Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 22 September 2021

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection

Engagement with Chairperson Designate of Pobal

Ms Rosarii Mannion:

Good morning Chairman and thank you for the invitation to attend today.

I have had the honour of serving on the board of Pobal since December 2020 and I am very privileged to have the opportunity to lead the organisation forward as chairperson. I come from the small rural town of Drumshanbo in County Leitrim, a Border county. I believe passionately in rural communities, community development and social inclusion. I have seen first-hand the impact of the work of Pobal. My lived experience is that diversity, equality, justice and inclusion make for a stronger society. I know that these values give chance and opportunity to those who would not otherwise enjoy it.

In terms of my educational background, I hold a bachelor of arts degree, a higher diploma, a master of arts degree in public policy and a master of science degree in organisational development. I have studied equality and human rights and recently became a chartered director with the Institute of Directors, studying in detail governance, leadership, finance and strategy. I have served on boards at local, national and international level and am currently serving as treasurer on the board of the International Coaching Federation. I hope that these skills will help me make a better contributor as chairperson of Pobal.

Passionate about community development and the rural economy, I was a member of the Offaly county development board and have served as a volunteer with the National Adult Literacy Agency. Key interest areas of mine are the role of women in society, the role of carers and gender equality. Professionally, I have held key leadership roles in the public sector, most recently as national HR director in the Health Service Executive, HSE. I am a chartered member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and a qualified mediator. I believe passionately in supporting individuals and teams and in developing supportive coaching cultures.

As chairperson of Pobal a key role for my board colleagues and I will be to support, challenge and lead our excellent and committed staff to deliver on Government policy, on our programmes and to remember one fundamental thing, namely, that Pobal is not an end in itself. It is not the object of the exercise but a means to an end, and that end is a stronger society. It is communities across the country where people, especially the most vulnerable, are better supported. My time as a Pobal board member and my appointment as chairperson coincide with the conclusion of our current strategic plan which covers the period 2018 to 2021. My colleagues and I, together with the executive team are deeply engaged with writing and agreeing a new strategic plan, a process that is now in its concluding stages.

The work of positioning Pobal to deliver on Government policy in ways that helps communities most is critically important. There are lots of metrics by which we can measure outputs but we must remember the fundamental fact that we exist to help people. The scale of that help and its importance in people’s lives is immense. In 2020, 26,178 individuals and 2,687 local community groups were supported through the social inclusion and community activation programme, SICAP, while 16,939 new participants were approved as part of the seniors alert scheme, SAS. A total of 1,891 young people with disabilities have been supported through the Ability programme, through 27 organisations nationally, since the programme commenced. Some 582 community and voluntary organisations, charities and social enterprises received Covid-19 stability fund support, enabling them to continue to provide critical supports and services while 9,123 individuals were supported on Tús and 3,385 participants were supported on the rural social scheme, RSS. Subsidies were administered to 46,606 children from 36,236 households under the national childcare scheme while 105,975 children were supported under the early childhood care and education, ECCE, programme during the 2019-2020 programme year. This is a sample of the scale of what Pobal is delivering and demonstrates that its reach into people lives is large.

Every programme is about people and every life situation is unique. We are there to be a helping hand and a real support. If the programmes we support are effective then people’s lives are enhanced. That is the context in which my board colleagues and I are working on our strategic plan for 2022 to 2026. The framework for our new plan will revolve around our vision, our mission and our values. It is about delivering continuous improvement and about agility in that delivery. Pobal is now in the process of drafting the content for the new strategic plan across a set of four pillars underpinning our strategic ambition. Those pillars are people, systems and processes, customers and partners, and governance. As we conclude the development of our strategic plan for the next five years, Pobal has been engaged in the periodic critical review process. This periodic deep dive into public organisations is a very welcome opportunity for Pobal to reflect and to take account. As a relatively new board member, about to become chairperson, I have learnt a lot and taken considerable assurance from the rigor of this process. A key strategic priority for me as chairperson will be ensuring that the recommendations of the periodic critical review are implemented and that Pobal continues to provide a highly effective service for managing Government grants and payments to communities. This must be underpinned by high standards in accountability, financial management, and in the support we provide to all those we work with. Work to date on the periodic critical review evidences that Pobal engages and consults with supported organisations on an ongoing basis to ensure the effective implementation of the programmes they manage. The ongoing periodic critical review process and our new five-year strategic plan will be the impetus for the standards and the vision that the board and I, as chairperson, want for Pobal.

Pobal matters because every day, in towns and villages across Ireland, Pobal staff are on the ground working with communities. They are delivering services locally to combat social exclusion and enhance lives. Pobal makes a difference to people’s lives and communities every day and it is a positive difference I am convinced can be increased and built upon. As Chairperson I will define, clarify and agree expectations. I will invest in open, regular communication and respect the experience and input of stakeholders. In partnership with the CEO, I will lead a values-based organisation, support and challenge as required, be responsive and ensure the delivery of a value-for-money service for Government which makes a difference for people and communities.

I will lead a board that is focused both on the highest governance standards and on excellent performance.

As chair designate, I want to acknowledge the excellent leadership and commitment to Pobal of every member of the board and, in particular, our outgoing chairman, Professor Deiric Ó Broin. Deiric has contributed enormously and I express my sincere thanks to him. I want also to commend the work and dedication of the CEO, Ms Anna Shakespeare and all the staff of Pobal working alongside local and national community organisations to build stronger communities, to support families, to assist individuals and to nurture children every day. I am deeply honoured to have been nominated by the Minister for Justice, Social Protection, Community and Rural Development and the Islands, Deputy Humphreys, as chair designate for Pobal. I am conscious of the responsibility I have undertaken and I come here today to present my credentials and to pledge my utter commitment to the role.

As with other boards, I hope to demonstrate strategic leadership and to offer an approach that is collaborative and effective. I very much see the relationship between the board of Pobal and that of this Oireachtas committee as a two-way process. I would be very pleased to provide regular briefings that are appropriate and useful to the members. I thank the committee for inviting me today and I look forward to engaging with members in the future.

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