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• Louth County Council
• Dundalk Town Council
• Drogheda Borough Council

Social Inclusion Unit

Social Profile of Co. Louth

Origin of the Unit

As a result of the Government’s commitment to tackle poverty, inequality and social exclusion in Irish society, 9 pilot Social Inclusion Units have been established within local authorities across the country.

Each of these units is to be staffed by a Social Inclusion Officer and Analyst/Researcher. The designated local authorities are Louth Local Authorities, Waterford, Cork and Limerick City Councils, Wicklow County Council, Dublin City, Dublin South and Dun Laoighre Rathdown councils.

What is to be done?

Devise and implement a strategic social inclusion focus in co-operation with all service areas of Louth Local Authorities. This will be achieved through the implementation of social inclusion initiatives/projects in co-operation with local authority sections.

Provide support to the Louth County Development Board and RAPID Programmes in Dundalk and Drogheda.

Carrying out research to determine the extent and causes of poverty and social exclusion in the county.

In essence, the work of the unit will be to ensure that there is added value in the delivery of services by Louth Local Authorities to all people in Louth.

What is Social Exclusion?

Social exclusion is a term to describe what can happen when people or areas suffer from linked problems such as unemployment, poor skills, low incomes, badly maintained housing, high crime, bad health and family breakdown. It results in the inability of people and some communities to exercise their social, economic and political rights as citizens and so they are excluded from society, experience disadvantage and are disempowered. This results in inequality.

What is Social Inclusion?

Social inclusion is a process to tackle exclusion and disadvantage. It aims to enable each individual to have an equal opportunity to make decisions that affect their quality of life. The Social Inclusion Unit of Louth Local Authorities will take steps to ensure that all people and communities of Louth are provided with adequate opportunities to become involved in making decisions that ultimately affect them.

How will this effect Louth Local Authorities?

The overall effect of the Social Inclusion Unit will be to add value to the services provided by Louth Local Authorities in particular to people experiencing disadvantage. It will be an innovative approach involving staff awareness, an understanding of who and how people experience exclusion and disadvantage, with the overall effect of improving staff networking to share and build upon our expertise in order to make Co. Louth a more inclusive and equal society.