This document summarizes an OECD policy review of social inclusion in Ireland. It examines two disadvantaged areas, an urban area in Dublin and a rural area in County Meath. Key challenges in Ireland include consistent poverty, long-term unemployment, jobless households, and homelessness. The review assessed policies addressing socio-economic disadvantage through frameworks like public service reform and area-based programs. It analyzed the case studies on accessibility to opportunities, asset building, and multi-level governance. The final report provides recommendations to improve governance, leverage community assets, and increase access to economic opportunities at national and local levels.

1. Weaving Together
Policies for Social Inclusion
in Ireland
OECD LEED | 13th Annual Meeting
11th April 2017 | Prague

2. The Irish Socio-Economic Context
• Recovery: considerable progress but key challenges
remain:
• Consistent Poverty: 8.7% & 11.5% of children (2015)
• Unemployment: the rate is falling BUT:
• Long term unemployment at 4.2% (Q3, 2016) =
approx. 65% of the total unemployed
• High youth unemployment at 14.5 % (Feb. 2017)
• Jobless Households: above EU average at 12% (Q2
2016)
• Integration: approx. 12% of the population are non-
Irish
• Homelessness: affordability / demand exceeds supply

3. Framework for Addressing
Socio-Economic Disadvantage
Wide range of policies and programmes at a
national and local level that include:
• Reform of Public Services - Local Government /
Income Support & Employment
• Social Transfers/Ensuring Adequate Minimum Income
• Creating an Inclusive Labour Market
• Targeting Disadvantage through Area-Based
Programmes e.g. SICAP
• Access to Quality Services
• Harnessing the potential of Social Enterprise

4. OECD LEED Policy Review
Purpose:
• Identify drivers and responses to social exclusion
• How to make growth more inclusive
Impact in 2 Disadvantaged Areas:
• RAPID Area Blanchardstown (urban - Dublin suburb)
• North County Meath (rural – 1.5 hour from Dublin)
Thematic Focus:
• Accessibility
• Asset-Building
• Multi-Level Governance
Overview of Project:
• Background Report/Analysis
• Study Tour: Interviews, Roundtables, Project Visits
• Final Report

5. Case Studies
Urban and Rural
Blanchardstown RAPID Area North County Meath
Deprivation Score: -8.53 Deprivation Score: -8.26

6. Accessibility
To what degree are opportunities, programmes and
services available to community residents
Blanchardstown RAPID Area North County Meath
● Services and infrastructure
pitched at regional, not local
scale
● Limited infrastructure &
services: small villages, poor
roads, public transport gaps
● Segregated neighbourhoods
and migrant integration
● Challenges related to elderly
population and isolation
● Disconnection from economic
opportunities and physical
●Poor broadband and mobile
phone coverage

7. Asset Building
How can communities better leverage the assets that exist
to support sustainable development or positive change
(physical, human, social, financial, etc.)
Blanchardstown RAPID Area North County Meath
● ‘Asset rich’ - well served by
public sector organisations,
many employers &
multinationals
● Fewer obvious assets, but
several exist (landscape, sense
of community, facilities)
● Underlying issues of
disadvantage and institutional
co-operation to be addressed
● Potential to use existing assets
in new ways

8. Multi-level Governance
How do the many authority structures interact to deliver
policies, programmes and services
Blanchardstown RAPID Area North County Meath
● Myriad of organisations ● Fewer organisations
● Collaboration and
accountability challenges
● Low capacities and thinly
spread networks
• New LCDC – realise potential, capacity and restrictions
• Embedding social enterprises as actors at different
governance levels

9. Final Report
• Key Findings & Recommendations based on the 3
themes
• Immediate Priorities at a National Level:
Feed into policy discussions / windows
• Local Priorities / Case-study Areas:
Inform planning and practice

10. Immediate Priorities
National Level
Improving Governance and Building Capacities
• Enhance an integrated services approach
• Build capacities at the local level
• Establish a “what works centre”
Better Leveraging of Community Assets
• Support social enterprises
Increasing Accessibility to Economic Opportunities
• Strengthen career guidance
• Expand and improve apprenticeship offerings
• Improve co-ordination of migrant integration
• Invest in early years education and care

11. Immediate Priorities
Local Level – Blanchardstown RAPID
• Use a broker to stimulate better signposting
between local services.
• Intensify ongoing efforts to encourage employers
to engage more with local residents..
• Consider the development of a local training
facility
• Further consolidate a strategy for social
enterprises