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The Director’s Perspective

Sharing Power: A discussion of representative and participative democracy Cavan Community & Voluntary Forum Presenter: Rita McNulty Director of Services Sligo County Council. The Director’s Perspective. My Presentation will address: The Community & Voluntary Sector and the Non-Profit Sector

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The Director’s Perspective

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  1. Sharing Power:A discussion of representative and participative democracyCavan Community & Voluntary ForumPresenter: Rita McNultyDirector of ServicesSligo County Council

  2. The Director’s Perspective My Presentation will address: • The Community & Voluntary Sector and the Non-Profit Sector • Background - State Policy • How has the Community Forum been working? • Some suggestions on improving effectiveness

  3. The C&V Forum & the Non-Profit Sector • The C&V Forum – local representative structure for members. • Vol & Comm groups outside of the Forum • Diversity of organisational types • C&V sector one component part of the non-profit sector

  4. The C&V Forum & The Non-Profit Sector • The Non-Profit Sector – a broader sweep of orgs and sectors, non-market & non-state, eg. Vol public hospitals • The C&V & Non-Profit Sector as service deliverers, advocates, policy makers/shapers - the balance/mix & how the state sees the sector?

  5. Background/Context – State Policy • Local Government Reform: • The Green Paper on Local Government: Options for Change, 2008 • Better Local Government, 1996 • The Taskforce on Active Citizenship

  6. Background/Context – State Policy contd. • The Integration of Local Government and Local Development Systems, 1998 • The White Paper on Supporting Voluntary Activity (A Framework for Supporting Voluntary Activity & for Developing the Relationship between the State & the Voluntary and Community Sector), 2000

  7. Background/Context – State Policy contd. • Strengthen the C&V sector’s capacity to represent itself • Make Local Government more community-oriented, accessible to social partners • Citizen Participation at Community Level

  8. Background/Context – State Policy contd • Distance between citizens and the local authority • CDBs, SPCs, Area Committees, Community Fora, C&E Depts, Comhairle na nOg, ICT in Public Libraries, Volunteer Centres, Social Inclusion Units

  9. Background/Context – State Policy contd. • The C&V Forum – part of a national picture of social partnership. • Debate about the Irish Social Partnership Model & if there has been an erosion of democratic opposition traditionally played out by civil society? Is this replicated locally?

  10. How has the Community Forum been working? • Achievements: 34 Fora, Recognised Voice for Sector, Greater Capacity and Expertise, (Recent Publication by INCVF), Secure and Manage Resources, Represent C&V Sector on a range of structures/bodies

  11. How the CF has been working? contd Challenges: • Meeting Practical Needs of Members AND Delivering a Strategic Representative Role. • Vision and Leadership • Accountability • Belief among members in Representative Role

  12. How the CF has been Working? contd. • Gate Keeping! • Myriad of Expectations from different perspectives. • The Local Councillors and the Community Forum – A delicate balance and part of the ‘dance’ between representative & participatory democracy.

  13. Suggestions for Improvement What the Community Forum could do: • Develop clear vision, values and belief about representative role • Greater policy and advocacy role • Accountability and Reporting Back • Expertise in representing, training/support regionally or nationally

  14. Suggestions for Improvementcontd Community Forum: • Broaden membership – diversity, inclusion • Be proactive in preparing for & managing cutbacks – new ideas/ways. • Greater role in national social partnership structures & power relationships

  15. Suggestions for Improvementcontd Local Authority: • Greater support throughout the org for CF representative role and dev of CF • Proactive support at CDB, SPC and other levels • Greater use of CF for consultations

  16. Suggestions for Improvement contd Local Authority: • Greater integration of social, economic and cultural actions in CDB Action Plan 2009-12, particularly actions on social inclusion and community participation

  17. Suggestions for Improvement Local Authority & Community Forum • Common Ground – building communities. Form alliance around common agenda, not ignoring differences. The right to advocate and be critical – respecting tension between Councillor and Forum roles/positions.

  18. Suggestions for Improvement contd Local Authority and Community Forum • Create a forum for debate on representative & participative democracy – the role of the Councillor and the CF representatives • Downturn - joint initiatives- support C&V activity involving the Volunteer Centres

  19. Participative Democracy “Participative democracy is concerned with how unequal distribution of power & resources affects peoples daily lives & how they can influence decision making that affects them.

  20. Participative Democracy The concern of participative democrats is to achieve more egalitarian redistribution of power & greater democratisation of the political process at both national and local level” CWC Conference

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