elphin local area plan 2009 - 2015 - Roscommon County Council
elphin local area plan 2009 - 2015 - Roscommon County Council
elphin local area plan 2009 - 2015 - Roscommon County Council
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Chapter 7: Social and Community Facilities<br />
<strong>Roscommon</strong> <strong>County</strong> Development Board (RCDB). This involves Forum representatives sitting on the<br />
<strong>County</strong> Development Board which enables networking and collaboration between RCDB and the Forum,<br />
and the groups and organisations it represents.<br />
Forum representatives also sit on the Strategic Policy Committees and Social Inclusion Measures Working<br />
Group of <strong>Roscommon</strong> <strong>County</strong> <strong>Council</strong>. Their presence on these bodies facilitates two-way communication<br />
between the community and <strong>local</strong> government by bringing the views of the community organisations to<br />
<strong>local</strong> government and by feeding back relevant information to the member groups of the Forum. The<br />
Forum also has representatives on a number of other <strong>local</strong> agencies and regional bodies including:<br />
<strong>Roscommon</strong> <strong>County</strong> Childcare Committee<br />
<strong>Roscommon</strong> Partnership Board<br />
<strong>Roscommon</strong> <strong>County</strong> Enterprise Board<br />
Arigna Leader Company<br />
<strong>County</strong> <strong>Roscommon</strong> Heritage Forum<br />
The Forum plays an important role in providing practical assistance and support to its member groups and<br />
organisations. This assistance includes helping groups to identify funding sources and make grant<br />
applications, facilitating members looking for particular types of training, as well as helping to deliver<br />
great insurance deals for members.<br />
Funding for voluntary and community groups is available from a wide range of organisations including:<br />
• Government Departments & Agencies<br />
• Dormant Accounts Fund<br />
• National Lottery<br />
• Trusts & Non Governmental Organisations<br />
7.10 SOCIAL INCLUSION AND DISABILITY<br />
Due to inadequate income and other resources people may be excluded and marginalised from<br />
participating in activities, which are considered the norm for other people in society. Social inclusion<br />
refers to a series of positive actions to achieve equality of access to services and goods, to assist all<br />
individuals to participate in their community and society, to encourage the contribution of all persons to<br />
social and cultural life, and to be aware of and to challenge all forms of discrimination. The provision of<br />
facilities such as childcare, health and social infrastructure is fundamental to establishing communities and<br />
promoting quality of life, social inclusion and sustainable settlements. Adequate provision should be made<br />
for sport, recreational and other public amenities in Elphin.<br />
<strong>Roscommon</strong> <strong>County</strong> <strong>Council</strong> is committed to the promotion of disability awareness, supporting policies<br />
against their impact on equality / disability, and providing people with disabilities access to services. The<br />
<strong>Council</strong> has signed up to the Barcelona Declaration (1995), which aims to meet the needs of disabled<br />
people by developing and implementing inclusive policies in relation to housing, transportation and access<br />
to public buildings and information. Accessibility within the internal physical structures (lifts, toilets etc)<br />
is covered by Part M of the 2002 Building Regulations.<br />
Travellers are a group that have traditionally felt excluded from many aspects of mainstream society.<br />
<strong>Roscommon</strong> <strong>County</strong> <strong>Council</strong> supports a number of educational programmes for Travellers, including<br />
training courses for Travellers and Homework Clubs. The Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act, 1998<br />
requires Local Authorities in consultation with Travellers to prepare and adopt a Traveller<br />
Accommodation Programme to meet the existing and projected accommodation needs of Travellers. The<br />
drawing up of the programme is assisted by the Local Traveller Consultative Committee which is<br />
representative of Travellers, Members of the <strong>Council</strong> and <strong>Council</strong> Officials. The first Programme adopted<br />
was for a period of 5 years. In 2004, The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government,<br />
under Section 10(1) of the Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act, 1998, directed that the next<br />
accommodation programme should be for a period of four years. The current four-year programme covers<br />
Elphin Local Area Plan <strong>2009</strong>-<strong>2015</strong> Page 68