Cork County Council has this week signed a five year contract worth €11.5m for Cork’s SICAP Programme 2018 – 2022.
SICAP is a national programme funded by the Department of Rural & Community Development and overseen by POBAL. The programme is managed locally by the three Local Community Development Committees (LCDCs) in North, South and West Cork, and delivered locally by six Local Development Companies under contract, namely Avondhu/Blackwater Partnership CLG, SECAD Partnership CLG, Comhar na nOileán CTR, West Cork Development Partnership CLG, IRD Duhallow CLG and Ballyhoura Development CLG.
Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr. Declan Hurley, in commenting on the signing “The aim of SICAP is to reduce poverty and promote social inclusion and equality through local, regional and national engagement and collaboration. Its vision is to improve the life chances and opportunities of those who are marginalised in society, living in poverty or in unemployment.”
The programme works through community development approaches, targeted supports and interagency collaboration where the values of equality and inclusion are promoted and human rights are respected.
James Fogarty, Cork County Council divisional manager; Gerald Murphy, chair of North Cork LCDC; Aidan Gleeson, chair of Ballyhoura Development; Padraig Casey, CEO of Ballyhoura Development and Kay Keegan, Cork County Council LCDC chief officer, at the contract signings for the Social Inclusion Community Activation Prgramme (SICAP) 2018-2022 at Cork County Hall.
Picture: David Keane
The current three year SICAP Programme ended in December 2017. The new five year SICAP Programme began in January 2018.
The Programme targets the following groups;
• Children and Families from Disadvantaged Areas
• Lone Parents
• New Communities (including Refugees/Asylum Seekers)
• People living in Disadvantaged Communities
• People with Disabilities
• Roma
• The Unemployed (including those not on the Live Register)
• Travellers
• Young Unemployed People from Disadvantaged areas
Chief Executive of Cork County Council, Mr. Tim Lucey praised the positive work that has been achieved over the past three years and on behalf of all three LCDCs looks forward to working and achieving even greater results under the new five year programme with all six partners.
