Building our Future and Surviving the Future - Tipperary Rural Travellers Project

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Building our Future and Surviving the Future - Tipperary Rural Travellers Project
Tipperary Rural Travellers Project

        Building our Future and
         Surviving the Future

TRTP STRATEGIC PLAN: 2014 -2019
Building our Future and Surviving the Future - Tipperary Rural Travellers Project
TRTP                                                                                                       Strategic Plan 2014-2019

      CONTENTS
TRTP Strategic Plan: 2014 -2019 .........................................................................................................1

1 Background to TRTP and the Plan ....................................................................................................3

2 The Current Operational and Policy Environment .............................................................................4
   2.1      A Changing Landscape .................................................................................................................. 4
   2.2      Building on our Strengths and Maintaining Strong Principles ...................................................... 5

3 TRTP Strategic Aim and Objectives 2014-2019 ..................................................................................7

4 TRTP Programmes and Actions 2014-2019 .......................................................................................9
   4.1      Programme One Actions ............................................................................................................... 9
   4.2      Programme Two Actions ............................................................................................................. 15

5 Organisational Development and Review ...................................................................................... 18
   5.1      Monitoring and Evaluation System ............................................................................................. 18

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Building our Future and Surviving the Future - Tipperary Rural Travellers Project
TRTP                                                                         Strategic Plan 2014-2019

1 BACKGROUND TO TRTP AND THE PLAN
To Tipperary Rural Travellers Project (TRTP) was set up to:

        •    Promote self-determination, self- esteem and leadership amongst the Traveller community
        •    Ensure equal access to quality services, facilities and progression opportunities for members
             of the Traveller community through advocating with and behalf of Travellers, promoting
             equality and human rights
        •    Positively promote and protect Traveller culture through building capacity in the Traveller
             community and awareness in the settled community

The project is currently engaged, on an ongoing basis, in:

        1.   Supporting development work with Traveller men, women and young people
        2.   Running a Primary Healthcare Programme to improve Traveller health and wellbeing
        3.   Addressing issues of substance and alcohol abuse within the community
        4.   Networking, alliance building and policy work with mainstream service providers
        5.   Developing and delivering community leadership training

The organisation has a professional staff of nine, as well as a number of volunteers, and is managed by a
voluntary Board of Management. Staff, Board members and volunteers have been involved in a joint
planning process which began in January 2103. The aims of the process were to:

        •    Review current challenges and opportunities for the organisation, taking into account
             changes in the environment in which we operate.
        •    Establish key aims and objectives that can guide our work over the coming five-year period.
        •    Agree on the specific actions, structures and procedures that will define the work of the
             TRTP from 2014 to 2019.

The overall aim and vision of TRTP over the coming years is about working towards a situation where:

“Travellers are more competent, informed, confident and proud in expressing their own distinct identity,
    lifestyle needs and culture. This will contribute to stronger and more effective partnerships with
   mainstream services, enhanced community understanding, the promotion of equality, active civic
engagement, improved living conditions, a more healthy Traveller community and enhanced progression
                                       opportunities for Travellers”

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Building our Future and Surviving the Future - Tipperary Rural Travellers Project
TRTP                                                                                         Strategic Plan 2014-2019

2 THE CURRENT OPERATIONAL AND POLICY ENVIRONMENT
Design of the plan has been informed by a review of the current challenges facing Travellers in Tipperary,
and of the level and nature of responses to these challenges in terms of programmes, services and
policies.

2.1 A CHANGING LANDSCAPE
The strategic plan has been drawn up during a period of rapidly deteriorating economic and social
circumstances nationally; as well as fundamental changes in the way in which community development
and social inclusion initiatives are being planned and managed. With unprecedented budgetary
reductions cutbacks in publicly-funded development programmes, the period of time covered by the
strategic plan will inevitably see increased competition for scarcer resources; and this will have direct
implications for community-based responses to social exclusion in general; as well as for TRTP planning
in particular.

These changes are especially relevant for the Traveller community, given:

       •   Increasing pressures and challenges for Traveller families, especially those more vulnerable
           and excluded families. Recent research undertaken by TRTP Community Health Workers has
           highlighted high levels of disadvantage amongst the community generally, reaching crisis levels
           for a number of families. Consistent with findings in the All Ireland Traveller Health Study,
           strong causal links are established between living conditions, social status, discrimination,
           physical and mental health1. Poverty levels remain exceptionally high in the community, with
           an unemployment rate of over 96%.
       •   Increasing constraints at the statutory level (and for the local authority in particular) in terms
           of the capacity to respond to needs – especially accommodation needs where the absence of
           resources seriously limits options.

Parallel to ongoing cutbacks and reductions in funding for services and development programmes,
important administrative and organizational changes are also being proposed or implemented. The most
important of these, in terms of our own strategic planning process, are:

       •   Changes at the level of local government: notably in the relationship between local and
           community development through the ‘alignment’ process; and the amalgamation of local
           authorities (in our case the coming together of North Tipperary and South Tipperary County
           Councils.
       •   Developments in public policy that will have a direct impact upon how services are delivered.
           These developments, first initiated in the Task Force Report on the Public Service (2008) are

1
  The All-Ireland Traveller Health Study found that Traveller men on average die 15 years younger than settled men. This is the
same as the average life expectancy of people in the 1940s. Traveller women die on average 11 years younger than settled
women. This is the same as the average life expectancy of people in the 1960s. Suicide rates among Traveller men are seven
times higher than in the settled community.

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Building our Future and Surviving the Future - Tipperary Rural Travellers Project
TRTP                                                                             Strategic Plan 2014-2019

           towards enhanced service integration, greater levels of Civic Engagement and enhanced
           capacity to demonstrate outcomes. Commitments in this direction are contained in the
           Department of Public Expenditure and Local Government Reform Plan, 2011.

The design of objectives, actions and programmes in this plan has therefore been informed by an
acknowledgement of the reality that:

       •   Travellers face increasing disadvantage in social, economic and health terms; discrimination
           and racism on a daily basis; significant barriers in accessing effective services; and low levels of
           capacity in terms of self-organisation and leadership.
       •   Mainstream efforts up to now to address serious inequalities have, for the most part, failed
           and there is an urgent need for targeted and appropriate approaches to ensure against even
           further marginalisation and crisis within the community.
       •   Purposeful involvement and inclusion of members of the Traveller community will come about
           only through sustained efforts ‘on the ground’, delivered as a result of effective partnerships
           being sustained with mainstream service providers and policy makers.

We have also taken into account relevant aspects of government policy, ensuring that our programmes
are integrated, based on strong principles of civic engagement, and subject to robust evidence-based
review.

2.2 BUILDING ON OUR STRENGTHS AND MAINTAINING STRONG PRINCIPLES
While the challenges are significant, and needs within the community likely to grow, we are also very
much aware of the strong platform we have already built to carry through with this plan. It is seen as
being particularly important that TRTP has:

       •   A well-established capacity amongst Travellers themselves to direct and lead programmes and
           actions. TRTP Board of Management is made up mostly of Travellers, the project is Co-
           ordinated by a member of the Traveller community, and a range of TRTP-initiated programmes
           have Travellers at the centre in terms of planning and delivery (including the Primary
           Healthcare programme, Youth Development projects, Men’s leadership initiative and
           community-based responses to substance misuse). This capacity for central involvement and
           full participation is seen as being an essential contributor to TRTP success to date, and will
           continue to underpin programmes into the future.
       •   Long-established roots and solid working connections with the entire Traveller community in
           South Tipperary. The project has, over the years, built up a strong awareness of challenges and
           changing needs of Travellers and Traveller families. Working relationships are based on mutual
           trust and respect, especially important in engagement with more excluded or vulnerable
           sections of the community.
       •   Effective and proven working relationships with local mainstream services and programmes
           TRTP has engaged in effective partnership arrangements with all main service providers
           including HSE, local authority, VEC, local schools, County Childcare Committee, Department of
           Social Protection, Local Development Company, Gardai and Prison Services.

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Building our Future and Surviving the Future - Tipperary Rural Travellers Project
TRTP                                                                            Strategic Plan 2014-2019

       •    Strong national allies and ties with Traveller and other supportive organisations.

We are also aware of the importance of principles underpinning our approach to the work. These are
the core values informing our work. They have contributed to effective outcomes for TRTP actions up to
now, and will continue to inform the work during the next planning period. They can be summarised as
follows:

           1. While TRTP frequently works with individuals on a one-to-one basis, the effectiveness and
              success in individual terms is possible only because we have also built up strong
              relationships with families and with wider communities. These links are critical in ensuring
              high success rates in efforts to support people towards achieving independence and self-
              determination. But they also mean that the organisation has important positive impacts on
              community, service delivery and policy at a wider level.
           2. Secondly, positive results of all efforts are dependent upon a core set of values and guiding
              principles being brought to it in a consistent and continuous way. Central to these is the
              necessity of creating and building ‘community’: where the emphasis is on creating a secure
              and accessible communal space where people can freely communicate, engage and avail of
              peer support on an ongoing basis. It is also essential that the organisation and its range of
              activities offer both a sense of continuity to members of the Traveller community we work
              with. The need to ensure the capacity for flexibility, and the ability to respond to critical
              individual needs as they arise, is key to this.
           3. Thirdly, the organisation has built up solid working relationships and alliances with
              mainstream service providers and programme sponsors: within the immediate area, but also
              regionally and nationally. This has evolved and developed mainly through the sponsorship of
              particular local development programmes; but is also apparent through the willingness of
              services to collaborate with TRTP in developing and implementing innovative or pilot
              programmes. The spread of activity, and scope of our development model, has meant that
              these working alliances are not confined to services providers and programmes working
              directly with Travellers. Critically, they are now well-established within the education and
              training field (notably with the VEC and local schools); within the justice field (notably with
              the Prison, Probation and Welfare Services); and within the realm of physical and mental
              health services.
           4. Finally, all our work has incorporated elements of leadership-building, participation and peer
              support at its core. We know that the most successful outcomes to interventions come
              about where they are based on real consultation about needs; where the space is created
              for people to learn from each other; where positive identity in terms of Traveller culture is
              promoted and shared; and where members of the community can take on leadership roles
              to ensure real and sustainable change in the longer term.

An important first step for us in framing this plan, therefore, has been about clarifying our model of
work and core values associated with it: to ensure that efforts into the future are building upon existing
strengths.

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TRTP                                                                                 Strategic Plan 2014-2019

    3 TRTP STRATEGIC AIM AND OBJECTIVES 2014-2019
    The overall strategic aim and long term outcome of TRTP efforts is:

    “To ensure that Travellers in Tipperary have equal access to opportunities and services, and have a
    recognised voice and a positive influence on social and economic life”.

    We have established a set of interim objectives directly linked to the spheres of influence covered by the
    project’s work that should be pursued if the long-term outcome is to be achieved. These objectives
    relate to our core day-to-day work and may be seen as preconditions to making progress on the overall
    strategic aim:

    Objective 1:       To increase wellbeing, opportunities and choices for members of the Traveller community

    Objective 2:       To enhance community and project capacity and skills

    Objective 3:       To improve locally delivered services

    Objective 4:       To create strong and effective leadership by members of the Traveller community

    Objective 5:       To contribute to building an effective national- level response.

    Some detail is given on plan objectives below, together with indicators associated with each.

       Objective            Project Approach             Outcome Indicators
•      To increase    Work to achieve this objective     •   Increased confidence in accessing employment and other
        wellbeing,    will be carried out across a           opportunities
    opportunities     range of programmes and            •   Development of the Traveller economy
      and choices     activity lines: all of which are   •   Improved health through more effective interaction with
     for members      linked to each other. The              hospitals, doctors and other health care providers
             of the   project will work to define        •   Increased awareness about mental health: the causes and
         Traveller                                           impact of suicide, conflict, drugs and stress
                      individual needs, providing
       community                                         •   Better living conditions and increased security of home tenure
                      information and advice to
                      identify and access                •   Demonstrable improvements in physical and mental health
                      opportunities and relevant         •   Heightened awareness about of how the system works and
                                                             how services are delivered
                      services.
                                                         •   More positive and confident expression of Traveller identity
                                                             and culture
                                                         •   Increased capacity to understand and challenge discrimination
•    To enhance       The project will work with         •   Increased employment access and social participation
     community        individuals and families to        •   Increased numbers of Travellers in key positions: working
     and project      increase personal and work-            within project and in the community
    capacity and      related skills. Supports will be   •   Role models will be created and recognised
            skills    provided on the basis of           •   Children will progress in education, through educational
                      individual needs defined and in        supports, after-school and pre-school interventions
                      partnership with relevant          •   Increased parental capacity through heightened awareness,
                      mainstream service providers           skills and family supports
                                                         •   Increased recognition of skills: with value placed on informal/
                                                             non-formal skill

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TRTP                                                                                   Strategic Plan 2014-2019

                                                               •   Travellers will be more confident and informed
                                                               •   TRTP will be sustainable into the future as a community-led
                                                                   project
    •       To improve     Through close co-operation          •   More effective, and long-term, working relationships and
                 locally   and maintaining effective               arrangements will be made between community-
              delivered    partnerships, TRTP will work            based/voluntary organisations and mainstream service
                services   towards the enhancement of              providers: based on a mutual recognition of strengths and
                           mainstream service delivery.            weaknesses
                           We aim to contribute to a           •   There will be an improved level of co-operation and
                           higher level of knowledge,              integration of services in efforts to work with Traveller
                           awareness and service                   families
                           responsiveness to needs and         •   Increased access to appropriate services for those who need
                           challenges for the Traveller            them most (especially in the areas of accommodation, mental
                           community. This will be based           health, addiction and domestic abuse)
                           on a heightened awareness of        •   Services become committed to the Identification of better
                           Traveller culture, especially for       outcomes for Traveller families
                           font-line service providers         •   Services become aware of the benefits and cost-effectiveness
                                                                   of providing a community-based approach, and engage in
                                                                   more positive outreach as a result
                                                               •   Clear protocols and shared principles will be developed and
                                                                   agreed, leading to more effective communication and co-
                                                                   operation between services, authorities and TRTP
        •    To create     TRTP is committed to working        •   Travellers will develop their own organizational structures
           strong and      with members of the Traveller           with regard to issues that most impact upon them (including
              effective    community to strengthen                 men, women and young Travellers
        leadership by      leadership and active               •   The voice of Travellers will be effectively heard on local
          members of       citizenship. We are convinced           development forums (including the Traveller Interagency
         the Traveller     that benefits from all other            Committee and the Local Development Programme. This voice
          community        actions can become                      will be informed and representative.
                           sustainable only if Travellers      •   Travellers will be recognized and accepted as Irish Travellers
                           can develop the capacity for            and as Irish citizens
                           self-representation, ongoing        •   TRTP will increase its autonomy and sustainability into the
                           communication of needs, and             future as a Traveller-led project
                           leadership.
•        To contribute     TRTP has built up strong            •   Strong and competent leadership of the Traveller community
        to building an     linkages with other                     is built up nationally
              effective    organisations, programmes           •   Travellers will represent a strong and informed voice on the
        national- level    and projects at regional,               national political agenda
             response.     national and international          •   The benefits of positive intervention using a community-based
                           level. We will continue to build        approach are demonstrated and acknowledged
                           on and expand these linkages -      •   The work of, and approach used by, the TRTP is more widely
                           with the aim of bringing                understood and accredited.
                           Traveller-specific needs and        •   TRTP increases its linkages with partners and programmes
                           challenges to the policy                internationally
                           agenda; and of promoting
                           equality, social inclusion,
                           human rights and active
                           citizenship
        Our strategic objectives and planned interventions are based on the conviction that:

        Equal rights and full participation by Travellers will come about where members of the Traveller
        community are able to express their own needs and interests through strong organisation and

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TRTP                                                                        Strategic Plan 2014-2019
                                                                                            2014

 leadership; where mainstream services and society generally recognise the need to embrace difference;
 and where human rights are recognised and enforced.

 4 TRTP PROGRAMMES AND ACTIONS 2014-2019
 Actions over the coming five years will be carried out under two parallel programmes:

 •   PROGRAMME 1:: Addressing Traveller Needs Locally
 •   PROGRAMME 2:: Influencing Mainstream Services and Promoting Civic Engagement

 As indicated below,
                low, Programme 1 is made of seven inter
                                                  inter-connected actions.

 4.1 PROGRAMME ONE ACTIONS
                                                                   Working
     Action Rationale, Approach              Specific Elements     Partners        Outcomes
                  TRTP will support          • Ongoing needs       • DSP           • Increased access
              Travellers, on an ongoing         assessment,        • County           to services and
             basis, in tacking barriers to      information and        Council        opportunities for
               service access and civic         support in         • VEC              Travellers most in
                engagement. This will           addressing         • CIS              need of them
             informed by the expressed          accommodation                      • Increased
Support and    needs of individuals and         needs                                 confidence for
  Advocacy         families and will         • Support in                             those accessing
            continuously seek to enable         accessing social                      services and
              Travellers to access their        welfare                               opportunities

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TRTP                                                                   Strategic Plan 2014-2019

              rights and entitlements         entitlements,                    •   Enhanced capacity
              while at the same time          educational and                      of services to
              positively express their        employment                           respond
                culture and identity.         opportunities                        effectively
  Programme One Actions – Continued

                                                                Working
       Action Rationale, Approach         Specific Elements     Partners      Outcomes
              Accommodation needs         • Ongoing             • Local       • A greater
                   for Travellers have       accommodation          Authority    awareness and
                 reached crisis point.       needs              • ITM            heightened sense
                   TRTP research has         assessment         • DSP            of urgency
               highlighted the strong     • Support and         • Inter-         amongst
                  links between poor         advocacy with          agency       mainstream
                 accommodation and           individual             Committee    services to
                 physical and mental         Travellers and     • LTACC          address Traveller
                     health. Lack of         families           • Private        accommodation
                resources means that      • Promoting               Landlords    crisis
                 statutory capacity to       integrated                       • More realistic
                  directly respond to        family support                      integrated plans
                    needs is severely        for the most                        to address
                limited, and access to       vulnerable                          accommodation
               suitable private rented       families                            needs: based on
              options is hampered by      • Establishing                         targeting scarce
                       widespread            effective                           resources to
Accommodation discrimination. TRTP is        effective                           those in greatest
     Planning committed to working           working                             need
              with Travellers and with       arrangements                     • Visible and
              the relevant authorities       and                                 demonstrable
                      to ensure that         communications                      improvements in
               resocurces and efforts        with local                          living conditions
                     are directed to         authority                           for Travellers
                 addressing the most         through a                        • Decrease in levels
                   critical needs in an      formally-agreed                     of discrimination
                 appropriate manner.         charter                             experienced by
              We are also committed       • Engaging in                          Travellers seeking
               to continue efforts to        innovative                          accommodation
                    highlight needs,         nationally-led                   • New
                promote the need for         pilot Traveller                     accommodation
               an adequate response          accommodation                       initiatives are
                  to Traveller-specific      projects                            piloted in
                accommodation, and                                               Tipperary
                working nationally to
              develop new initiatives

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TRTP                                                                        Strategic Plan 2014-2019

Programme One Actions – Continued

      Action Rationale, Approach          Specific Elements       Partners          Outcomes
                 TRTP has built up a      • Development of        • HSE             • Marked
                    strong level of         men’s leadership      • THU               improvements in
                  involvement and           group, ensuring       • VEC               physical and mental
                  engagement with           involvement of        • Tipperary         health of Traveller
             Traveller men over the         Traveller men           County            men
               past decade. Ongoing         from all parts of       Council         • Traveller men having
                  activities include        the County.           • Local media       a stronger voice to
                   programmes to          • Support for the       • Other             communicate
                   increase health          Tipperary               Traveller         relevant issues and
              awareness and access          Travellers Horse        Men’s             their own identity
              to physical and mental        Owners                  projects        • More positive
      Men’s        health services;         Association             nationally        acknowledgement
Development        development of           (TTHOA)               • Solas/FAS         and acceptance of
                personal and work-        • Traveller men         • Probation and     Traveller culture
               related skills; building     health                  Welfare           (especially the
              of leadership and civic       programmes              services          importance of
             engagement capacities;       • Development of        • Prison            animals in the life of
               and the promotion of         initiatives to          authorities       Traveller men)
                  Traveller culture.        promote and                             • Traveller men
              The plan will continue        support the                               enabled to establish
               to build on this work,       involvement of                            their own initiatives
             with the central aim of        men in Traveller                          around issues that
               increasing autonomy,         economy projects                          affect them most
                awareness and self-       • Supporting                              • Traveller men build,
                   representation           Traveller men in                          develop and use
                    amongst men.            prison                                    their own spaces for
                                          • Men’s sheds                               ongoing actvitiy
                       Long-term          • Targeted              •   LCDP          • Opportunities for
                 unemployment levels        investigation of      •   Local           development of
                remain extremely high       opportunities to          businesses      specific sectoral
                  for Travellers, with      develop and build         and             development of the
                   opportunities for        long-term and             employers       Traveller economy
                      mainstream            sustainable           •   DSP             are identified and
    Traveller   progression becoming        Traveller economy     •   Traveller       exploited.
   Economy        even more limited.        projects                  Inter-        • A strong advisory
Development      Added to educational     • Building local            agency          and support
                   disadvantage and         expertise and             Committee       structure is created
                 worsening economic         support from the      •   FAS/Solas       around economic
                circumstances are the       settled community     •   Other           development
                   barriers faced by        to develop                successful    • Travellers are
                 Travellers in terms of     business and social       Traveller       employed in

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TRTP                                                                        Strategic Plan 2014-2019

             discrimination. TRTP is      economy                    economy        sustainable
               taking a long-term         opportunities              projects       initiatives
              approach to tackling
                   these issues
Programme One Actions – Continued

    Action Rationale, Approach         Specific Elements          Partners          Outcomes
               The serious health      • Targeted training        • HSE             • Increased official
              challenges faced by        and learning sessions    • THU               understanding and
               Travellers are well-      re specific health-      • Mental Health     acceptance of wide
           documented nationally.        related challenges in      Services          range of social
             TRTP’s own research         the community            • Traveller         issues affecting
                    has clearly        • Liaison with               Interagency       Traveller health
             demonstrated strong         mainstream health          Committee       • Travellers are more
              links between living       service providers to     • GPs               confident and
                   conditions,           increase awareness       • County            informed in
            discrimination, mental       and work jointly           Childcare         accessing the
           and physical health for       towards enhanced           Committee         supports they need
               Travellers in South       service provision                          • Improved levels of
           Tipperary. The project’s    • Positive engagement                          physical health
               involvement in the        with programmes                            • Improved levels of
              Primary Healthcare         and structures to                            mental health and
           Programme to date has         promote an                                   decrease in suicide
               contributed to the        enhanced                                     rates
Health and   existence of a strong       understanding about                        • Mainstream service
Well-being Community Healthcare          the social                                   providers become
                team, made up of         determinants of                              more aware and
                 members of the          health (especially the                       better equipped to
            Traveller community.         importance of living                         deliver health
               The team will work        conditions and                               services effectively
                 towards overall         horses)                                      to Travellers
                 improvement in        • Targeted support for                       • Better outcomes for
             physical and mental         individuals and                              Traveller children
              health of Travellers       families to facilitate                       through integrated
               through increasing        access to health                             and co-ordinated
             understanding about         services where                               supports
               the causes of poor        needed                                     • Evidence produced
                 health, tackling      • Promotion of, and                            of positive
                barriers to service      involvement in,                              outcomes in
           access, and supporting        integrated family                            Traveller health
            Travellers to increase       support approaches                           where social and
                  awareness and          for the most                                 cultural
            confidence in seeking        vulnerable families                          determinants of
           better health outcomes      • Building up Primary                          health are taken
                                         Healthcare Workers                           into account
                                         as community
                                         leaders
                                       • Collection of

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TRTP                                                                       Strategic Plan 2014-2019

                                           evidence to
                                           demonstrate
                                           successful health
                                           outcomes
  Programme One Actions – Continued

        Action Rationale, Approach         Specific Elements         Partners       Outcomes
               Education is at the         • Continued               • Teachers     • More positive
               centre of all activities       development and            and           engagement by
               and programmes                 extension of the           school        young Travellers
               initiated by TRTP. The         Family Learning            managers      in school
               project will work to           Programme.             • VEC          • Increased
               establish education and     • After-schools               tutors        understanding
               learning opportunities         support                • Regional        and end to
               for all sections of the        programmes for             Youth         discrimination in
               Traveller community,           young Travellers           Services      schools
               with a particular focus     • Ongoing                                • Progression for
               on young Travellers. We        engagement with                          young Travellers
               have already developed         teachers in                              to further
               particular courses and         primary and                              education and
               approaches to learning         secondary schools                        employment
               that are appropriate to     • Training                                  opportunities
               Traveller identity and         programmes in                         •
               culture. We will               establishment of
               continue to develop and        youth support
               deliver these                  groups and clubs
               programmes with the            in the community
Education and aim of developing social        (for boys and girls)
 Participation awareness in the            • Targeted literacy
               broader sense;                 programmes (built
               increasing the capacity        around
               of Traveller children and      development
               their parents to engage        issues of relevance
               positively with the            to participants and
               formal school system;          based on peer-
               assisting schools and          learning
               education providers to         principles)
               develop greater             • Support for those
               understanding of               seeking access to
               Traveller identity and         adult learning
               Traveller educational          opportunities
               needs; and enabling         • Evaluation of
               Travellers to form their       learning initiatives
               own learning and               to demonstrate
               development                    long-term
               organisations                  outcomes and
                                              return on
                                              investment

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TRTP                                                                         Strategic Plan 2014-2019

Programme One Actions – Continued

    Action Rationale, Approach         Specific Elements          Partners          Outcomes
           Disadvantages faced by
           minority ethnic groups,
           and especially those
           that make them more
           susceptible to problems
           of substance misuse,        • Development of
           have been well                competences in the
           documented. Research          Traveller community
           undertaken by TRTP            to help understand
           showed that knowledge         substance abuse and                        • Decrease in drug
           about the availability        addiction.                                   and alcohol
           and possible effects of                                                    dependency
           different kinds of drugs    • Building partnerships    • Addiction         amongst Traveller
           amongst the Traveller         with statutory             Services          community
           community in South            service providers to     • Drugs Task      • Associated
           Tipperary was very low.       develop a more             Forces            improvements re
           Awareness about the           targeted and             • AA                decrease in risk of
           kinds of services that        appropriate response     • GROW              suicide, other
           exist in relation to          to the needs of          • Traveller         mental health
           substance misuse is also      Travellers affected by     Counselling       challenges and
 Substance very low. Access to           substance misuse           Services          family break-up
    Misuse these services by                                      • Prison          • Demonstrated
   Support Travellers who need                                      Services          evidence that a
           them is hampered by a       • Creating self-help       • Welfare           peer-support model,
           number of factors;            potential and              Services          associated with
           including lack of             community-based                              appropriate service-
           information, inability to     peer support                                 access approaches,
           understand information        mechanisms re                                has social benefits
           that is provided, low         substance misuse                             as well as being cost
           levels of trust,                                                           effective
           expectation that they       • Providing targeted
           will be treated               supports (including
           differently, and fear of      counselling services)
           confidentiality not being     to those most at risk
           respected. TRTP will          (including prisoners
           continue to work to           and ex-offenders)
           build capacity within
           the Traveller
           community to
           understand issues of
           dependency, to assist
           each other and to

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TRTP                                                                        Strategic Plan 2014-2019

                  access services needed.

     4.2 PROGRAMME TWO ACTIONS

        Action Rationale, Approach          Specific Elements        Working              Outcomes
                                                                     Partners
         Local TRTP has, over the           • Working closely with • Local                • Improved
Networking and years, built up                partners in the THU      Development          communications
   Partnership effective working              and RTHN to develop      Company              and enhanced
               relationships with a           and implement an       • Local Traveller      working
               wide range of                  inclusive primary        Interagency          arrangements
               projects, organisations        healthcare model,        Committee            between Traveller
               and mainstream                 acknowledging the      • Local Traveller      community and
               service providers. The         importance of social     Accommodation        mainstream service
               project will continue          determinants in          Consultative         providers
               to build on these              Traveller health         Committee          • Increase in number
               relationships over the       • Development of         • Tipperary            of jointly delivered
               coming years, with the         jointly agreed           County Council       programmes and
               intention of                   protocols to build and • HSE                  services that take
               developing joint               strengthen             • Traveller Health     into account
               initiatives. The focus         partnerships             Unit                 Traveller culture,
               will be on developing          involving TRTP and     • Regional             lifestyle and
               innovative and                 the main service         Traveller Health     ongoing challenges
               inclusive approaches           providers locally. A     Network            • Joint approaches to
               to meeting the                 particular focus will  • Education and        Traveller
               development needs of           on the development       Training Board       development
               Travellers. We will            of a jointly agreed    • Solas                recognize and build
               concentrate on                 charter to govern                             upon respective
                                                                     • DSP
               piloting new ways of           relationships with the • Local schools        strengths of
               working,                       newly established                             Traveller
                                                                     • Family Resource
               demonstrating                  Tipperary County                              organisations and
                                                                       Centres
               outcomes and                   Council                                       mainstream
                                                                     • Residents
               mainstreaming of             • Bringing lessons from                         statutory
                                                                       Associations
               effective joint                ongoing work with                             organisations
               approaches. In                 the Travelling
               developing strong              community to the
               partnerships The               process of policy
               project will continue          development locally
               to build on its key            and regionally: with a
               strength as an                 particular focus on
               organization rooted in         positively influencing
               the Traveller                  development plans
               community

                                                                                                             15
TRTP                                                                           Strategic Plan 2014-2019

    Programme Two Actions – Continued

        Action Rationale, Approach         Specific Elements          Partners             Outcomes
                Building leadership        • Building up project      • VEC                • Increased numbers
                and capacity within          management               • Regional             of Travellers (men
                the community to             capacity                   Youth Services       and women) actively
                accurately reflect         • Men’s leadership         • Traveller Inter-     involved in
                needs and conditions         programme                  agency               management of TRTP
                for Travellers is at the   • Women’s groups             Committee          • Increased numbers
                heart of all TRTP          • Visits to and learning   • LTACC                of Travellers involved
                activities. The              from other Traveller     • Education and        as voluntary youth
                promotion of active          projects                   Training Board       workers in the
                citizenship and            • Youth leadership         • Local and            community
                effective civic              programme and              national media     • A strong,
                engagement forms an          establishment of         • Other                representative and
                integral element in all      Traveller Youth Clubs      Traveller            effective Traveller
                TRTP programmes and        • Media training and         projects             Horse Owners
                actions. Long term           media productions        • Local                Association
                benefits for the           • Submissions by             Development        • A stronger and more
                community and                Travellers to              Company              informed voice for
                sustainability of            mainstream service       • National             Travellers
Leadership and progress made will            developments,              Traveller          • Increased inclusion
          Self- depend ultimately            reviews and plans          Partnership          of Traveller
Representation upon the extent to          • Support for Travellers                          community and
                                                                      • National
                which Travellers can         participating as                                Traveller needs in
                                                                        Traveller
                become leaders in            partners in                                     local development
                                                                        Movement
                their own community.         committees and joint                            and service
                                                                      • Pavee Point
                Our leadership               initiatives                                     development plans
                                                                      • National
                programme is geared        • Video and other                               • A more positive and
                                                                        Traveller
                towards equipping            media productions by                            accurate reflection of
                                                                        Women’s
                Traveller men,               Travellers                                      Traveller needs and
                                                                        Forum
                Traveller women and                                                          Traveller culture on
                                           • Development of TRTP      • Locally-based
                young Travellers with                                                        mainstream media
                                             web-site to reflect        community
                the knowledge and                                                            (especially local
                                             strong Traveller           development
                skills needed to                                                             newspapers and local
                                             leadership                 projects and
                actively and positively                                                      radio)
                                                                        resource
                represent their own                                                        • Increased confidence
                                                                        centres
                community.                                                                   within the Travleller
                It is also of vital                                   • Children’s
                                                                        Services             community in their
                importance that                                                              own leadership
                members of the                                          Committee
                                                                      • Local political      structures
                Traveller community                                                        • More effective
                are supported and                                       representative
                                                                        s                    Traveller
                enabled to continue to                                                       involvement in local
                take a leadership role

                                                                                                               16
TRTP                                                                           Strategic Plan 2014-2019

               in TRTP project                                                              committees and
               management and                                                               initiatives
               ongoing review
Programme Two Actions – Continued

        Action Rationale, Approach         Specific Elements           Partners            Outcomes
                TRTP has been, and         • Developing and            • National          • Tipperary becomes
                will continue to be,         sharing models of           Traveller           the site for pilot
                actively involved in         good practice in            Partnership         initiatives that can
                developing and               relation to planning      • Irish Traveller     identify and test
                supporting                   and review of local         Movement            good practice to
                organizational               and community             • Irish Traveller     inform regional and
                developments that            development                 Women’s             national policy
                seek to strengthen           Traveller-based             Forum               (especially in the
                Traveller identity and       initiatives               • CENA                areas of Traveller
                the Traveller voice.       • Contribution to           • EU-supported        accommodation and
                The project will             national                    programmes,         Traveller health)
                continue to work with        accommodation               including         • TRTP, in partnership
                national Traveller           policy and strategy         Horizon,            with mainstream
                organizations, and         • Contribution to             Lifelong            service providers,
                with organized               national education          Learning and        develops and
Developing and Traveller projects in         policy and strategy         anti-poverty        demonstrates a
    Supporting other areas, with this      • Contribution to             programmes          successful model of
      National objective in mind.            national health policy    • Tipperary           alignment between
      Alliances The focus will be on         and strategy                County              local and community
                sharing good practice,     • Contribution to             Council             development
                and on making use of         national justice policy   • National          • Greater unity and
                national Traveller           and strategy                Traveller           sense of purpose
                structures to positively   • Contribution to EU          Health              amongst all projects
                influence mainstream         strategy and policy         Advisory            and organisations
                policy and practice.       • Ongoing active              Forum               representing
                We also aim to make          involvement in                                  Travellers
                positive contributions       national                                      • The voice of Irish
                to policy and service        organisations (ITM,                             Travellers is
                development at               Pavee Point, NTP,                               strengthened in the
                national and European        NTWF)                                           European context
                level, especially in the
                fields of education,
                enterprise,
                accommodation and
                health. This will be
                based on our strength
                as a project rooted
                within the Traveller
                community, our
                intimate knowledge
                about needs, and our
                commitment to

                                                                                                               17
TRTP                                                                        Strategic Plan 2014-2019

            evidence-based
            approaches.

5 ORGANISATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND REVIEW
The plan will be delivered and review via the following mechanisms and procedures:

    1. TRTP Board of management, with overall responsibility for planning, reporting and accounting
       for all actions and programmes. The project will continue to develop board capacities and its
       representative base to ensure this is undertaken to the highest professional standards. The
       focus will be on ensuring the continuation of TRTP as a Traveller-led project with the capacity to
       establish and maintain effective working partnerships with mainstream service providers.
    2. TRTP staff, including Project Co-ordinator, Primary Healthcare Team, Men’s Development
       Worker and project Administrator. The efforts will be supplemented by the involvement of
       competent and committed people through employment and student placement mechanisms.
       We will also invite the involvement of expert advice where relevant and appropriate. The
       project is committed to sponsoring a Community Employment Programme that will facilitate the
       active involvement of Travellers across the whole range of TRTP activities and promote
       individual progression
    3. TRTP volunteers, including those involved in the Horse Owners Association, Traveller Youth
       Clubs, the Family Learning Programme and health-linked actions.

An essential factor determining overall success of the Strategic Plan is the project’s commitment to
structured and rigorous monitoring and evaluation. The system we have developed in this respect is
described below.

5.1 MONITORING AND EVALUATION SYSTEM
TRTP is committed to evaluation as an integral part of our development activities throughout the
strategic planning period because we recognise the importance of:

    1. The ever increasing need to demonstrate results in relation to resources invested. We are
       committed to demonstrating that the project, not only succeeds in achieving the objectives and
       targets we have set ourselves, but that it also makes economic sense in terms of outcomes. This
       is especially important in the work we undertake in relation to heath, education,
       accommodation and youth development. We are convinced that TRTP outcomes for individual
       Travellers and their families represents an infinitely superior alternative to crisis-based
       interventions. We will adopt an evidence-based approach to showing value for money in this
       respect.
    2. Secondly, we are aware that impacts of the project go beyond the benefits to individuals
       participating in our programmes. There are also clear benefits for their partners, their children,
       and members of their community. Funding providers do not always request information or
       evidence in relation to these wider benefits (funding of educational courses, for example, often
       confine their requirements to numbers receiving qualifications; or measurement of success in
       training can be restricted to numbers accessing employment etc.). While these are important

                                                                                                       18
TRTP                                                                         Strategic Plan 2014-2019

       indicators in their own right, we are also committed to demonstrating related outcomes for
       participants in the longer term; as well as for their families and communities. We are also
       committed to using evidence to demonstrate the benefits of a more inclusive approach for
       mainstream service-providers and Irish society generally.
    3. Thirdly, we are also strongly aware that successful outcomes are very much dependent upon the
       approach taken by TRTP project workers and volunteers. Our evaluation efforts will not only
       show what we have achieved; we will also focus on how these achievements have come about.
       We are committed to ongoing critical reflection on what works well and what may not –
       informed at all stages by participant and service-user feedback. As a result we will be able to
       demonstrate (and share) the TRTP ‘model’, and how particular approaches and interventions
       can contribute to particular results.
    4. Finally, we see lessons and insights emerging from the work as being of significant importance in
       shaping effective mainstream responses to social exclusion, education, heath and other key
       challenges faced by the Traveller community. Our evaluation and review process provides a
       mechanism through which these lessons are captured, and then shared with our working
       partners within mainstream service provision and policy development.

We have designed a version of the SPEAK planning and evaluation system to allow us to collect and
make use of information collected in all these dimensions.

The evaluation process will allow for the participation of staff, board members, volunteers and
programme participants. An annual cycle will result in the production of a yearly report: summarising
progress towards achievement of strategic objectives and highlighting issues for future planning. The
evaluation system will also be used to assist staff with preparation of monthly progress reports to co-
ordinator and Board. The basic elements of the model are presented below.

                                                                                                          19
TRTP                                                                           Strategic Plan 2014-2019
                                                                                              2014

The model is based on the ‘Theory of Change’ approach: with an emphasis on understanding changing
and evolving circumstances; setting clear aims, and increasing the organisation’s capacity to link and
understand inputs and outputsts on an ongoing basis
                                              basis.

Internal evaluation and outcome-data
                                  data collection will be built into all programmes and actions. Weekly
staff and volunteer meetings will facilitate ongoing monitoring and re re-focusing
                                                                           focusing of efforts where required.

The overall plan will also be externally evaluated to demonstrate outcomes, impacts and lessons for the
future.

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