Parents turning to St Vincent de Paul

PARENTS in Clare are approaching St Vincent de Paul in record numbers in an effort to manage back-to-school costs.

 

The traditionally quiet months of June and July have been busier than ever for the charity this year as families struggle with the cost of free education. Parents estimate they will spend €487 for each child attending primary school and €620 for a secondary school child, according to research published this week by the National Consumer Agency. The research also found that this year, 78% of parents are more concerned about back-to-school costs than last year.

According to Cathal Oakes from the Clare branch of the Society of St Vincent De Paul, this is reflected in the county.

“People are getting in touch at the moment about the cost of going back to school. One of the things we found is that traditionally the number of calls would be down in June and July but this year they are still very, very high,” he told The Clare Champion.

Mr Oakes believes that while the number of calls are up for this time of year, not everyone who needs help is seeking it with the society.

“One of the fears we have is that in some instances people aren’t coming forward, people who would be experiencing poverty for the first time in the last year or two. We know anecdotally that a lot of those people would be under pressure, particularly with the back to school [costs].

“One of the fears associated with that is that people would resort to moneylenders, be they legal or illegal. We would be urging these people to come forward to us, particularly in relation to education and books. We are always happy to do that,” he said.

Mr Oakes said some people are still slow to seek help. “People who have never come to St Vincent de Paul are still very reluctant. Part of the reason for that is they can access funding or credit through a family member. It is hard to pinpoint why they aren’t coming to us. Pride is another reason. It can be a good thing that people have access to financial support in the family but if people are stuck, I would say to them don’t be afraid to come to us.”

Uniforms and books are the top costs for parents with children going back to school in September.
The society successfully campaigned against publishers bringing out new editions of books annually, often with little or no changes. Last year, a number of publishers agreed to a code of practice saying they would not revise textbooks more than every four years, unless there had been significant changes to the curriculum. Publishers also agreed to give schools discounts on books bought for a book rental scheme.

Mr Oakes now wants to see book rental schemes in all schools in the county. “The rental schemes are the way forward. You see them around the world. In the UK and all across Europe, you find book rental schemes. The DEIS schools get the funding for books but it is still quite limited. We are calling on the Government to bring this in across the board but we know it is a big ask in this economic climate,” he went on.

“With regard to uniforms, we would ask anyone with old uniforms in their house to drop them into the St Vincent De Paul shop in Ennis.

“Don’t worry about the quality. If they are good enough we can sell them, if not we can still generate money from recycling,” he concluded.