Social Inclusion Measures Sub Committee

[ Role of the Social Inclusion Sub-Committee ]

  1. Co-ordination of the National Development Plan Social Inclusion Measure activities at local level, through recommending a set of protocols to the City Development Board for local delivery of social inclusion programmes, in consultation with the relevant agencies operating locally.

  2. Develop and oversee a coherent, efficient and effective delivery of Social Inclusion Measures to target groups and geographical areas. (e.g. Social Inclusion Measures under the National Development Plan) Measures are co-ordinated in relation to a target group such as the long term unemployed and/or delivery of services to a specific geographical area.

  3. To act as the 'city wide' monitoring committee for the RAPID Programme.

  4. To monitor the implementation of the Traveller Inter Agency Group Plan.


[ Social Inclusion Measures Sub-Committee Membership ]

Lar Power - Chairperson, Waterford City Council

Supt. Chris Delaney, An Garda Síochána
Úna Tobin, Area Executive, Citizen’s Information Board

Liam Bolger, Project Leader, Community Development Network

Liam Daly, Area Manager, DSFA
Jim Power, Senior Development Officer, FÁS

Anne Nolan, Mount Sion ISU

Elaine Dunne, People with Disabilities Ireland

Catherine Anderson, Regional Education Office

Thomas Erbsloh, Trade Unions

Joe Stokes, Waterford Area Partnership Board

Noirín Healy Magwa, Waterford City Childcare Committee

Dick Hickey, Waterford City Community Forum

Cllr. Davy Walsh, Waterford City Council

Lisa Grant, Waterford City Council

Joe Sullivan, Waterford City Council

Jim Maher, Waterford City VEC

[ Areas of Work ]

Co-ordination of social inclusion measures.


The SIM Committee was required to conduct a local audit to identify social inclusion measures/ resources/ delivery agencies in the City and to identify areas and arrangements for local co-operation and report to the Taskforce on Integration of Local Government and Local Development Systems.


The Social Inclusion Measures Funding Reports [2002] and [2006] document social inclusion funding coming into Waterford City since 1997.  The report includes funding from the National Development Plan, Government Departments and local statutory agencies.


The intended function of the audit was:

  • To provide a benchmark to gauge the level of provision and the resources being applied to social inclusion in Waterford city
  • To map the stream of social inclusion funds, identifying the relevant intermediate bodies and delivery agents
  • To provide a basis for identifying gaps in provision of services and supports
  • To suggest ways in which co-ordination and linkages may be improved

    •  

    Co-ordination of Youth Services
    Arising from the Social Inclusion Measures Funding Report, a large number of service providers/ programmes meeting the needs of youth at risk, including early school leavers and young offenders were identified.  These projects/ programmes were in receipt of funding from a number of Government Departments.  It was apparent that the area could benefit from further analysis and co-ordination given the number of Departments involved and the number of delivery agencies and projects on the ground.

     

    An audit of youth services in Waterford City was conducted over a two year period for 2005 and 2006.   The results of this audit highlighted that the delivery of youth services in Waterford City is complex with 8 Government departments providing funding through 18 different local agencies to projects with part time or full time workers. 

     

    In addition to this there is a large level of youth provision by the community and voluntary sector, uniformed clubs and sporting organisations etc.  One of the key recommendations from the audit process was that a Youth Strategy should be prepared which is in line with the objectives contained in the Waterford CDB Strategy for Economic, Social and Cultural Development is ‘To develop a strategy to meet the needs of youth’ and as part of this to ‘undertake an assessment of youth needs including facilities and services and develop a co-ordinated response, linking with the VEC Youth Committee, Youth Work Development Plan’. 

     

    Waterford CDB are now preparing a Youth Strategy for Waterford City in partnership with Waterford Youth Committee and the Waterford Area Partnership Board.

    [ Endorsement ]
    Endorsement is part of a Tri-Ministerial initiative involving the Dept of Environment, Heritage & Local Government, Dept of Community, Rural & Gaeltacht Affairs and Dept of Justice, Equality & Law Reform, designed to improve coherence and delivery across the range of local community development structures and programmes.

     

    Projects involved in endorsement process in Waterford City were :


    1. Ballybeg Community Development Project
    2. Independent Mother’s Group
    3. Larchville Lisduggan Community Development Project
    4. Men’s Development Project
    5. Waterford Area Partnership Board Ltd
    6. Waterford City Childcare Committee
    7. Waterford Traveller Community Development Project
    8. Waterford Women’s Centre

    In 2004 a matrix was constructed based on an analysis of the workplans submitted as part of the Endorsement Process.  This matrix identified four themes (childcare, literacy, unemployed and travellers) where it is felt the SIM Committee should concentrate co-ordination efforts with a view to maximising resources and delivery of effective services. 

     

    These themes were selected on the basis that they appear to have a high number of agencies and community projects servicing the needs of these themes at some level and as a result it was felt that it would be valuable to bring all these players together to fully assess the situation in relation to service delivery.  Considerable progress has been made in relation to services to the unemployed with limited progress on the other themes.

     

    Theme


    Reports on Endorsement
    Report on Endorsement Process 2005-2006
    Report of the Endorsement Working Group 2007

     

    Improved Cohesion
    CDBs were requested by the Department of Environment Heritage & Local Government to co-ordinate a process whereby community and local development groups would bring forward measures for improved alignment of structures. The objective of this initiative is to develop measures such as the sharing of facilities and administrative supports, enhancement of and improved targeting of services on the ground through better co-ordination or an integrated approach to the introduction of new and existing measures.