Study finds toddler, teen years most expensive in child's life

THE MOST expensive stages in a child’s life are the toddler and teenager years, landmark new research has found.

The first study of its kind in almost 20 years, The Cost of A Child, was published yesterday by the Vincentian Partnership for Social Justice. It finds child welfare supports are arbitrary, do not reflect the varying needs of a child – depending on their age, location and the employment status of their parents – and are most usually inadequate.

Costs are high in infancy before falling at pre-school age and then increase steadily as children grow.

A child at second-level brings highest costs, according to the research (€144.92 a week in an urban household and €140.20 in a rural one).

Urban babies cost €91.13 a week when cared for at home and €296.13 if in childcare. Rural babies cost €92.98 and €260.31 a week if in childcare. Pre-school children in an urban area cost €48.29 a week cared for at home and €223.87 if in childcare. A rural pre-school child costs €50.03 at home, €183.44 in childcare.

An urban child in primary school costs €78.66 at home and €130.30 in childcare; a rural child costs €83.04 at home and €134.72 a week if in childcare.

The figures were arrived at using the “consensual budget approach”, following detailed research with focus groups representing people from poor, middle income and wealthier backgrounds.

Minimum costs for a child, at various stages of their life, across a basket of 13 goods and services, were agreed on for a child to have a minimum, essential standard of living to meet their physical, psychological and social needs.

“It is a standard concerned with a life of dignity for all and represents a level below which nobody should be expected to live,” said Sr Bernadette McMahon, lead author of the report.

“It is not a poverty line income, but a basic minimum for we the people, not they the poor.”

Among the 13 items considered were food, clothing, education, health and personal care.

Food, in an urban setting for a infant, is found to cost €31.22 a week, €18.69 for a pre-school child, €28.43 for a primary school child and €35.44 for a secondary school child. Social inclusion, which might include toys, going to birthday parties and taking part in sports activities, are costed at €1.79 a week for an infant, €4.17 for pre-school, €14.94 for a primary school and €33.05 a week for a secondary school child.

Looking at the adequacy of the main supports received by those on social welfare – child benefit and qualified child increase – the reports finds these “fall short of what is needed to cover the direct costs of a child”.

The fact that the payments do not increase at times of greater expense means “even greater shortfalls” during infancy and adolescence. According to the CSO, the proportion of children severely deprived increased by two-thirds between 2007 and 2010, while there was no increase in pensioner poverty or deprivation.