Tackling poverty and social inclusion in Tipperary
The contract for the new Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) for the 2024-2028 period was officially signed on December 18 at the Horse & Jockey Hotel and Conference Centre by the Chairpersons of the Implementing Partners – Simon Ryan, South Tipperary Development Company, and Monica McElveney, North Tipperary Development Company, the Chairperson of the Tipperary Local Community Development Committee (LCDC), Eoin Wolahan, and the Chief Executive of Tipperary County Council, Joe MacGrath.
The Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) provides funding to tackle poverty and social inclusion at a local level through local engagement and partnerships between disadvantaged individuals, community organisation and public sector agencies. SICAP is funded through the Department of Rural and Community Development with co-financing from the European Social fund and is managed locally by Tipperary LCDC with support from Tipperary County Council. The programme is implemented in the north of the county by North Tipperary Development Company (NTDC) and in South Tipperary by South Tipperary Development Company (STDC). NTDC and STDC engage with marginalised communities and a wide range of services providers using an integrated and community development approach to address issues relating to social exclusion and equality.
The programme was first implemented by the development companies STDC & NTLP (North Tipperary Leader Partnership – now NTDC) in Tipperary in 2015.
The development companies were the successful tenderers following a public procurement process for the new 2024-2028 contract. The maximum framework agreement budget for the county for the lifetime of the contract will be €12million with a combined budget for the SICAP programme for County Tipperary in excess of €1,569,000 per year across the lifetime of the programme with an additional allocation of circa €251,000 for International Protection Applicants and Holders of Temporary Protection new arrivals in 2024.
The development companies will engage with Local Community groups across the county and over 1000 individual beneficiaries, supporting them to improve the quality of their life through the provision of lifelong learning and labour market supports. Local Community groups and target group will be supported to engage with relevant stakeholders in identifying and addressing social exclusion and equality issues and creating more sustainable communities. The development companies will also work with International Protection Applicants and holders of Temporary Protection.
The chairperson of the Local Community Development Committee, Eoin Wolaha, congratulated both South Tipperary Development Company and North Tipperary Development Company on their new contracts, acknowledging the significant work that they have done during the last programme and saying that he looked forward to continued productive working relationships between the LCDC and the SICAP implementing partners over the lifetime of the new programme.