Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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In August 2019, the Department of Rural and Community Development launched Sustainable, Inclusive and Empowered Communities: a five-year strategy to support the community and voluntary sector in Ireland. The Strategy sets a general direction of travel for government policy in relation to community development, local development and the community and voluntary sectors for the coming decade. The high-level objectives and actions support consultation, inclusion and participation of communities, particularly disadvantaged communities, in public policy and decision-making at all levels. The strategy was co-produced by Government and representatives from the community development, local development and community and voluntary sectors. This was facilitated through a cross sectoral group that oversaw the strategy design process and continues to oversee its implementation. Work is currently in progress across all objectives within the strategy.

Some progress has been made by my department under Action 4.1 in the area of sustainable funding models for the sector through, for example, the redesign of the Community Services Programme (CSP), including a differentiated funding model targeted at meeting assessed funding needs. This followed a series of engagements with a broadly representative consultative group. CSP organisations have now been re-contracted under the redesigned programme for a period of up to five years.

The new iteration of the Support Scheme for National Organisations (SSNO) commenced in July 2022, with the aim of providing multi-annual funding towards the core costs of national organisations in the community and voluntary sector, to assist them to operate and fund core staff positions. This new Scheme builds on the developments of the 2019-2022 programme, to help strengthen and consolidate the administrative and operational capabilities of recipient organisations, which is integral to the provision of essential services on the ground.

Under Action 4.3 of the strategy, work is underway in mapping the national practice on commissioning with a view to reviewing the current practice and developing a new model, incorporating a set of principles and best practices reflecting a collaborative, partnership and whole-of-government ethos and prioritising societal value and community need. Information on contracting arrangements (including the provision of multi-annual funding) will be gathered in the context of the mapping exercise which will assist in the further implementation of Action 4.1 over the coming years.