Activities
Dublin Inner City Partnership: Summary of activities for 2005
The full details are in Progress Report 2005 (ProgressReport2005.doc / progressreport2005.htm)
The DICP invests in a range of activities in the context of our Strategic Action Plan under the annual Programme of Activities and the local employment service. The Partnership is also involved in a range of organisational and development work that complements the core investments. In this context, during the year to end of December 2005, the Partnership participated in and supported progress in the following areas:
Childcare
A collaborative funding proposal to establish a Childcare Resource Centre in the Central area was approved in principle by the Dublin City Childcare Committee. The proposal was developed by Dublin Inner City Partnership, Finglas Cabra Partnership and Dublin City Council. When established, the centre will provide information on childcare availability, careers and training, quality standards, etc. to parents and the childcare sector.
The DICP worked with the Dublin city childcare committee and the ICTU to undertake research on employment conditions in the childcare sector and to produce an information leaflet on employment rights in the sector. This was launched in the Mansion House in November.
Meeting with Minister O’Cuiv
In March, DICP Board members met with Minister Eamon O’Cuiv, TD and a senior representative of his Department to discuss particular local development issues in the inner city and in the wider context of the Minister's plans.
Awards
In May, the Dublin Local Employment Service network received an award from the Lord Mayor of Dublin. The Partnership’s Employment & Enterprise Coordinator accepted the award on behalf of the network. The Dublin city Drugs Task Forces also received an award from the Lord Mayor, in recognition of their contribution. The Director of DICP received the award on behalf of the Task Forces.
Foreign National Young People at Risk
A sub-group of the ICON Youth at Risk Project was established to examine the needs of foreign national young people at risk who are living in the north inner city. The group organised a seminar in January and drafted a report which was distributed to relevant agencies and groups. Partnership staff were closely involved with the sub-group and will continue to give support to progress the recommendations of the report.
'Equal at Work'
DICP is represented on the Dublin Employment Pact ‘Equal at Work’ initiative. This initiative successfully applied for Round 2 funding this year. The work of the initiative will be structured around different sites, and will build on the successes of the Round 1 project. The Partnership director is chairperson of the Development Partnership which is comprised of fifty statutory and community organisations. Four development sites have been established and the DICP is active in the community/ voluntary site aimed at improving equality of access to employment in the sector and development of best human resource practices.
Women's Network
The North West Inner City Women’s Network met with representatives of the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs earlier in the year with regard to continuation of funding for the network. A new work plan was developed and submitted to the Department. The Minister for State Noel Ahern TD confirmed further funding in December.
Participation and Practice of Rights Project
The feasibility stage of the Participation and Practice of Rights project was continued during the year. The Dublin Inner city Partnership supplied funding to keep a full time worker in place in the north inner city until the end of September. The two community networks, ICON and NWICN provided time, effort and energy to develop the project. The project was able to draw in other levels of expertise, e.g. a researcher from the Royal College of Surgeon's Ph.D. programme is working in the north east on Primary Community Health Care and the community. The project was formally launched in January in the Mansion house to a packed house. Significant long-term funding from Atlantic Philanthropies was confirmed in November and this major project, including communities in north Belfast and north inner city Dublin together with national organisations ICTU, CAJ, ICCL, Combat Poverty and Community Trust NI, will be established in 2006.
Education
A teacher training programme focusing on the local context of the inner city and how this impacts on school children was delivered to second level teachers working in inner city schools.
Staff supported a new initiative of the National College of Ireland that will focus on school readiness and early education opportunities for pre-school children in the area surrounding the college campus.
Anti Racism Plan
In May, an outline proposal was submitted by DICP to the Department of Justice, Equality & Law Reform for the development of an anti racism plan for the inner city, as a means of implementing locally the recently published National Anti Racism Plan. This was approved in September and the the anti-racism and diversity plan will be produced in the first quarter of 2006.
The range of Partnership supported activity in 2005 has included:
- A large-scale community meeting involving almost two hundred people took place in the National College of Ireland in early 2005 attended by Minister O’Cuiv.
- Further expansion of the Digital Communities Initiative occurred with a major exhibition organised in December 2005 attended by the Minister of State Noel Ahern TD. This highlighted the delivery of accredited computer training to local residents in eleven local authority sites.
- Local residents graduated with Dublin Institute of Technology accreditation following their participation in a teacher training programme organised by the Digital Communities Initiative. The course was designed to enable people to teach in their own communities.
- Forty schools benefited from participation in the DISC Project. Teachers in inner city schools have accessed relevant IT training for use of software and hardware as an educational aid.
- Equal at Work Project successfully completed Phase 1 and initiated a new project involving fifty partner organisations chaired by the DICP Director.
- ICES placed 260 people in full time jobs.
- Significant progress was achieved by the ICON, SWICN and NWICN community networks in relation to developing new initiatives, coordinating social inclusion activity in their areas and engaging with local statutory structures and activities.
- Development of the Tenants First Initiative, and the production of a best practice brochure on regeneration.
- The DICP continued to support Community Technical Aid who provided professional training and advice to local resident groups. The community planning service delivered through Community Technical Aid was continued.
- Participation and Practice of Rights initiative was developed from feasibility stage to obtaining significant mainstream funding.
- The EQUAL initiative Community and Voluntary site was further developed with full engagement with trade unions, SIPTU and IMPACT.
- A development worker was employed in O’Devaney Gardens to support local participation, capacity building, and expansion of services and initiatives.
- Tenant workers were employed in north east inner city and south west inner city.
- A wide range of training and workshops for community based childcare providers were provided.
- Disability Equality Training for community workers was delivered.
- Educational support for young asylum seekers were provided.
- DICP participated in multi-agency initiatives targeting disadvantage, e.g. the ICON Young People at Risk Initiative.
- Research into human resources issues in the childcare sector was conducted with Dublin city childcare committee and ICTU, launched in November in the Mansion house.
- New development worker employed in the North West Inner City Network.
- The annual Sports Against Racism multicultural soccer tournament was held.
- The number of training places and modules on the Gateway pre-employment training project was expanded.
- Further development and support for the Second level Schools Principals Network.
- DICP Participated in four School Completion clusters in the inner city.
- The Partnership Agenda newsletter was published.
- The Childcare newsletter was published.
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