IRD Duhallow Progress Jun 21/22.qxp_Layout 1 21/07/2022 12:50 Page 3
IRD DUHALLOW | PROGRESS REPORT
2020 - 2021
Manager’s Report remaining 3 months. This is a massive cost on top of a mortgage and the usual household costs. We will be supporting the campaign to have a better government subvention to assist young families.
The year under review was a significant year for IRD Duhallow during which we successfully delivered our core programmes, expanded into several new areas of development, successfully competed for a national employment services tender, in partnership with the other Local Development Companies, and commenced a process to refresh our Working Groups. As the Covid challenge continues, the urgent reaction and response demanded by the Ukrainian Refugee crisis has tested the courage, flexibility, responsiveness, and professionalism of our entire team. We again, repurposed, redeployed, reinvented, and responded to the challenge with pace and urgency, with a driven Board and an agile, professional team of workers that I am fortunate to lead. We have facilitated and supported the amazing response of communities, volunteers, and local businesses, with new alliances formed with Red Cross, Civil Defence, and Local Authorities.
Our European Innovation Programme for Agri Environment has delivered consistently on all its targets and with over 125 farmers fully signed up to the Duhallow Farming Blue Dot on the Allow and Owentaraglin rivers the impact on Water Quality and Biodiversity will be significant. Duhallow’s circular economy projects, Furniture Revamp and Warmer Homes retro fit programme, are making a significant impact on the reduction in the regions carbon footprint. Warmer Homes is addressing fuel poverty and reducing carbon emissions by reducing the amount of fossil fuels burned, while Duhallow Furniture Revamp takes in furniture often destined for landfill and revamping it for resale or return to the client at a reasonable cost.
Local Development Companies like IRD Duhallow have earned the trust of communities, have the governance standard, range of expertise and agility to act quickly to deliver national policy locally, across a broad range of topics, and we are accessible to government departments and agencies. This we believe was the vision of the founding fathers of LEADER in Europe.
Our Local Training Initiative supported by Cork ETB has trained learners to QQI level 4 in horticulture. This has a double impact in the community by improving people’s chances of gaining employment and by supporting local people to start to grow their own vegetables and reduce food miles.
This Progress Report provides a detailed account of the company’s activities and achievements in the past year, where Working Groups provide stakeholder engagement, oversight and guidance and staff bring the expertise necessary to fully implement the company’s strategies, maximise the benefits of the various programmes we implement for the benefit of all our communities.
Much of our Community Services Work is underpinned by DEASP funded work placement programmes such as RSS, Tús and CE as well as the Community Services Programme. While some of the schemes have had the numbers of participants cut as the unemployment numbers drop to almost full employment, these schemes are vital to participants in guiding them in progression to employment or further training and to community volunteers by supporting their work. IRD Duhallow operated an integrated model of implementation of all three schemes which, we believe benefits participants through teamwork and avoids isolation. I sit on the National Implementation Committee for RSS and Tús and welcomed Mr Tony Kearns of DEASP as chair and his colleague Shane Reynolds, with whom we have already worked. We welcome recent changes to eligibility criteria of Tús with the addition of people with disabilities and the removal of the six-year cap on participation for small holders on RSS. The ability to stay on CE past 60 until retirement is also very welcome.
LEADER got a welcome boost when Minister Heather Humphries announced Interim Funding to support new projects and their administration up to the end of 2022. The next LEADER programme will likely not go to contract until well into next year therefore communities and businesses will be relying on an extension of the interim funds. We welcome the EU Commission’s independent LEADER Evaluation and congratulate Katarina Kubinakova and John Powell of the University of Gloster who carried out the evaluation in Ireland on behalf of DG Agri. We took great heart from the findings which among other things, validated the Independent LAG structure. Our representative network ILDN has taken the findings to the Department, Government, and the European Commission. LEADER funding needs to be restored to the pre-recession level with exchequer match funding increased to balance the reduction in CAP contribution put forward by the Irish Government.
I also want to acknowledge and appreciate the immense capability and commitment of all IRD Duhallow employees and participants who worked under very difficult circumstances to progress our strategy, deliver on our commitments, and maintain essential services for the communities we serve. The past year has seen us extend our reach to Social Farming; Kickstart to assist those on probation access work; a Ukrainian/English speaking interpreter shared with the HSE; a Community Mental Health Programme and a Rural Recreation Officer.
SICAP has been awarded the UN Public Service Award, welcomed by Minister Joe O Brien, Mary Hurley Sec General and Paul Gerraghty of the Dept of Rural and Community Development. IRD Duhallow is proud to be part of that effort. Our SICAP Programme, although financially very small has informed our ethos, and enabled us to engage with other agencies and target groups that would otherwise be impossible to reach. Of course, the Ukrainian Refugee Supports will form a significant part of all SICAP programmes into the future. Another emerging issue that SICAP will need to address is the post Covid lockdown fallout, in terms of the impact it has had on young and old alike. While the Duhallow region has seen unemployment fall, underemployment is still a problem, we continue striving to find new approaches to meet and address social inclusion needs efficiently and sustainably, however a restoration of SICAP funding to pre-recession levels would enable IRD Duhallow to extend the reach of SICAP and include more communities and individuals than we can currently reach.
I want to acknowledge the contribution of Eileen Linehan our Assistant CEO to the ongoing success of the company. I value her professionalism, leadership qualities, commitment, flexibility, and advice. Also, Triona Dennehy and Helen O’ Sullivan of our Management Team for their dedication and hard work and the leadership and guidance they provide to their teams as well as work placement supervisors and CSP managers that contribute to the successful operations of the company. On behalf of the Board and the Senior Management team, I would like to acknowledge the contribution of our outgoing Chairman Breeda Moynihan Cronin, who will complete her term as chair this year. Throughout her tenure as Chairman, Breeda provided strong leadership to the company and her extensive experience at regional and national level served the company well during the challenge of remote on-line Board and Working Group meetings. We thank her sincerely for her valued contribution to IRD Duhallow.
IRD Duhallow Skillnet supports over 500 businesses annually to develop the talent and skills needed in their workforces. We are operating the network for the past 7 years and the outcomes listed include supports to almost 6,000 individuals. Childcare and Healthcare courses have become the most sought after and through our partnering with Carlow IT, deliver QQI level 8 honours degrees in childcare which, our Network of community childcare facilities see as essential to attracting, developing, and retaining essential staff in a sector that supports parents of young families to remain at work.
Board, Management, and Staff together have strengthened the position of IRD Duhallow as being respected and trusted by our Communities, Businesses, Government Agencies and Departments. We pride ourselves in our work ethic and are well recognised as having a high-performance culture.
The cost of childcare is still prohibitive and a huge barrier to participation with pressure on mothers to give up their jobs or work part time to keep the costs down. For example, even with the current government subsidies, the cost to a family of 3 children, with one in afterschools and two in full day care is €1700 per month during the 38 weeks of school term and €2,300 per month for the
Maura Walsh CEO
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