For the General Election 2020, Community Work Ireland is focusing on three issues:
Sustainable, Inclusive and Empowered Communities: a five-year strategy to support the community and voluntary sector in Ireland 2019-2024
CWI were active members of the interdepartmental, cross-sectoral group that worked with the Department of Rural and Community Development to produce Sustainable, Inclusive and Empowered Communities: a five-year strategy to support the community and voluntary sector in Ireland 2019-2024. It sets out a long-term vision for communities in Ireland and, with actions to be implemented over five years, the Strategy sets a general direction of travel for Government policy. Community Work Ireland calls for:
- the full implementation of the strategy over the lifetime of the next government, with the immediate prioritisation of commitments to support autonomous community work that is essential to supporting marginalised communities to address issues including poverty, social exclusion and inequality;
- the establishment of a programme that facilitates independent community work targeted at the most marginalised communities in the country;
- the development of a programme to resource and support community-based action on climate justice.
Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020-2025
The Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020-2025 was published on the day that the 32nd Dáil was dissolved. Community Work Ireland calls for:
- the establishment of a high-level cross-sectoral group to be led by the Department of the Taoiseach, to be responsible for the implementation of the stagey that will be assigned responsibility for poverty reduction;
- the establishment of a community development anti-poverty programme to work in and with communities most affected by poverty and social exclusion.
Asylum Seeking and Racism
In the context of the increasing levels of racism and the growing presence of the Far-Right in Ireland Community Work Ireland calls for:
- a commitment to the enactment of strengthened Hate Crime, including Hate Speech, legislation;
- a commitment to the development of a new approach to the asylum seeking process including the introduction of a fair, transparent, supported and timely asylum process and an end to for-profit models of direct provision;
- a commitment to the development and implementation of a National Action Plan Against Racism and the re-establishment of a National Ant-Racism and Intercultural Committee.
