Tánaiste Simon Harris and Minister Jerry Buttimer launch the Government’s Social Inclusion & Community Activation Programme 2024 Annual Report and New Arrivals Research
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From: Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht
- Published on: 15 September 2025
- Last updated on: 15 September 2025
Today (Monday 15th September 2025) Tánaiste Simon Harris joined Minister of State with responsibility for Community Development and Charities, Jerry Buttimer T.D., to launch the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) 2024 Annual Report at the Little Flower Hall in Bray, County Wicklow.
SICAP works with individuals and groups, strengthening communities and improving the quality of life of those facing social exclusion and inequality.
SICAP 2024 - 2028, the third iteration of the programme commenced on January 1st 2024. The SICAP 2024 Annual Report highlights the impact of the new programme which has a renewed focus on targeting those who are most disadvantaged in Irish society.
To support this, resources are targeted locally based on local needs and local knowledge. By the end of 2024, all key performance indicators (KPIs) for the programme were exceeded.
Some of the key findings include;
- 2,368 Local Community Groups were supported in 2024.
- 1995 individuals, 6% of the overall caseload, progressed into employment in 2024.
- 260 Community activists or community groups were supported in 2024.
- 473 Social Enterprises were supported by SICAP in 2024.
- 32,490 individuals were supported in 2024.
- 53,133 Children & parents were supported in 2024.
- 96,520 non-caseload individuals attended events sponsored by SICAP.
Three research documents on supports for people newly arrived in the country including Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection, International Protection Applicants/asylum seekers and refugees since 2022 were also launched. The reports highlight challenges and good practice in delivering supports to new arrivals.
The key findings include:
- In 2022 and 2023 (combined), New Arrivals made up 30% of the overall individual SICAP caseload, at 16,404 people. In 2021, the equivalent proportion was 5%.
- The primary driver of the increase in supports to New Arrivals was the high proportion of Ukrainians supported. In total, 72%, of the New Arrivals group was made up of Ukrainians.
- The remaining 28% was comprised of 21% asylum seekers and 7% refugees.
- Only 3% of New Arrivals supported in 2022-2023 received support prior to 2022.
Launching the report, Tánaiste Simon Harris said:
“As the Government’s primary social inclusion programme, SICAP provides vital services to reduce poverty and tackle the exclusion and marginalisation experienced by groups and individuals across the country.
“Where people and groups are not engaged with mainstream supports, SICAP provides a pathway to those marginalised people and groups to participate in their local community and its development.
“The statistics in the Annual Report published today speak for themselves as to the vital support this programme provides to many communities across the country.”
Speaking on the research reports on SICAP supports to New Arrivals, the Tánaiste remarked:
“I also want to highlight the substantial suite of research on SICAP’s supports to New Arrivals.
“Over the past few years SICAP has been at the frontline of integration and inclusion supports to New Arrivals, be they Ukrainians forced from the homes due to the terrible conflict in their home country, or International Protection applicants or refugees seeking safety.
“The research very much highlights SICAP’s strengths, agility and impact as Ireland’s primary social inclusion programme, and provides sharp insights into the lived experience of New Communities in Ireland during a period of rapid change.”
Minister Buttimer added:
“SICAP does vital work in helping individuals and groups, by improving the life chances of those who are marginalised in society, living in poverty or unemployed.
“The hard proof of SICAP’s impact is evident in the statistics from the Annual Report. The programme has exceeded its Key Performance Indicators for the Year, and I have no doubt will continue to build on this positive momentum.”
Pobal CEO, Anna Shakespeare said:
“We welcome the launch of the 2024 SICAP Annual Report today which shows that over 32,000 marginalised people received over 122,000 supports in 2024. Of those, over 16,000 completed a course, 1,995 progressed to employment and 1,359 set up their own business.
“We are also delighted to have An Tánaiste Simon Harris launch the SICAP New Arrivals reports, which are the result of a significant amount of analysis by our team in Pobal along with Department colleagues, supported by research consultants, Interactions Ltd, The Outcome and Eithne Tiernan. This important and timely research shows the positive impacts of SICAP supports. Overall, 16,404 New Arrivals received support through SICAP in 2022-2023, 30% of the overall individual SICAP caseload. The reports provide a holistic view of SICAP supports, from an analysis of existing data held by Pobal, personal reflections from SICAP beneficiaries and the experience of Local Development Companies delivering supports as gathered through focus groups and surveys.”
The Reports for this event are published here.
Notes
Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP)
SICAP 2024-2028 is a national programme, co-funded by the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) Employment, Inclusion, Skills and Training (EIST) Programme 2021-2027. The programme is delivered by Local Development Companies (LDCs) in every community in Ireland, using community development approaches to help those in the greatest need. SICAP works with individuals and groups, strengthening communities and improving the quality of life of those facing social exclusion and inequality.
The current iteration of SICAP commenced on the 1st of January 2024.
Pobal works on behalf of Government to support communities and local agencies toward achieving social inclusion and development.
Pobal’s vision is to create an equal and inclusive society in partnership with Government and communities.
The role of Pobal is to provide management and support services to 38 programmes in the areas of Social Inclusion and Equality, Inclusive Employment and Enterprise, and Early Years and Young People. We administer these programmes on behalf of the Department of Rural and Community Development, the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, the Department of Social Protection, as well as the Department of Health/HSE, the Department of Justice, and a number of EU bodies www.pobal.ie.