Social Inclusion & Community Activation Programme

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The Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) 2018 – 2022 provides funding to tackle poverty and social exclusion through local engagement and partnerships between disadvantaged individuals, community organisations and public sector agencies.  SICAP 2018 – 2022 is the successor programme to SICAP 2015 - 2017. 

Administered by Pobal and funded by the Irish Government through the Department of Rural and Community Development, it also receives funding from the European Social Fund under the Programme for Employability, Inclusion and Learning (PEIL) 2014-2020. 

SICAP addresses high and persistent levels of deprivation through targeted and innovative, locally-led approaches. It supports disadvantaged communities and individuals including unemployed people, people living in deprived areas, people with disabilities, single parent families, people on a low income, members of the Traveller and Roma community and other disadvantaged groups. 

The programme is managed at a local level by 33 Local Community Development Committees (LCDCs), with support from local authorities, and actions are delivered by Local Development Companies (LDCs).

LDCs work with marginalised communities and service providers using a community development approach to improve people’s lives. For example, helping people to find work or to upskill, providing CV training or a personal development course, helping them onto a work placement programme such as Community Employment or Tύs.

Sligo Local Community Development Committee (LCDC) awarded the contract for the delivery of the Social Inclusion and Community Activation programme (SICAP) to County Sligo LEADER Partnership CLG.  The current programme commenced on 1st January 2018 with a budget of €603,079 for 2021. 

Sligo Local Community Development Committee (LCDC) established a SICAP Monitoring Committee to work on behalf of and report to Sligo LCDC in overseeing the delivery of SICAP and monitoring implementation progress. The Monitoring Committee will also give feedback to County Sligo LEADER Partnership CLG on the delivery of the plan and work with them to agree new/emerging areas of opportunity or concern. In May 2018 the remit of this Committee was broadened to include other Social Inclusion areas.

SICAP Goals

Goal 1: Supporting Communities

  • To support communities and target groups to engage with relevant stakeholders in identifying and addressing social exclusion and equality issues, developing the capacity of Local Community Groups, and creating more sustainable communities.

Goal 2: Supporting Individuals

  • To support disadvantaged individuals to improve the quality of their lives through the provision of lifelong learning and labour market supports.

Primary Target Groups for SICAP

  • All beneficiaries of programme supports must belong to one of the 13 SICAP target groups which are:
  • Disadvantaged Children and Families
  • Disadvantaged Young People (aged 15 – 24)
  • Emerging Needs Group – The emerging needs group can be changed annually. Sligo LCDC agreed to add Economically Vulnerable in need of Up-skilling as a target group under ‘Emerging Needs’ for 2021
  • Lone Parents
  • Low Income Workers/ Households
  • New Communities
  • People living in Disadvantaged Communities
  • People with Disabilities
  • Roma
  • Travellers
  • The Disengaged from the Labour Market (Economically Inactive)
  • The Unemployed

Further Information:

For further information please contact;

Community and Economic Development Section,
City Hall,
Quay Street,
Sligo

E-mail address: sicap@sligococo.ie

Phone Number: 071 911 4431

Social Inclusion & Community Activation Programme (SICAP) information leaflet (PDF) - 416 kbs  PDF