Waterford Area Partnership tackles social exclusion in Waterford City
We work with disadvantaged communities and identified target groups with the objective of overcoming barriers to them sharing equally in the economic, cultural and social life of the City.
POBAL
Waterford Area Partnership Ltd. is one of the network of 52 Local Development Partnerships countrywide supported by Pobal. The main role of Pobal is to support integrated social and economic development through managing Programmes targeted at countering disadvantage and exclusion and promoting reconciliation and equality.
Local & Community Development Programme
Each Partnership is required to prepare an Annual Plan to deliver the Programme over the years 2010 - 2013 in the context of the following Goals:
- Promote awareness, knowledge,and uptake of a wide range of statutory, voluntary and community services.
- Increase access to formal and informal education recreational and cultural development activities and resources.
- Increase the work readiness of people to enter the labour market.
- Promote engagement with policy, practice and decision making processes on matters affecting local communities.
TARGET GROUPS
The Partnership provides support to target groups and all communities regarded as socially excluded on a City wide basis.
The 22 Target groups that the partnership supports are as follows:
Long Term Unemployed People (over 1 year), Short Term Unemployed (less than 1 Year), Under Employed /Seasonal Workers, Dis-advantaged Women, Travelling Community, People with Disabilities, Older People, Substance Mis-users, Ex-Prisoners, Offenders including Young Offenders, Refugees and Asylum Seekers, Migrant Workers, Low Income Family, Disadvantage Community, Gay, Lesbian, Bi-sexual and Transgender Community (LGBT), Lone Parents, Disadvantaged Young People, Early School Leavers, Potential Early School Leavers/Young People at risk of Underachieving, Young People with behavioural/learning difficulties(i.e. children whose difficulties are the result of social factors rather than an impairment) and Homeless People.