MAINSTREAMING SOCIAL INCLUSION Helen Johnston Director Combat Poverty Agency World Conference on “Social Protection and Inclusion: Converging Efforts from a Social Perspective” 2-3 October 2006, Lisbon, Portugal

OVERVIEW Context Developmental Welfare State Mainstreaming Social Inclusion Conclusions

IRELAND THE LAND OF THE CELTIC TIGER

ECONOMIC CONTEXT Ireland’s Employment Rate fairly good in comparative terms

ECONOMIC CONTEXT Unemployment rate low in Ireland

BUT ……

INCOME INEQUALITY

EU POVERTY RATES

SOCIAL PROTECTION EXPENDITURE AS % GDP

VULNERABLE GROUPS Children Older People Women Lone Parents People with Disabilities Unskilled Unemployed Low Paid Rented Accommodation Urban Concentrations Edges of Towns Isolated rural areas

DEVELOPMENTAL WELFARE STATE CURRENTLY Relatively low bill for pensions High proportion of benefits means-tested Services outcomes weak Hybrid social welfare model Institutional reform required PROPOSED Developmental welfare state –Services –Income supports –Activist measures Rights and standards Joined up government Integration at local level Life cycle approach

DEVELOPMENTAL WELFARE STATE Services Education Health Childcare Housing Employment Services Income Supports Child Income Participation income Pensions Activist Measures Community Projects Outcome focussed Evaluate/Mainstream

DEVELOPMENTAL WELFARE STATE Radical development of services most important to improve social protection – “services dividend” Services available to all at high standards but tailored to people’s circumstances – “tailored universalism” State would regulate standards but range of organisations would deliver services – “network management”

MAINSTREAMING SOCIAL INCLUSION Mainstreaming social inclusion is the integration of poverty and social inclusion objectives, including an equality perspective, into all areas and levels of policy-making and that is promoted through the participation of public bodies, social partners, NGOs and other relevant actors.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION EU Funded Project – Social Exclusion Programme Seven Member States involved - PT, IR, UK (including NI & Scotland), FR, NL, SK, CZ One acceding country - Bulgaria One EFTA country - Norway EAPN organisations - to have strong local level input

3 DIMENSIONS Mainstreaming social inclusion into public policies Involvement and participation for all in policy making Evaluation of mainstreaming social inclusion

HOW IMPLEMENTED DEPENDENT ON Government & administrative structures –Centralised / federal Allocation of resources –Funding, skilled personnel, time

ELEMENTS OF MAINSTREAMING Political leadership Administrative leadership Specialists / skills Structures Data / research Resources Engagement / participation of people living in poverty

CASE STUDY BUILDING HEALTHY COMMUNITIES Disadvantaged inner city community –Blackhall Place Regeneration → adverse health effects Establishment of Blackhall Community Forum Health and well-being needs survey undertaken by trained local residents Input to redevelopment of the area and Department of Health

CONCLUSIONS Access to services critical in tackling poverty “Developmental welfare state" model advocated –Focus on services, income support and activist measures Mainstream social inclusion in service delivery –Integral to policy design –Involvement of vulnerable groups –Evaluate degree of integration and outcomes