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Social Inclusion

Information about social inclusion, the prioritisation of the needs of marginalised groups and those living in poverty.

What is Social Inclusion?   Social inclusion is the prioritisation of the needs of marginalised groups and those living in poverty - by state bodies and by national legislation in particular- to ensure that the life outcomes of these groups are equal to those of the rest of the population, and ultimately, to prevent, reduce and eliminate poverty. These groups should also be given meaningful participation in the decision-making processes and structures which affect their lives.

Marginalised Groups:   Travellers; One-parent families;  People with disabilities;  Long term unemployed;  Early school leavers;  Migrants/minorities/refugees/asylum seekers;  Homeless;  Women;  Substance mis-users;  Ex-prisoners/offenders;  Unskilled/ Semi-skilled/those with low educational attainment; Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual/ Transgender community;  Children;  Young People;  Older People;  Rurally isolated/Small farm-holders;  Large Families;  Marginalised men;  Family Carers;  Low income Households.

Social Inclusion Issues:   Unemployment, Physical health, Mental health, Housing, Literacy & Numeracy, Education, Childcare, Social welfare payments/poverty trap, Accessibility issues (hard and soft), Transport, Social isolation (in both rural and urban areas), Racism, Security/crime/Intimidation, Drug misuse,  Discrimination on religious or cultural grounds, sexism, food poverty, fuel poverty, human rights/equality issues.

What is Poverty?  

There are two key measurements of poverty.

(i) Relative Poverty: This refers to lack of Income                          

(ii) Consistent Poverty: This refers to lack of income coupled with severe material deprivation due to lack of income

What is Marginalisation?  

Groups or Individuals experiencing the following:

Poverty
Vulnerability
Unacceptably low standard of living
Excluded from activities considered the ‘norm’ in society

 

Social Inclusion Network Group (SING)

Purpose

The purpose of the SING group is to provide a forum for regular 2-way communication between marginalised communities/groups working with a social inclusion remit at local level and the local authority and other support agencies.

SING provides an opportunity for members to:

share experiences
provide peer support
discuss relevant plans and programmes of the LECP and their delivery
identify gaps in plans/programmes and additional initiatives that would benefit marginalised communities
monitor the impact of local polices as they relate to social inclusion, and
to inform the biannual implementation plan for delivery of the LECP.
More detailed information on the purpose of this group can be found in the Groups Terms of Reference document.

Background

Wicklow Local Community Development Committee (LCDC) in collaboration with Wicklow PPN undertook some work to encourage engagement of marginalised communities in local planning and decision making.  This work was particularly related to the development of the new Local Economic & Community Plan (LECP) 2023 -2029.  Wicklow’s work was overseen by Pobal as part of the Dept. Rural & Community Development’s Dormant Accounts Funded Engagement Programme which fed into “A Guide for Inclusive Community Engagement in Local Planning & Decision Making” [second edition launched October 2023].

One of the main messages that emerged from this work was the need for regular communication between the local authority and marginalised communities/groups working with a social inclusion remit at local level. This would help to make sure that plans like the LECP are delivering the supports that communities need, and that the plans could adapt to change if an unexpected need arises.

One of the suggestions put forward that might allow this to happen was the development of a social inclusion network that would be made up of marginalised communities and/or the groups that support them as well as the statutory agencies.  The development of this network became an action in the new LECP 2023-2029 and an inaugural meeting took place on 26th July 2023.

SING Membership

  • Africa Irish Society of Wicklow
  • Bray Area Partnership
  • Bray Community Addiction Service
  • Bray Family Resource & Development Centre
  • Bray MABS
  • Bray Traveller’s Group
  • Bray Women’s Refuge
  • Carnew Community Care
  • Citizen’s Information Service
  • County Childcare Committee
  • County Wicklow Partnership
  • Children & Young People’s Service Committee
  • Disability & Inclusion Steering Committee
  • East Wicklow Youth Services
  • East Wicklow Drugs & Alcohol Task Force
  • Glencree Centre for Peace & Reconciliation
  • Greystones Family Resource Centre
  • Health Services Executive
  • Kildare Wicklow Education & Training Board
  • Local Community Development Committee
  • Local Authority Integration Team, Wicklow County Council
  • Library Service, Wicklow County Council
  • Movement of Asylum Seekers Ireland
  • Older People’s Council
  • Ukrainian Nationals Network
  • Wicklow Volunteer Centre
  • Wicklow County Council
  • Wicklow Travellers Group
  • Wicklow PPN
  • Elected Reps : Melanie Corrigan (Bray MD)