A new four-year strategy aimed at achieving increased interagency cooperation and inter-community collaboration on a range of issues relating to the traveller community has been launched in County Clare.
“The Clare Traveller Integrated Strategy 2010 – 2013” replaces the 2005-09 plan, and seeks to develop greater interaction between communities and local agencies so that members of the traveller community will experience improved quality of life in the areas of education, accommodation, employment and physical/mental well being.
Approximately 90 actions contained in the 2005-09 strategy have been progressed through 16 lead agencies, supported by another seven agencies and members of the Travelling Community.
Commenting on the background to the new strategy Councillor Patricia McCarthy, Chair of the Social Inclusion Measures Implementation Group (SIM) of the Clare County Development Board (CDB), said: “There is a stark contrast between the quality of life within the settled and Traveller Community. This is reflected in a shorter life expectancy, estimated to be 10 to 15 years less, and a five times greater suicide rate. There is a negative attitude amongst the settled community towards the Traveller Community where one in every five would deny travellers a right to citizenship. This poor quality of life is also reflected in high unemployment (75%) and low education achievement (50% with primary education or less).”
“In order for this new strategy to be successfully implemented it will require the continued participation and full cooperation of members of the traveller community”, added Councillor McCarthy.
According to Gerard Dollard, Chair of the interagency steering committee and Director of Services, Community and Enterprise: “These are clearly challenging areas of work that call for specific expertise and high-level inter-agency and inter-community collaboration. This Strategy, the Clare Traveller Integrated Strategy 2010 – 2013, draws on the strengths of the previous strategy 2005 - 2009 while, at the same time, addressing its weaknesses. It is aimed at achieving co-operation between agencies so that members of the Traveller Community will experience improved quality of life in the areas of education, accommodation, employment and physical/mental well being.”
In 2005, the first Coordinated Strategy for services to the Traveller Community in Clare was developed. In 2009, the Department asked all County Development Boards to review their Traveller Strategy and in the review to prioritise a small number of actions that responded to the most pressing issues and demonstrated increased inter-agency cooperation.
Objectives were formulated and agreed by each of the implementation groups under the headings of Work and Employment, Accommodation, and Health and Education. These were formally endorsed by senior personnel in the respective agencies, FÁS, Clare County Council, the HSE, the VEC; and by the Steering Committee meeting and the SIM meeting of Clare CDB last month.
The new strategy contains three sections, namely “The Social and Cultural changes that impact on the Traveller Community”, “Summary & Recommendations on previous Strategy Actions, 2005 – 2009”, and “Key Recommendations, Objectives & Actions for the new Strategy, 2010 – 2013”.
Successes from the previous strategy:
Education
• Peer Support Worker – David McCarthy has recently been employed to work within the schools with 5 to 6 members of the Traveller Community (ranging from 5th Class to 2nd year) to support them through the education system and towards senior level.
• Parent Support Programme – to support the parents in assisting their children through homework etc….
• Homework Club – supporting the children
Work & Employment
• The establishment of the Work & Employment Office, Michael Flanagan as the Officer and Brigid Sherlock as his assistant.
• In 2010, this office provided support to 10 travellers to various types of work and work placements and assisted 19 into various training programmes.
• (Paddy McDonagh helped out this summer and last summer in the council, working in the print room and on the customer service desk and he is now 2nd year in college)
Accommodation
• Completion of the Shannon Horse Project (John McDonagh should be there and will speak informally to anyone interested in setting up a similar project)
• Other projects across the Country have already visited this project with a view to starting their own similar projects
Health
• Appointment of the Primary Healthcare workers (who are members of the Travelling Community) and the co-ordinator – under HSE funding
Steering Committee
• The circulation of the Clare Traveller Focus Magazine
Copies of the new strategy are available by contacting Nicola Cullinan, Coordinator on 065-6846428 / ncullinan@clarecoco.ie.
“The Clare Traveller Integrated Strategy 2010 – 2013” replaces the 2005-09 plan, and seeks to develop greater interaction between communities and local agencies so that members of the traveller community will experience improved quality of life in the areas of education, accommodation, employment and physical/mental well being.
Approximately 90 actions contained in the 2005-09 strategy have been progressed through 16 lead agencies, supported by another seven agencies and members of the Travelling Community.
Commenting on the background to the new strategy Councillor Patricia McCarthy, Chair of the Social Inclusion Measures Implementation Group (SIM) of the Clare County Development Board (CDB), said: “There is a stark contrast between the quality of life within the settled and Traveller Community. This is reflected in a shorter life expectancy, estimated to be 10 to 15 years less, and a five times greater suicide rate. There is a negative attitude amongst the settled community towards the Traveller Community where one in every five would deny travellers a right to citizenship. This poor quality of life is also reflected in high unemployment (75%) and low education achievement (50% with primary education or less).”
“In order for this new strategy to be successfully implemented it will require the continued participation and full cooperation of members of the traveller community”, added Councillor McCarthy.
According to Gerard Dollard, Chair of the interagency steering committee and Director of Services, Community and Enterprise: “These are clearly challenging areas of work that call for specific expertise and high-level inter-agency and inter-community collaboration. This Strategy, the Clare Traveller Integrated Strategy 2010 – 2013, draws on the strengths of the previous strategy 2005 - 2009 while, at the same time, addressing its weaknesses. It is aimed at achieving co-operation between agencies so that members of the Traveller Community will experience improved quality of life in the areas of education, accommodation, employment and physical/mental well being.”
In 2005, the first Coordinated Strategy for services to the Traveller Community in Clare was developed. In 2009, the Department asked all County Development Boards to review their Traveller Strategy and in the review to prioritise a small number of actions that responded to the most pressing issues and demonstrated increased inter-agency cooperation.
Objectives were formulated and agreed by each of the implementation groups under the headings of Work and Employment, Accommodation, and Health and Education. These were formally endorsed by senior personnel in the respective agencies, FÁS, Clare County Council, the HSE, the VEC; and by the Steering Committee meeting and the SIM meeting of Clare CDB last month.
The new strategy contains three sections, namely “The Social and Cultural changes that impact on the Traveller Community”, “Summary & Recommendations on previous Strategy Actions, 2005 – 2009”, and “Key Recommendations, Objectives & Actions for the new Strategy, 2010 – 2013”.
Successes from the previous strategy:
Education
• Peer Support Worker – David McCarthy has recently been employed to work within the schools with 5 to 6 members of the Traveller Community (ranging from 5th Class to 2nd year) to support them through the education system and towards senior level.
• Parent Support Programme – to support the parents in assisting their children through homework etc….
• Homework Club – supporting the children
Work & Employment
• The establishment of the Work & Employment Office, Michael Flanagan as the Officer and Brigid Sherlock as his assistant.
• In 2010, this office provided support to 10 travellers to various types of work and work placements and assisted 19 into various training programmes.
• (Paddy McDonagh helped out this summer and last summer in the council, working in the print room and on the customer service desk and he is now 2nd year in college)
Accommodation
• Completion of the Shannon Horse Project (John McDonagh should be there and will speak informally to anyone interested in setting up a similar project)
• Other projects across the Country have already visited this project with a view to starting their own similar projects
Health
• Appointment of the Primary Healthcare workers (who are members of the Travelling Community) and the co-ordinator – under HSE funding
Steering Committee
• The circulation of the Clare Traveller Focus Magazine
Copies of the new strategy are available by contacting Nicola Cullinan, Coordinator on 065-6846428 / ncullinan@clarecoco.ie.
