Weaving Together Policies for Social Inclusion

in IrelandOECD LEED | 13th Annual Meeting

11th April 2017 | Prague

The Irish Socio-Economic Context

• Recovery: considerable progress but key challenges remain:• Consistent Poverty: 8.7% & 11.5% of children (2015)• Unemployment: the rate is falling BUT: • Long term unemployment at 4.2% (Q3, 2016)

= approx. 65% of the total unemployed• High youth unemployment at 14.5 % (Feb. 2017)• Jobless Households: above EU average at 12% (Q2

2016)• Integration: approx. 12% of the population are non-

Irish• Homelessness: affordability / demand exceeds supply

Framework for Addressing Socio-Economic Disadvantage

Wide range of policies and programmes at a national and local level that include:

• Reform of Public Services - Local Government / Income Support & Employment • Social Transfers/Ensuring Adequate Minimum Income• Creating an Inclusive Labour Market• Targeting Disadvantage through Area-Based

Programmes e.g. SICAP• Access to Quality Services• Harnessing the potential of Social Enterprise

OECD LEED Policy Review

Purpose:• Identify drivers and responses to social exclusion• How to make growth more inclusive

Impact in 2 Disadvantaged Areas:• RAPID Area Blanchardstown (urban - Dublin suburb)• North County Meath (rural – 1.5 hour from Dublin)

Thematic Focus:• Accessibility • Asset-Building• Multi-Level Governance

Overview of Project:• Background Report/Analysis• Study Tour: Interviews, Roundtables, Project Visits• Final Report

Case StudiesUrban and Rural

Blanchardstown RAPID Area North County Meath

Deprivation Score: -8.53 Deprivation Score: -8.26

AccessibilityTo what degree are opportunities, programmes and

services available to community residents

Blanchardstown RAPID Area North County Meath

● Services and infrastructure pitched at regional, not local scale

● Limited infrastructure & services: small villages, poor roads, public transport gaps

● Segregated neighbourhoods and migrant integration

● Challenges related to elderly population and isolation

● Disconnection from economic opportunities and physical

●Poor broadband and mobile phone coverage

Asset BuildingHow can communities better leverage the assets that exist

to support sustainable development or positive change(physical, human, social, financial, etc.)

Blanchardstown RAPID Area North County Meath

● ‘Asset rich’ - well served by public sector organisations, many employers & multinationals

● Fewer obvious assets, but several exist (landscape, sense of community, facilities)

● Underlying issues of disadvantage and institutional co-operation to be addressed

● Potential to use existing assets in new ways

Multi-level GovernanceHow do the many authority structures interact to deliver

policies, programmes and services

Blanchardstown RAPID Area North County Meath

● Myriad of organisations ● Fewer organisations

● Collaboration and accountability challenges

● Low capacities and thinly spread networks

• New LCDC – realise potential, capacity and restrictions• Embedding social enterprises as actors at different

governance levels

Final Report

• Key Findings & Recommendations based on the 3 themes

• Immediate Priorities at a National Level:Feed into policy discussions / windows

• Local Priorities / Case-study Areas: Inform planning and practice

Immediate PrioritiesNational Level

Improving Governance and Building Capacities• Enhance an integrated services approach• Build capacities at the local level• Establish a “what works centre”

Better Leveraging of Community Assets• Support social enterprises

Increasing Accessibility to Economic Opportunities• Strengthen career guidance• Expand and improve apprenticeship offerings• Improve co-ordination of migrant integration• Invest in early years education and care

Immediate PrioritiesLocal Level – Blanchardstown RAPID

• Use a broker to stimulate better signposting between local services.• Intensify ongoing efforts to encourage employers

to engage more with local residents..• Consider the development of a local training

facility• Further consolidate a strategy for social

enterprises