DONEGAL COUNTY DEVELOPMENT BOARDS Planning For Inclusion In County Donegal A Mapping Toolkit 2009 Donegal County Development Board Bord Forbartha Chontae Dhún na nGall FOREWORD CHAIRMAN OF Donegal COUNTY Development Board Following a comprehensive review of Donegal County Development Board’s ‘An Straitéis’ in 2009, it was agreed that the work of the Board would be concentrated on six key priority areas, one of which is on ‘Access to Services’. In this regard the goal of the Board is ‘to ensure best access to services for the community of Donegal’. As Chairperson of Donegal County Development Board, I am confident that the work contained in both of these documents will go a long way towards achieving an equitable distribution of services across the county in terms of informing the development of local and national plans as well as policy documents’ in both the Statistical and Mapping Documents. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all persons involved in the development of these toolkits including the agencies and officers who actively participated in Donegal County Development Board’s Social Inclusion Measures Group, Donegal County Council’s Social Inclusion Forum, Donegal County Councils Social Inclusion Unit and finally the Research and Policy Unit who undertook this work. There is an enormous challenge ahead for all of us in 2010, in ensuring that services are delivered in a manner that will address the needs of everyone in our community, especially the key vulnerable groups outlined in this document. I would urge all of the agencies, with a social inclusion remit in the county, to take cognisance of these findings with the end goal of creating a more socially inclusive society in Donegal in the future. Cllr. Dessie Larkin Chairperson of Donegal County Development Board CHAIRMAN OF Donegal’S COUNTY Development Boards SOCIAL Inclusion MEASURES GROUP Planning for inclusion in County Donegal requires an in-depth understanding by all agencies and organisations of a number of key questions such as ‘Who are the groups that are most vulnerable to poverty and social exclusion in County Donegal?’; ‘How have their situations changed over time?’ and ‘Where are the pockets of deprivation or poverty located within the county?’. It was with this in mind that the Research and Policy Unit, Donegal County Council began the preparation of both of the ‘Planning for Inclusion Toolkits’ contained in this document. From the onset there was a strong willingness on behalf of all of the stakeholders on Donegal County Development Board’s Social Inclusion Measures Group and Donegal County Council’s newly established Social Inclusion Forum to become involved in the process. Their participation was greatly facilitated by the work of the Social Inclusion Unit of Donegal County Council. It is hoped that these toolkits will provide a valuable resource for all agencies with a social inclusion remit to plan their services in a manner that will reach the people who are most susceptible and vulnerable in our community, especially in such economically challenging times. Finally, I would like to thank all of those who have devoted so much of their time and energy to ensuring the preparation of such a robust and timely document. Mícheál Ó hÉanaígh Stiúrthóir Pobail, Cultúir agus Fiontair REPORT COMPILED BY: Rosita Mahony, Research And Policy Unit, Donegal County Council. DESIGNED BY: www.durganmedia.ie MAP INDEX part 1 - poverty perspectives Deprivation Perspectives MAP 1 RANKING RELATIVE DEPRIVATION BY LOCAL AUTHORITY AREA, 2006 03 MAP 2 RELATIVE DEPRIVATION BY ELECTORAL DIVISION IN COUNTY DONEGAL, 2006 05 Population Perspectives MAP 3 PERCENTAGE POPULATION CHANGE BY ELECTORAL DIVISION IN COUNTY DONEGAL, 1996-2006 07 MAP 4 PERCENTAGE PERSONS 65 YEARS PLUS LIVING ALONE BY ELECTORAL DIVISION IN COUNTY DONEGAL, 2006 09 MAP 5 PERCENTAGE YOUTH POPULATION BY ELECTORAL DIVISION IN COUNTY DONEGAL, 2006 11 MAP 6 PERCENTAGE LONE PARENTS BY ELECTORAL DIVISION IN COUNTY DONEGAL, 2006 13 Educational Perspectives MAP 7 AGE EDUCATION CEASED LESS THAN OR EQUAL TO 15 YEARS BY ELECTORAL DIVISION IN COUNTY DONEGAL, 2006 15 MAP 8 PERCENTAGE POPULATION WITH THIRD LEVEL EDUCATION BY ELECTORAL DIVISION IN COUNTY DONEGAL, 2006 17 Employment Perspectives MAP 9 RATIO OF MALE VERSUS FEMALE LABOUR FORCE PARTICIPATION RATES BY ELECTORAL DIVISION IN COUNTY DONEGAL, 2006 19 HealtH Perspectives MAP 10 TOTAL NUMBER OF UNPAID CARERS BY ELECTORAL DIVISION IN COUNTY DONEGAL, 2006 21 MAP 11 PERCENTAGE PERSONS WITH A DISABILITY BY ELECTORAL DIVISION IN COUNTY DONEGAL, 2006 23 ETHNIC MINORITY Perspectives MAP 12 TOTAL COUNT OF TRAVELLER FAMILIES IN COUNTY DONEGAL, 2008 25 MAP INDEX part 2 - accessing SERVICES ACCESSING EDUCATION MAP 13 CHILDCARE FACILITIES BY TYPE OF SERVICE IN COUNTY DONEGAL, 2009 27 MAP 14 COMMUNITY BASED CHILDCARE SERVICES IN COUNTY DONEGAL, 2009 29 MAP 15 PRIMARY & SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN COUNTY DONEGAL, 2009 31 ACCESSING QUALITY OF LIFE SERVICES MAP 16 CONCENTRATION OF COMMUNITY & VOLUNTARY GROUPS IN COUNTY DONEGAL, 2009 33 MAP 17 COMMUNITY FACILITIES, FAMILY RESOURCE CENTRES AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS IN COUNTY DONEGAL, 2009 35 MAP 18 CONCENTRATION OF CULTURAL INFRASTRUCTURE IN COUNTY DONEGAL, 2009 37 MAP 19 PLAYGROUNDS & MINI-PITCHES IN COUNTY DONEGAL, 2009 39 MAP 20 A SAMPLE OF SPORTING CLUBS & FACILITIES IN COUNTY DONEGAL, 2009 41 MAP 21 A SAMPLE OF YOUTH CLUBS & GROUPS IN COUNTY DONEGAL, 2009 43 ACCESSING HEALTH SERVICES MAP 22 HEALTH SERVICES IN COUNTY DONEGAL, 2009 45 ACCESSING SERVICES FOR WOMEN MAP 23 NUMBER OF FEMALES BY ELECTORAL DIVISION IN COUNTY DONEGAL, 2006 47 ACCESSING RECYCLING SERVICES MAP 24 RECYCLING CENTRES IN COUNTY DONEGAL, 2009 49 APPENDICES MAP 25 ELECTORAL AREAS OF COUNTY DONEGAL, 2009 52 MAP 26 PRINCIPAL CENSUS TOWNS OF COUNTY DONEGAL, 2009 53 INTRODUCTION 01 PART 1 - POVERTY PERSPECTIVES ‘People are living in poverty if their income and resources (material, cultural and social) are so inadequate as to preclude them from having a standard of living, which is regarded as acceptable by Irish society generally. As a result of inadequate income and resources people may be excluded and marginalised from participating in activities, which are considered the norm for other people in society.’ This definition of poverty contained in the National Anti-Poverty Strategy (1997), demonstrates that poverty is much more than a lack of material wealth, in that, those experiencing poverty may have unequal access to social, cultural and economic aspects of life, that others take for granted. Certain people may experience higher levels of poverty because they are old, are a lone parent, have a disability, have a low level of educational attainment or because of where they live; which distances them from society and precludes them from actively participating in activities or availing of services. The causes of poverty are therefore complex in nature, with certain conditions and circumstances making people more susceptible to poverty than others. Not only is it important to understand the causes and recognise the issues based around poverty, but credence must also be given to the spatial dimensions of poverty, in order to address questions like: » where are the most vulnerable groups located? » is poverty concentrated to certain parts of the county? » what drives deprivation in particular areas? » what programmes or services exist in responses to combating poverty? » how accessible are those service to those most in need? In comparing deprivation in line with the national and regional figures, the Border Region is Ireland’s most disadvantaged 1 region, while County Donegal is the most disadvantaged when compared to all other local authority areas in Ireland. Yet, the County’s deprivation score conceals substantial disparities even at local or sub-county levels. Without having an understanding of why people in certain parts of the county are more at risk of poverty, interventions and programmes to tackle poverty cannot be targeted most effectively to those most in need of those services. Each of the maps contained in this document will show the spatial distribution of poverty and will be accompanied by a definition of each indicator used and the implications for the county. Part 1 (Maps 1 to 12) will examine poverty in County Donegal from population, health, education, deprivation and ethnic minorities perspectives. It is widely recognised that the causes of poverty include a lack of access to education and training, to appropriate healthcare, to community supports and to affordable childcare and recreational activities amongst others. Therefore, the second set of maps (Maps 13 to 24) will examine where essential services are located in response to where they are most needed. For ease in the identification of the 5 Electoral Areas, the 149 Electoral Divisions and the 59 Census Towns in the County, Maps 25 & 26 are included in the appendices for reference. The Planning for Inclusion: A Mapping Toolkit, 2009 will examine the spatial aspects of poverty to support the findings of The Planning for Inclusion: A Statistical Toolkit, 2009. While it is recognised that poverty is not just a spatial phenomena, it is hoped that the document will allow policymakers to identify ‘poor areas’, to consider underlying processes that contribute to poverty, to formulate policies to increase and improve the quality and delivery of services to those most in need. Measuring poverty It is widely agreed that no single measurement exists to comprehensively assess levels of poverty in Ireland and for that reason various indicators are used to understand the issues and causal factors of poverty. » Income poverty, which is often referred to as ‘at risk of poverty’, relates to an income, which is well below a certain financial threshold. In Ireland, this is set at 60% of the average national income or approximately €2202 per person per week. It is estimated that 16.5% of the population were at risk of poverty in 2007 in Ireland.