MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
Monday, November 10, 2014
QUESTION NO.21
QUESTION: Councillor F. Timmons
To ask the Chief Executive for a statement on how the Travelling community are catered for in SDCC and what efforts are made to support their culture?
REPLY:
The number of Travellers identified in the 2011 Census in South Dublin County Council’s administrative area was 2,216. According to the 2011 Census, South Dublin has the highest Traveller population in the Dublin Region and the second highest Traveller population in the state.
South Dublin County Council provides a range of services to facilitate the accommodation and social needs of the Travelling community.
Accommodation
Under the provisions of the Traveller Accommodation Act 1998, South Dublin County Council is required to prepare, adopt and implement a Traveller Accommodation Programme every five years to meet the accommodation needs of the county’s indigenous Traveller Community. South Dublin County Council’s Traveller Accommodation Programme 2014 – 2018 was adopted by the elected members at the Council meeting held on the 13th January 2014.
It is the policy of the Council to provide group and standard housing options as well as residential caravan park bays, for the accommodation of Travellers who are indigenous to South Dublin, in accordance with the Assessment of Need carried out under the Act. In so providing the Council recognises Travellers’ cultural identity as a minority group some of whom travel, and strives to accommodate Travellers in a culturally appropriate way catering for their social needs.
The Council currently provides 212 units of Traveller specific accommodation. The Council has a designated Traveller Accommodation Unit which deals with issues in relation to the building, allocation, maintenance and management of Traveller specific sites.
The Local Traveller Accommodation Consultative Committee (LTACC) for South Dublin meets regularly. The LTACC meetings are a forum where issues surrounding the Traveller Accommodation Programme are discussed as well as other issues around Traveller accommodation. Meetings are held at County Hall.
Furthermore, the LTACC established in 2012, 2 separate sub-committees to examine accommodation provision and the management and maintenance of Traveller accommodation sites already built. Each sub-committee has met 14 times since their establishment and it is envisaged that both sub-committees will have a key role to play in the implementation and delivery of the current accommodation programme.
Membership of the LTACC and the sub-committees consist of Travellers, Traveller Development Groups, Elected members of the Council and Council staff. The sub-committees of the LTACC looking at Traveller accommodation provision and maintenance and management are held on-site at existing Traveller accommodation sites throughout the County. These meetings allow members to identify and discuss, in greater detail, issues around Traveller accommodation. As part of the sub-committee meetings, presentations are given from time to time by Council staff outside the Traveller Accommodation Unit (i.e. Environmental Services Staff, Community Development Staff) to brief members of the sub-committee on issues involving Traveller accommodation. The sub-committee structures have proved to be very participatory and allow for open and detailed discussion on matters concerning Travellers and their accommodation needs.
Arising out of discussions held at the LTACC sub-committees, a pilot programme focussing on 2 sites has commenced which seeks to encourage tenant participation and provide residents with a role in provide safer, more sustainable communities.
Under the current Traveller Accommodation Programme, it is proposed to examine, strengthen and formalise the link between the LTACC and the Housing and Social Development Strategic Policy Committee of the Council.
Social Inclusion
Apart from the provision of accommodation for Travellers in South Dublin the Council have been engaged in a number of activities to improve the living conditions and social inclusion as well as the employment prospects of the community. A number of the activities undertaken are outlined hereunder.
Traveller Culture School Project
This project involved Travellers visiting schools in the South Dublin area and engaging children in dialogue around Traveller culture in modern Ireland. The initiative is being funded by the Department of Justice and Equality.
The project involves 3 Travellers from the Clondalkin Travellers Development Group and 3 young Travellers from the Tallaght Youth Service visiting classes in the schools. They give a presentation on the life of the Traveller and then have a question and answer session on any aspect of Traveller life. The aim of the programme is to provide awareness amongst the children of Traveller culture and life. The programme has been a huge success and has raised the confidence of Travellers who make the presentations as well as those who are students in the school. It has broken down many myths with the settled community.
The project is continuing to be rolled out to schools within the South Dublin area.
Yellow Flag Programme
The Yellow Flag Programme is a progressive equality and diversity initiative for primary and secondary schools which promotes and supports an environment for interculturalism. The programme, which is being financially supported by the Council, commenced in September 2012 in St Aidans Community School, Tallaght. It is being delivered by the Irish Traveller Movement. To date, St Aidan’s Community School have completed the programme and the presentation of the award will be held shortly. The programme is currently being implemented in Mount Seskin Community School in Tallaght and St. Ronan’s Primary School in Clondalkin.
Local Training Initiative
In 2012, the Council, in partnership with FÁS, launched a local training initiative for Travellers in the South Dublin area. The ‘Pathways to Employment’ programme was delivered over a period of approximately 30 weeks. During the programme, the trainees completed their work experience with the Council. One group was facilitated for a 3 week period in Rathfarnham Castle Depot and Tymon Park and another group were facilitated in County Hall for one day a week for 20 weeks, with an additional week at the end of the project.
The overall purpose of the programme was to assist the participants to achieve a FETAC Level 4 Major Award in General Learning within the National Framework of Qualifications to facilitate progression to further learning and/or work. 9 trainees achieved a full FETAC Level 4 Major award and the other trainees passed at less 4 modules with the majority achieving 6 of the 9 modules.
In recognition of the success of this initiative the Department of Environment, Community & Local Government has sanctioned 3 temporary work placements for the participants and two General Operatives and one Clerical Officer commenced temporary employment with the Council 26th September 2013.
Clondalkin Bike Crossbar Bicycle Project.
Crossbar Bicycle Projects Workshop is situated in one of the units adjacent to Clondalkin Travellers Development Group at the Clondalkin Enterprise Centre, Neilstown Road in Clondalkin. The Project has run since October 2013 and is funded by the Special initiatives for Travellers, with support from the local area partnership CPLN, ACE (Community Enterprise scheme), South Dublin County Council, Clondalkin Travellers Training and Enterprise, and An Garda Síochana.
The idea is to skill a group of mostly Travellers, in safe environment, in a trade which fits with Traveller traditions, offers relatively quick employability via Internships (e.g. with Halfords, who are supportive), and self-employment, also aiming to provide small business training, bringing them into contact with local businesses and getting them to make the decisions at all stages
Interagency Traveller Strategy
South Dublin County Development Board in 2007 adopted the Interagency Traveller Strategy for the delivery of Traveller services.Agencies involved in the delivery of the Strategy are South Dublin County Council, Health Service Executive, Solas, Dublin & Dun Laoghaire Educational Training Board, Department of Social Protection, Department of Education, Gardaí Siochana and the Probation Service.
Meetings between the stakeholders involved in the Interagency Traveller Strategy are held on a quarterly basis. The Interagency Traveller Strategy is available at http://www.sdcc.ie/sites/default/files/guidelines/south-dublin-county-interagency-strategy1.doc .
The nine aims and objectives of the strategy form an integral part of the programme with reference to consultation, tenant participation, and estate management.
The Traveller Interagency group has recently been advised by the government that there is currently a national review of the interagency process for Travellers with a view to the launching of a new strategy for 2015 – 2017 focussing on issues impacting on the life-cycle of travellers.
