All Ireland Standards for Community Work
The All Ireland Endorsement Body for Community Work Education and Training have produced a set of standards for community work (building on Towards Standards for Quality Community Work developed and widely disseminated in 2010). The aim is to provide a reference point and guide for key stakeholders that seek to support community work for the promotion of social inclusion, social justice and equality, and as an intervention for social change. These stakeholders include community workers, programme implementers, employers, policy makers, funders, organisations, groups and community work educators.
In Whose Interests? Exploring the Impact of Competitive Tendering and Procurement on Social Inclusion and Community Development in Ireland
This report traces the evolving move from grants to contract arrangements awarded after competitive tendering processes, and draws on international experience to name and examine the risks associated with this move.
Drawing on international experience, it identifies a number of risks associated with this policy direction including an increasing threat to the independence of organisations in the community sector and the voluntary sector; a reduction in the quality of services and supports that provides a façade of value for money; cherry-picking where ‘clients’ that are more likely to succeed are chosen over those that require more intensive supports; changes in the conditions of workers; the threat of privatisation and the changed relationship between community organisations and the state. It explores the Irish experience to date and makes a number of recommendations.
Community Work under SICAP 2014-2017
This is the final report of the CWI Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme research project. It contains the research and evidence gathered and used by Community Work Ireland in efforts to positively influence the second iteration of the programme.
The aim of the recently published SICAP II programme is to reduce poverty and promote social inclusion and equality in Ireland through supporting communities and individuals using community development approaches, engagement and collaboration. Community development remains one of the horizontal underpinning principles of the programme together with equality and collaboration.
While the programme remains subject to competitive tendering, a number of changes have been made to the second iteration of the SICAP programme.
Towards Climate Justice
The Community Workers’ Co-operative launched Towards Climate Justice: a strategy guide for the community sector in responding to climate change with a positive but challenging seminar addressed by Professor John Sweeney, Dr. John Barry, Dr. Maria Martin (EPA) and Dr. Kevin Murphy.
With a foreword from Mary Robinson and funded by the EPA, the report shows how climate change disproportionately affects disadvantaged and marginalised communities and makes the case for community workers and community work to get involved in the climate change agenda.
Practice Insights – Issue 8
IACD is the only global network for professional community development practitioners. Our international Practice Insights publications are published three times per year, each one focusing on a particular theme of relevance to community development.
This special issue is geographic. It profiles community development initiatives in eastern Asia, with a strong spotlight upon parts of China. Our guest editor and IACD East Asia Director, Kwok-kin Fung has gathered together over a dozen articles. Most are case studies, written either by practitioners or research scholars working in the community development field.
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