Clare Public Participation Network Briefing Document 2014 THE TER TODAY AND HAVE YOUR VOICE HEARD 1
Table of Contents Public Participation Networks (PPN) A Brief Introduction...Page 3 Why Your Group Should Join...Page 4 Contact Details...Page 4 Getting Your Voice Heard...Page 5 Public Participation Network (PPN) Structure...Page 6 & 7 Criteria for Membership...Page 8, 9 & 10 Frequently Asked Questions...Page 11 & 12 Membership Registration Form...Attached 2
Public Participation Networks A Brief Introduction Why a PPN?: The establishment of Public Participation Networks is part of a national reform process which is changing the way local government and citizens engage with each other. Every local authority in the country will have its own PPN and this PPN replaces the Community Forum. It will be the main link through which the Local Authority connects with Community and Voluntary, Social Inclusion and Environmental organisations. What is a PPN?: A PPN is made up of Community and Voluntary, Social Inclusion and Environmental organisations who are registered to the PPN. These are the three electoral colleges of the PPN and groups who register with the PPN will be required to select the Electoral College that is most relevant to their aims and activities. The PPN will act as hub around which information is distributed and received and it will allow groups to voice a range of different issues. It will facilitate networking, identify issues of common concern and elect representatives onto decision making bodies such as the Joint Policing Committee, Strategic Policy Committees and the Local Community Development Committee. Structure of the PPN: A PPN will operate at two levels; at Municipal District level which is your electoral area and there will also be a County wide PPN. This means that Clare will have a PPN for Ennis, Killaloe, Shannon and West Clare. The PPN will have: A County Plenary (all groups registered at County level) which will bring together all the PPN groups to give feedback and highlight issues. It will deal with County level issues. A Municipal District Plenary (all groups registered at Municipal District level) dealing with issues at Municipal District level. A Secretariat at County level that will help administration and information flow. Linkage Groups these will be formed to deal with specific themed issues. 3
Why your group should join: The PPN will afford groups the opportunity to: Network share information, learn from other community and voluntary groups in your area or sector Create a sense of solidarity and collective action across the county Elect representatives to policy making boards and committees Avail of free low cost support and training in the county Source information on funding, grants and initiatives etc which are of interest to your group Influence policies and plans that are relevant to your group Contact Details: If your group hasn t already registered then they can fill in the form at the back of this pack and return it by post or e-mail to: Valerie Fleming, Tourism & Community, Clare County Council, New Road, Ennis, County Clare. Forms are also available at the following link: www.clarecoco.ie 4
Getting your voice heard The PPN is a new framework for public engagement and participation and is currently being established within County Clare. The PPN will be the main link through which the local authority connects with the community and voluntary, social inclusion and environmental sectors. The PPN aims to facilitate and enable public organisations operating within the wider community to articulate and give voice to a diverse range of views and interests within the local government system. The PPN: Facilitates the participation and representation of communities in a fair, equitable and transparent manner onto decision making bodies. Strengthens the capacity of the community and voluntary, social inclusion and environmental groupings to contribute positively to the community in which they reside and participate. Provides information relevant to the community and voluntary, social inclusion and environmental sectors and acts as a hub around which information is distributed and received. 5
Public Participation Network (PPN) Structure The PPN will be organised: At County level with three colleges (1) Environment (2) Social Inclusion (3) Community & Voluntary At Municipal District Level Municipal Districts form a new tier of local government at sub county level. Clare has four Municipal Districts/Electoral Areas Ennis Killaloe Shannon West Clare Each PPN will have: A County Plenary operates at County level dealing with County level issues. The plenary will bring together all of the PPN groups to give feedback, highlight issues and present the results of their work A Municipal District Plenary in each Municipal District which will deal with issues at a municipal level. Linkage Groups will form to deal with specific issues and support nominees in their role. They will form part of the accountability and feedback mechanism for the community. A Secretariat at County level and will act as a facilitation, administration and communication mechanism. Note: The Plenary is a collective of all registered groups at a particular level, i.e. County or Municipal District. 6
Public Participation Network (PPN) Structure 7
Criteria for membership of the Clare Public Participation Network 1. Groups must be active in County Clare and have aims and objectives which are compatible with the principles of the PPN and be not for profit. In accordance with national guidelines, groups will be asked to self select a sector when registering (i.e. community and voluntary, social inclusion or environmental). 2. Groups must be open to new membership. 3. Public representatives (Councillors, TDs, Senators, MEPS etc) or those who have held such office within the past twelve months may not take a representative role in the PPN. In addition, individuals who are declared as candidates for public representative office must step aside from all PPN representative roles for the duration of their declared candidacy. 4. Employees/professionals, where there is a conflict of interest, cannot be nominated. 5. All organisations registered for the PPN should have an agreed set of rules and a working structure that informs the appropriate workings and structures for that organisation, which may differ across organisations. In most cases, this will likely be a constitution or terms of reference. 6. Groups must be in existence for at least six (6) months. Additional Criteria for Environmental College The primary objectives and activities of the organisation must be Environmental (i.e. ecological) protection and / or environmental sustainability. The national guidelines provide that groups selecting the Environmental sector must have their registration verified by the national Environmental Pillar. Groups dealing with the following are eligible: Permanent protection of wildlife Species specific care protection/rehabilitation/reintroduction Organic horticulture or education Environmental education or protection Environmental sustainability Resource efficiency and recycling Invasive alien species prevention/removal 8
Additional Criteria for Social Inclusion College A working definition of a Social inclusion organisation is one whose main activity centres on working to improve the life chances and opportunities of those who are marginalised in society, living in poverty or in unemployment using community development approaches to build sustainable communities, where the values of equality and inclusion are promoted and human rights are respected. The primary objectives and activities must focus on poverty reduction, community development, equality and social justice issues. The organisation must have activities in line with a social inclusion approach to community building and have those who experience poverty and social exclusion on its management /organisational structure. Organisations who work to influence policy with regard to social inclusion are also eligible. Such organisations include those who focus their work on vulnerable groups in society who experience social exclusion such as: Older people People who are unemployed or experiencing poverty Children/Youth Ethnic minorities including Travellers People with disabilities & their carers People living in isolation 9
Examples of types of groups under each Electoral College Community & Voluntary Residents groups / Self-help groups Community councils Youth groups / Community Associations Sporting groups / Voluntary groups Arts groups Active retirement groups / Playground Associations Festival groups Social Inclusion Disability groups/traveller Groups Ethnic minority groups / Women s Groups Family Support groups / Literacy Groups Older Peoples groups Groups promoting equality / LGBT Groups Youth service and groups / Children services and support groups Mental health / Suicide prevention groups Drug and alcohol support & information groups Rural isolation and disadvantage groups Urban disadvantage groups Environment An Taisce / Bat Conservation Ireland Bee keeping Associations / Bird watch Ireland Friends of the Earth / Green Schools Green Campuses / Green Communities Butterfly Conservation / Ireland CRANN Forest Friends / ECO / UNESCO / Feasta For the full list please see: http://environmentalpillar.ie/ 10
Public Participation Networks Frequently Asked Questions 1. Is it a requirement that a Community & Voluntary organisation, who wishes to register with a PPN, have a constitution, an officer structure, e.g. Chairperson, Secretary etc., a Bank Account, Garda Vetting etc? Or are any of these elements optional? All organisations registered for the PPN should have an agreed set of rules and a working structure that informs the appropriate workings and structures for that organisation, which may differ across organisations. In most cases, this will likely be a constitution. 2. Do groups that were previously registered with the Community & Voluntary Forum now have to register again for the PPN process? Groups that were previously registered with the C&V forum must register with the PPN and self-select the Electoral College that is appropriate for their organisation. 3. What votes are registered groups entitled to? All groups registered will have one vote for the selection of representatives from their respective College to the Secretariat and one vote from the Municipal Districts PPNs that they are participating in to select a representative to the Secretariat. 4. Is the registration of groups following the establishment of PPN Structures in future years a matter for Secretariat? Once the PPN Secretariat and all other structures have been fully established, the Secretariat will oversee the registration of organisations with support from the Local Authority. 5. If a County Group/Network does not have any branches at municipal level, can such a group join the County PPN directly or must the group register with a Municipal PPN in order to become a member of the County PPN? Groups must register with the Municipal District where their postal address is based and all county based groups/network should only have one vote at county PPN level. 11
6. What is a linkage group and what is the role of a linkage group? When the Local Authority seeks representative(s) for its various County Committees, SPCs etc. they contact the PPN secretariat with the details. The PPN secretariat then contacts ALL organisations who are members of the PPN indicating the place(s) that are available and calling all interested organisations with an interest in this issue (stakeholders) to a meeting. The group of organisations that assembles is the PPN's Linkage Group on this particular topic. The Linkage Group chooses the PPN's representatives sought by the Local Authority. The linkage group will be set up when there is a new committee or structure established by the Council that requires public participation. The linkage group will be in place until the committee or structure has been dissolved by the Council. The linkage group will operate as a reference group for the person they have chosen to represent their group and should meet regularly to support the nominated representative to be informed and reflect the viewpoints of the linkage group. 7. Do the Municipal District Plenary, County Plenary, Secretariat and Linkage Groups have Committee structures, e.g. Chairperson, Secretary etc.? It is recommended by the Citizen Engagement Working Group that the structures within the PPN should be flat. Therefore DECLG recommend that a contact person is identified for each structure and that this role is rotated on an agreed periodic basis. People filling this role may be called 'convenors' or 'facilitators' or some such title. 8. How will PPN meetings be organised? Once the PPN is established by the Council, it will become an autonomous body, independent of the Council. PPN meetings will be called and organised by a committee known as the Secretariat. The Secretariat will oversee communication within the PPN and between the PPN and the Council. Secretariat members will be selected by the PPN itself. 9. How can my group register with the PPN? You can register your group with the Public Participation Network by downloading a registration form from www.clarecoco.ie. Further information and assistance is also available by contacting Valerie on 065 6846545 or vfleming@clarecoco.ie 10. Is there a deadline for registration? Yes. The deadline for registration is Friday, 9 th January 2015. 12
Membership Registration Form County Clare Public Participation Network 1. Details: Name & Address of Organisation/Group: Date Established: No. of Members: No. of staff: Contact Details: Name of Primary Contact Person: Position held in Group: Address of Primary Contact Person: Telephone: Mobile Phone: Email: Website: Facebook: Twitter: Name of Secondary Contact Person: Position held in Group: Address of Secondary Contact Person: Telephone: Email: 2. Brief profile Please describe the main activities/aims of your organisation
3. Do you consider your main activities to be: (PLEASE TICK ONLY ONE) Social Inclusion i.e. focused on people experiencing disadvantage and inequality Environmental i.e. focussed on protecting the environment and sustainable development Community & Voluntary i.e. local development, sports, social groups etc 4. Municipal District in which your organisation is located (PLEASE TICK ONE) Ennis Killaloe Shannon West Clare I understand that the information supplied on this form is correct and can be used for the purposes of the Clare Public Participation Network and its activities, and other matters which the PPN considers may be of interest to community & voluntary groups in Clare. Signed: Date: Position: What is the Clare Public Participation Network (PPN) The 'Clare Public Participation Network' (PPN) is a new framework for public engagement and participation. It will involve more extensive and diverse input into decision-making at local government level in Clare through the involvement of sectoral interests. The PPN will be the main link through which the local authority will connect with the community, voluntary and environmental sectors. The PPN will be the main channel through which people will be selected to participate in various processes of the County Council and its boards/committees. The PPN will be organised at County level and also at Municipal District level. Completed forms should be returned to Valerie Fleming, Tourism & Community, Clare County Council, New Road, Ennis, County Clare by Friday 9 th January 2015. For further information and criteria for membership, please visit www.clarecoco.ie or contact Valerie on 065 6846545 or vfleming@clarecoco.ie