Social Inclusion Forum 2021
Monday 12 April 2021, 9:00am - Friday 16 April 2021, 5:00pm
This is an online event
Registration for this event is closedConference Overview
2020 saw the publication of the Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020-25: Ambition, Goals, Commitments, the arrival of Covid-19 and related restrictions on economic and social life, and the publication of a new Programme for Government. This is the backdrop against which the 2021 Social Inclusion Forum will take place. The theme of this year’s Forum is “Implementing the Roadmap for Social Inclusion: reducing poverty and improving social inclusion”.
Reflecting the strong working relationship between the Department of Social Protection (DSP) and the Department of Rural and Community Development (DRCD), the event has been organised in collaboration by both Departments. In addition, our long-time event partners, the European Anti-Poverty Network Ireland and Community Workers Ireland have worked with us throughout the planning of this event.
Attendance at the Forum is free, but must pre-register in advance. Registration is currently open and will close at 5.30pm on Thursday 8 April 2021. Please go to the Registration section of this site to book your place/s.
You can download a copy of the Conference Programme here. (pdf opens in new window)
Please note registration is now closed for the Forum.
Registration
Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020-2025
The Department of Social Protection published the Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020-2025 in January 2020. It is a whole-of-government strategy with a mid-term review scheduled to take place in 2022. This will facilitate an evaluation of the impact of the Roadmap commitments, as well as allowing commitments to be updated to reflect new actions and strategies across Government.
The Roadmap will build on the work of its predecessors with the aim of reducing the number of people in consistent poverty in Ireland and increasing social inclusion for those who are most disadvantaged. This is reflected in its clearly stated ambition to “Reduce consistent poverty to 2% or less and to make Ireland one of the most socially inclusive countries in the EU”. The Roadmap translates this ambition into seven Goals underpinned by 66 unique Commitments (actions) that will be taken to help deliver these goals. These unique commitments have been developed with relevant Departments and agencies to reflect current or planned sectoral strategies and plans.
View and download a Pdf copy of the Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020 - 2025
Agenda
09:45 - 10:00
Virtual Broadcast Login
Please note the Opening Plenary will be a virtual broadcast where attendees will only be able to see/hear the speakers. Attendees will interact using a Q&A and chat function, but will not be able to activate camera/microphones.
Login will be available 15 mins before the official start time.
10:00 - 10:10
Welcome and opening remarks
Teresa Leonard, Deputy Secretary General, Department of Social Protection
10:10 - 10:25
Address by Minister of State with responsibility for social inclusion and community development
Joe O'Brien T.D, Minister of State with responsibility for social inclusion and community development
10:25 - 10:45
A presentation on the Roadmap for Social Inclusion including its development, complementary nature re: other strategies; progress to date and challenges posed by COVID-19
Dermot Coates, Department of Social Protection.
10:45 - 11:05
Feedback from pre-Forum regional sessions
Ann Irwin, Community Work Ireland
Paul Ginnell, European Anti-Poverty Network Ireland
11:05 - 11:20
Work at community level and its impact on poverty and social inclusion
Paul Geraghty, Department of Rural and Community Development.
11:20 - 11:45
Moderated Q&A session
Details of the Moderator and Panellists will be published in due course.
11:45 - 11:55
Overview of the four Forum workshops
11:55 - 12:00
Closing comments
Kevin McCarthy, Secretary General, Department of Rural and Community Development
14:30 - 16:00
Core Essentials - Healthcare, Housing, Energy and Food
Roadmap Goal: to ensure that all people can live with confidence that they have access to good quality healthcare, housing, energy and food.
Chapter within Roadmap: Chapter 8
Ireland is relatively well positioned to offer reliable access and secure availability of the core essentials of our daily lives. However good overall availability does not always translate into reliable and quality access for everyone and some people in Irish society can struggle to access the basic essentials. For people who are on low incomes, access to basic essential services on a free or subsidised basis can reduce the expenses to be covered from within that low income. And this means they can make that money go further.
This workshop will focus on three types of core essentials:
- Energy: home energy costs; energy efficiency in the home
- Food: cost, quality, availability, access, skills, knowledge, facilities
- Health inclusion: access, availability, quality, timeliness, cost
This workshop will be delivered on Zoom Meetings where all attendees will have access to turn camera/microphone on.
The session will be recorded for administrative/reporting purposes only.
10:00 - 11:30
Supporting Families and Children
Roadmap Goal: to reduce child poverty in Ireland and to ensure that all families have the opportunity to fully participate in society
Chapter within Roadmap: Chapter 5
The most recent national child poverty target is to lift over 70,000 children out of consistent poverty by 2020, a reduction of at least two-thirds on the 2011 level. The Roadmap notes that it is implicit in this target that no child in Ireland should live in poverty and that, where it happens due to adverse circumstances, available supports should ensure that the child and their family exit poverty as soon as possible. The Roadmap includes a commitment to set a new national child poverty target for the period to the end of 2025.
This workshop provides an opportunity to discuss what this new child poverty target could encompass.
This workshop will be delivered on Zoom Meetings where all attendees will have access to turn camera/microphone on.
The session will be recorded for administrative/reporting purposes only.
14:30 - 16:00
Expanding the Opportunity of Employment
Roadmap Goal: give everyone who can work the opportunity of employment as a means to improve their well-being
Chapter within Roadmap: Chapter 2
An important element of reducing poverty and increasing social inclusion in Ireland is supporting people to take up employment, education and training opportunities. This can enhance their employment prospects over time and their earning potential so that they can support themselves and their families. A key aspect of employment is obviously earning an adequate wage but employment can also provide an opportunity for learning and development, an opportunity for social interaction, a structure to a person’s day and week and a sense of purpose and achievement, among other things.
This workshop will focus on the programmes and services that are in place to support people to take up employment, education and training opportunities (such as the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP); the activation supports provided by the Department of Social Protection; further education and training supports etc.). It will also focus on the supports needed to allow people to access these programmes and services.
This workshop will be delivered on Zoom Meetings where all attendees will have access to turn camera/microphone on.
The session will be recorded for administrative/reporting purposes only.
10:00 - 11:30
Making sure voices are heard
The Roadmap includes a definition of what social inclusion in Ireland should look like when it is achieved: Social Inclusion is achieved when people have access to sufficient income, resources and services to enable them to play an active part in their communities and participate in activities that are considered the norm for people in society generally. This builds on the existing and long standing1997 definition of poverty and social exclusion, which remains in place.
Addressing poverty and social exclusion cannot take a ‘one size fits all’ approach.
This workshop provides the opportunity to discuss what social inclusion means to different marginalised groups who may face similar challenges but also have challenges that are unique to their situation. Points raised at the first three workshops can form the starting point for a discussion about what social inclusion will look like at the end of 2025 when the Roadmap concludes.
This workshop will be delivered on Zoom Meetings where all attendees will have access to turn camera/microphone on.
The session will be recorded for administrative/reporting purposes only.
10:15 - 10:30
Virtual Broadcast Login
Please note the Closing Plenary will be a virtual broadcast where attendees will only be able to see/hear the speakers. Attendees will interact using a Q&A and chat function, but will not be able to activate camera/microphones.
Login will be available 15 mins before the official start time.
10:30 - 10:35
Opening Comments
Kevin McCarthy, Secretary General, Department of Rural and Community Development
10:35 - 10:45
Address by Minister Heather Humphreys T.D.
Minister Heather Humphreys T.D., Minister for Social Protection and Rural and Community Development and the Islands.
10:45 - 11:10
Presentation of output from workshops, including key actions
Delivered by a representative from Department of Social Protection.
11:10 - 11:20
Closing address by Minister O’Brien
Joe O'Brien T.D., Minister of State with responsibility for social inclusion and community development.
11:20 - 11:30
Wrap up and Next Steps
Teresa Leonard, Deputy Secretary General, Department of Social Protection
Speakers
Heather Humphries T.D.
Minister for Social Protection
Heather Humphreys TD was appointed Minister of Social Protection, Community and Rural Development and the Islands on 27 June 2020. She previously served as Minister for Business, Enterprise, and Innovation from November 30, 2017 to June 27, 2020, and Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. She previously served as Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs from 6 May 2016, and from July 2014. She was elected to the Dáil on February 2011 for the constituency of Cavan Monaghan. She was re-elected to Monaghan County council in June 2009 and during her time she was Chair of the Council’s Strategic Policy Committee on Planning and Economic Development. She was chairperson of Monaghan County Council from 09-10.
Joe O’Brien T.D.
Minister of State with responsibility for Community Development and Charities
Joe O'Brien is Minister of State at the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Department of Social Protection. He has special responsibility for Community Development and Charities and oversees the Roadmap for Social Inclusion.
Kevin McCarthy
Secretary General – Department of Rural and Community Development
Kevin McCarthy is Secretary General of the Department of Rural and Community Development since December 2017. The Department's mission is to promote rural and community development and to support vibrant, inclusive and sustainable communities throughout Ireland. Prior to his current appointment, Kevin was an Assistant Secretary General in the Department of Education and Skills where he served in a number of leadership roles.
Teresa Leonard
Deputy Secretary, Department of Social Protection
Recently appointed as Deputy Secretary of the Department of Social Protection, Teresa has had a long career in operations management, service modernisation service delivery and policy development. Teresa has held many senior roles in the Department, having had responsibility for child and disability policy and divisional/regionalised services as Assistant Secretary, and played a key role in the Department’s response to the COVID19 pandemic. Teresa has a keen interest in service modernisation and in ensuring the Department’s services meet the needs of customers, underpinned by a long career of leading large-scale change projects.
Paul Ginnell
Director of the European Anti-Poverty Network
Paul Ginnell is the Director of the European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN) Ireland and before that was the Policy Officer with the Network since 2005. Paul is a member of the Social Inclusion Roadmap Steering Group and a member of EAPN Europe’s policy working group. He also coordinates the Community Platform, a network of 31 national anti-poverty and equality organisations.
Ann Irwin
Joint National Coordinator of Community Work Ireland
Ann Irwin is the joint National Co-ordinator with Community Work Ireland, the national membership organisation that promotes and supports community work as a means of addressing poverty, social exclusion and inequality, promoting, protecting and advancing human rights and ultimately achieving social change that will contribute to the creation of a just, sustainable and equal society. Ann is a passionate believer in social justice, equality and inclusion.
Ann is a member of the Cross-Sectoral Group that developed and is now charged with the implementation of Sustainable, Inclusive and Empowered Communities: A five-year strategy to support the community and voluntary sector in Ireland 2019-2024.
Virtual Event Format
All attendees who have registered will be booked into the Opening Plenary Session for Monday 12th April 10:30 - 12noon.
Workshops and Closing plenary are optional to attend and booked in advance.
Opening & Closing sessions will be a virtual broadcast where attendees will interact through Q&A and Chat modules. Camera/Microphones will not be activated.
Please contact events@morrowcommunications.com if you have not received joining instructions to participate in the Opening Plenary, or need to cancel your attendance for any session.
Event sessions will be recorded purely to facilitate administration and reporting and will not be made public anywhere following the event. We request that you refrain from recording content on third party devices.
Workshop Sessions Format
Workshop Details
Registration is now closed for the workshops. If you have registered in advance, you will be sent information for each workshop you have registered for individually at least 24hrs in advance of each session.
Important Technical Information:
Workshops will be run on Zoom Meetings and we would suggest to join ideally from a desktop device (laptop or PC) with camera rather than mobile app.
You will be required to use the Zoom app (desktop or tablet) and not the open in web browser option that is available if you have not downloaded Zoom. This is due to splitting into breakout groups which is not available on a browser version.
You will need to use Zoom version 5.3.
You can check if you need to upgrade your current version by following these instructions: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362233-Upgrade-update-to-the-latest-version
If you have any difficulties please contact events@morrowcommunications.com
Workshop Format
Each workshop will follow the same format. A short 5 minute presentation will be provided by a speaker from a relevant Community and Voluntary organisation. A number of questions will be posed for attendees to consider as part of their discussion. Workshop attendees will then break out into small discussion groups for 30 minutes. Each group needs to nominate a rapporteur to report back the key points of their discussion to the workshop facilitator.
At the end of the 30 minutes, all workshop attendees reconvene for a general discussion of the points raised in the break-out sessions. The aim will be to agree on a maximum of 5 key points to be reported at the closing plenary session. These points will be included in the conference report to be prepared after the Forum and will be reported to the Social Inclusion Roadmap Steering Group, chaired by Minister Joe O’Brien, Minister of State with responsibility for social inclusion.
Privacy Notice & GDPR
GDPR Statement
Please note your registration details will be submitted to Morrow Communications as Data Processor on behalf of the Department of Social Protection as Data Controller. Your information will only be used by Morrow Communications for the purpose of administering and communicating details to you about this virtual event.
The Department of Social Protection will retain your details (if you agreed above) to notify you of future events or initiatives relating to the content of this event or any workshop that you have attended. Your data will be permanently deleted by Morrow Communications within three months of this event.
Privacy Notice for this event
Department of Social Protection is the Data Controller under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) for the personal data it gathers for the purposes of your registration and participation in this online event. You are giving your consent for your personal data to be provided to Department of Social Protection whose lawful basis for processing is for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest.
Personal data is being shared with Morrow Communications who are facilitating these events on behalf of the Department of Social Protection. Your personal data may be shared internally within Department of Social Protection with staff and external workshop facilitators who are involved in co-ordinating these events and where necessary between internal departments with the purpose of supporting an effective delivery of service. Your personal data will not be shared or disclosed to any other organisation without your consent, unless the law permits or places an obligation on Department of Social Protection to do so.