Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP)

The aim of SICAP is to reduce poverty and promote social inclusion and equality in Ireland through supporting communities and individuals using community development approaches, engagement and collaboration.

South Kerry Development Partnership CLG, with the support of the Kerry Local Community Development Committee (LCDC), will target those who are the most disadvantaged and excluded in our society. The Kerry LCDC in conjunction with the South Kerry Development Partnership CLG will work to empower communities to work collaboratively with relevant stakeholders, using a broad range of supports and interventions, facilitated via the SICAP 2024-2028 programme funds.

Objectives of SICAP

The SICAP Programme has the following two goals

1. Goal 1: Contribute to Building more Sustainable, Inclusive and Empowered Communities

Empower individuals, groups of individuals, Local Community Groups and Social Enterprises to address collective community needs.

2. Goal 2: Empower Disadvantaged People to Improve the Quality of Their Lives
Support disadvantaged individuals, children and families to progress their formal education and participate in lifelong learning, to progress into employment/ self-employment, and to improve their soft skills and wellbeing.

South Kerry Development Partnership CLG will reflect the broad scope of the two SICAP goals in their approach and actions.

Horizontal themes are the core principles that cut across all areas of SKDP’s SICAP work. SICAP is underpinned by three horizontal themes:

• Promoting an equality framework with a particular focus on gender equality and anti-discrimination practices;
• Applying community development approaches to achieve the participation of disadvantaged and marginalised communities in the wider local development context;
• Developing collaborative approaches with stakeholders to improve how mainstream policies and programmes are delivered so that they impact more positively on the socially excluded.

South Kerry Development Partnership CLG has incorporated the horizontal principles into their SICAP strategic and annual planning processes and in how they engage with individuals and LCGs and other stakeholders.

The SICAP programme is funded and designed by the Department of Rural and Community Development (DRCD), with co-funding from the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) under the
Employment, Inclusion, Skills and Training (EIST) Programme 2021-2027. Pobal has been nominated by DRCD to act as its agent with respect to the national management and oversight of the programme and co-funding under ESF+.
Funding levels for South Kerry Development Partnership CLG’s SICAP work are set annually.

European Social Fund
SICAP 2024-2028 will be co-funded under the European Social Fund Plus Programme for Employment, Inclusion, Skills and Training 2021-2027 (EIST), which is the successor to the Programme for Employability, Inclusion and Learning (PEIL) 2014-2020.

SICAP 2024-2028 has 12 named target groups, based on their increased risk of poverty and social exclusion (see list below). The Kerry LCDC have selected the following 3 Local Priority Target Groups, from this list of 12 (see list below) , based on local level needs and gaps in services.

Priority SICAP Target Groups for South Kerry

•Refugees
• People living in Disadvantaged Communities
• Heads of One Parent Families

SICAP Programme 2024 – 2028 Target Groups

1. People living in Disadvantaged
Communities                                                       7. International Protection Applicants
2. People impacted by educational
disadvantage                                                        8. People with disabilities
3. People living in jobless households
where the primary income source is
low paid and/or precarious                             9. Heads of One-parent Families
4. People who are long-term
unemployed                                                         10. Travellers
5. People with a criminal history                   11. Roma
6. Refugees                                                            12. Island Residents

SICAP is aimed at those who need more help in society and who are on the margins of daily life. To ensure that SICAP is an effective social inclusion and community development programme, South Kerry Development Partnership CLG targets resources, supports and provides interventions to those who need them most.

South Kerry Development Partnership have set the following 8 strategic objectives for the SICAP programme in South Kerry for the period 2024 to 2028

1. Support Disadvantaged Communities & target groups to come together to identify and address their collective community needs
2. Support the integration of Refugees and International Protection Applicants in South Kerry through the provision of community, employment, educational and social supports
3. Support older people in rural isolation to come together and reduce the social isolation faced by older people living in South Kerry
4. To provide opportunities for people with disabilities to participate in community projects and engage in Social Farming opportunities across South Kerry
5. Empower the existing Social Enterprise sector in South Kerry to address local community needs, especially those serving disadvantaged communities and encourage the development of new social enterprises to provide employment opportunities in the region.
6. To increase the education attainment level of the population of South Kerry and decrease the level of early school leaving
7. To support positive wellbeing and development of key soft skills to improve social inclusion and ability to perform day to day functions.
8. Support long term unemployed individuals to develop strategies to become job ready, progress into employment or self-employment

The duration of the current SICAP programme is for a maximum of 60 months, from 1st January 2024 to 31st December 2028. Continued funding is subject to a satisfactory annual performance review.
The Kerry LCDC reserves the right to extend SICAP, the number and duration of any such extension or extensions will be subject to a maximum cumulative duration of 15 months on the same terms and conditions, subject to their obligations at law.

The Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) is co-funded by the Irish Government, through the Department of Rural and Community Development, and the European Social Fund Plus under the Employment, Inclusion, Skills and Training (EIST) Programme 2021-2027.

If you are unsure who you want to speak to, contact your nearest office

Personal client privacy is of the utmost importance to SKDP in the successful delivery of SICAP. Information that may be made available to SKDP as part of SICAP will include Personal Data and Special Categories of Personal Data, as defined in the Data Protection Acts 1988 – 2018 and the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). SKDP SICAP staff are bound by confidentiality and are aware of their responsibilities set out under data protection and other relevant legislation. Appropriate technical and organisation means are in place to ensure any personal data processed by SKDP is kept confidential.

Under the SICAP programme SKDP is deemed a Data Processor in respect of the Personal Data and Special Categories of Personal Data held or processed by them under SICAP. The personal data can be used by SKDP solely for the purposes of providing the SICAP services on behalf of the Data Controller and in accordance with the terms of the Data Privacy notice.

Please click on the links below for the SICAP Data Privacy Notices for Individuals and Community Organisations

Individual data privacy Notice SICAP 

Community Organisations data privacy notice SICAP