Sustainable, Inclusive and Empowered Communities
A five-year strategy to support the community and voluntary sector in Ireland 2019-2024
Minister Ring launched this strategy yesterday.
It sets out how Government aims to support the sector and provide communities with the means and opportunity to be involved in decisions that affect them, as well as strengthening their representative organisations to facilitate this. It also aims to equip communities directly and through the organisations that support them with the capacity to address the ongoing implications of challenges such as Climate Change and Brexit.
The strategy includes actions which underpin previous commitments and includes scoping of multi-annual funding streams, better consultation models, capacity building for agencies, local authorities and the community and voluntary sector. The strengthening of PPNs is included in Objective 7.
Click on the cover image to download full document from this website.
Strategy in Brief:
It has been created in the context of the development of the community and voluntary sector in Ireland. It acknowledges the value of the sector and the effects of cuts to funding in recent years. It refers to other policies regarding local government, under which PPNs were established, and the aims of increased participation in local and national decision-making across a range of government departments.
The context, overview, whys and wherefores are outlined. In addition, the strategy sets out 11 objectives with actions, which are scheduled for short-, medium- and long-term.
Objectives in Brief:
- Strengthen and develop participative approaches to the development of public policy.
- Support and facilitate communities to participate in community and local development.
- Securing meaningful consultation, inclusion and participation in decision-making structures, especially marginalised and groups that don’t normally engage.
- Sustainable funding for the Community and Voluntary sector including multi-annual and standardised approach across Depts.
- Promoting and supporting Local Community Development Committees (LCDCs). See Review of LCDCs, July 2019.
- Build understanding and capacity around “Public Sector Duty“
- Supporting PPNs as “the primary mechanism for communities to engage with local government decision-making.”
- Build understanding and capacity supporting communities and government to implement Sustainable Development Goals.
- Strengthening the participative processes in developing and implementing Local Economic and Community Plans (LECPs).
- Build capacity for local and community development in Local Authorities.
- Support community and voluntary engagement with Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation – training, pilot projects and focus.
Click on the image above to download the complete strategy from this website.
Speaking at the launch of the strategy, Minister Ring said:
Máirín Martin
It is great to know what the “aim” is BUT until funding is put in place to pay minimum wage to a Community Development Worker in every area where there is a strong Community Council or Town Team, this will not work. People can only give so many hours of themselves and unless it is coordinated, a lot of these committees will not survive.