Campaigns: Guarantee our Essentials
Siobhán is part of a campaign from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and the Trussell Trust calling for an Essentials Guarantee within Universal Credit. The Essentials Guarantee would embed in the social security system a principle that at a minimum Universal Credit should protect people from going without essentials.
You can read more about the campaign here:
https://www.jrf.org.uk/report/guarantee-our-essentials
Campaigns: Coalition of Carers
Siobhán continues to attend regular meetings of the Coalition of Carers which is chaired by Carers NI. The Coalition is made up of a number of organisations all working to highlight the key issues that carers are facing across Northern Ireland.
Campaigns: Cost of Living 24
Siobhán is part of a coalition of organisations led by Inspire Wellbeing NI who have come together to host a one-stop shop service for the many impacts of the Cost-of-Living Crisis. The Cost of Living 24 campaign aims to make navigating community and voluntary services easy, local and accessible, thanks to a dedicated webpage and freephone number. The partnership provides information and advice on a range of subjects: benefits and entitlements, fuel and child poverty, affordable childcare and housing. It also signposts to foodbanks in towns and cities throughout Northern Ireland.
Cost of Living 24 offers support and information via:
Webpage: www.communitywellbeing.info/cost-of-living-24 (Or search ‘Community Wellbeing Cost of Living 24’)
Freephone: 0808 189 0036
Webchat: www.communitywellbeing.info
Campaigns: Cliff Edge
Siobhán continues to attend meetings of the Cliff Edge Coalition Working Group which is working to strengthen the existing mitigations package for Northern Ireland.
As part of the working group for the Coalition, Siobhán carried out a range of activity in relation to lobbying for the two-child limit to be scrapped head of the Autumn Budget 2025. Siobhán helped with updating the Cliff Edge social media and worked on a briefing paper on the two-child limit which was sent to all NI politicians. You can read the briefing here:
Cliff Edge are delighted to see the scrapping of the two-child limit which has had bigger impacts in Northern Ireland due to larger family sizes here. This has been the result of years of campaigning on this issue and the Cliff Edge Coalition are pleased to finally see one of its key campaigning asks achieved.
