christmas, such as warmth, fresh food or any significant celebrations.

The figures have been corroborated by experiences cited by the charity’s frontline workers, who confirm pressure on struggling families is worse than it was this time last year.

One worker reported helping children who were walking 1.5 miles to school with no coats. Another described a family going without a cooker for weeks on end.

To help local children living in poverty this Christmas, Acton For Children are appealing for the public to support their Secret Santa appeal.

An Action for Children spokesperson told the UH, “The research showed that in Northern Ireland around 100,000 children live in families unable to save ten pounds a month, with a
similar number of children having parents who can’t
replace broken essential goods such as fridges or washing machines.”

Broader, UK-wide research showed that 1.2 million (eight per-cent) children live with parents who can’t keep up with bills; 800,000 (five per-cent) live in a house that cannot afford to be kept warm; 700,000 (five per-cent) can’t afford to have friends around for tea or a snack once a fortnight; 200,000 (four per-cent) live with parents that can’t afford to send them to a playgroup once a week; and two per-cent belong to families who do not have the money to celebrate on special occasions.

The study also looked at how children perceive the at-home hardships of their peers.

Apparently, around a third worry a friend or peer won’t get any presents or be able to celebrate Christmas this year due to money worries; three in ten fear a friend or classmate won’t have a warm home this winter; more than a quarter are anxious that a friend or classmate won’t have enough to eat or drink; and more than a fifth are concerned a friend or classmate won’t be able to visit their family this Christmas because they can’t afford to travel to see them.

To donate to Action For Children’s Secret Santa Appeal, visit ‘www.actionforchildren.org.uk’, and click on the link to their ‘Be a Secret Santa for a vulnerable child’
link.