Fears for future of CE Scheme projects

FEARS CE SCHEME WORKERS MAY BE DIVERTED FROM COMMUNITY PROJECTS

FEARS that Community Employment (CE) Programme workers will be prevented from working with local organisations is mounting after CE workers in County Westmeath were no longer allowed contribute to organisations like Tidy Towns and GAA clubs.

Concerns that a similar policy may be rolled out in Kerry have been raised by local CE Supervisors, who say this would have a devastating impact on people’s lives, particularly in rural areas.

The CE programme is designed to help people who are long-term unemployed to get back to work by offering part-time and temporary placements in jobs based within local communities.

Brian O’Connor is a supervisor in Beaufort Community Council Ltd CE Scheme and he said the idea of withholding CE workers from their group would be detrimental.

“We would be seriously in trouble if we lost CE workers,” said Brian.

“It would also mean a reduction in scheme numbers, which would spell disaster for our Tidy Towns and GAA fields.”

Kieran McCarthy, a CE Supervisor with South Kerry Development Partnership (SKDP), also outlined the importance of these workers to the communities they live in.

“If you didn’t have CE schemes in some places you may as well close them down such is their worth,” Kieran said.

“Take south Kerry as an example, the CE programme has transformed some parishes here. They look after everything from meals on wheels, childcare centres, GAA pitches and cutting grass, there is so many things these workers do. It’s the only show in town in south Kerry.”

Kieran insists that you must first quantify the contribution made by CE workers in their community before thinking about cuts.

He stated that rural areas do not have the same ‘steady flow’ of job opportunities available that might be the case in urban locations.

Sheila Cronin is CE Supervisor with North, East and West Kerry Development (NEWKD) and currently oversees 31 CE participants.

Sheila said that while there has been no mention, so far, of omitting any local organisations from hiring CE workers, she warned against any plans to do so.

“The CE schemes are so valuable to communities and I don’t think this is fully recognised,” she said.

“I don’t want to see CE participants taken away. For some people, who may be isolated or have mental health issues, CE is an absolute lifeline for them. It gets them out of the house and meeting people,” Sheila said.

No response was received from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection at the time of going to print.