Minister for Justice Helen McEntee visited The Red Door Project this afternoon where she announced her intention to extend the term of the Drogheda Implementation Board for another year.
The extension will allow the Board to maintain the positive momentum already built to improve community safety in Drogheda and strengthening co-operation between State agencies in the town and surrounding areas.
The Drogheda Implementation Board will now run until September 2024, when the new Louth Community Safety Partnership (LCSP) will be established. The LCSP will then bring forward the work of the Drogheda Implementation Board.
Since its establishment, the Implementation Board has delivered on and overseen a number of positive developments for Drogheda including:
- A new Drugs Treatment Court Liaison Case Worker situated within the Red Door Project, via Dormant Accounts funding
- A new Prison Link worker situated within the Red Door Project for 2 years, funded by the Community Safety Innovation Fund 2022
- A new dedicated Youth Officer post to deliver on the Drogheda Implementation Plan, funded by DCEDIY
- Funding for short-term, targeted counselling interventions for primary school aged children impacted by trauma in three schools on the Southside of Drogheda
- Additional funding for an alternative learning programme for young people aged 13-16 who have have dropped out of the school system through the Community Safety Innovation Fund 2022 (New Choice Project, run by Foroige)
- Capital investment from SOLAS to the LMETB to develop a tertiary education and community facilities block on the Drogheda Institute of Further Education campus, which will greatly enhance the delivery of third level education programmes in Drogheda
- The establishment of a large-scale Electrical Apprenticeship hub with 360 apprentice places per annum and 20 permanent jobs for the town
Minister McEntee said:
“The Drogheda Implementation Board has been successful in building a stronger, safer community in Drogheda. It has driven improvements in Drogheda that have a real impact on people’s lives.
“This includes key support workers for those caught up in offending behaviours and drug use, educational resources for early-school leavers, trauma counselling for primary school children who most need it and a major electrical apprenticeship programme that will provide permanent jobs and boost educational opportunities in Drogheda.
“We have also invested money from my Community Safety Innovation Fund, which re-invests the proceeds of crime in communities, in projects in Drogheda.
“And I also secured an additional €100,000 worth of funding on behalf of the Drogheda Implementation Board in Budget 2023, which has been allocated to a new small grants fund for community organisations in the Drogheda area.
“Today I visited The Red Door Project in Drogheda and saw first-hand the fantastic work they do in helping people with substance abuse issues. I also met the new workers who have been hired to work with the Red Door as a direct of result of investment recommended by the Drogheda Implementation Plan and also from the Community Safety Innovation Fund.
“Improving co-operation between State agencies has also been key to ensuring that we can deliver the services needed for Drogheda, and this has been at the heart of the work of the Drogheda Implementation Board.
“I am now pleased to allow the Board to continue its work until the establishment of a Local Community Safety Partnership for Louth in 2024, following the planned enactment of the Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill.
“This will ensure the positive momentum built on improving community safety and wellbeing in Drogheda is not lost, and will ensure the continued implementation of the medium and longer term actions for Drogheda which are so important for the town.”
Minister McEntee continued:
“The Drogheda Board, and the pilot Local Community Safety Partnerships, have demonstrated the real benefit and necessity of cooperation and collaboration between statutory agencies and the community itself in improving community safety.
“The entire premise of our new community safety policy is that imposing a singular approach from the centre to different communities with different needs cannot be effective. We not only need to listen to the people on the ground, but we need to empower them – to come to the table, to share their experience and to play their part in making their community safer and stronger.
“I look forward to the establishment of the Louth LCSP and other LCSPs next year following enactment of the Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill.”
“Its term has now been extended to September 2024, before which it is intended it will be dissolved to allow the new Local Community Safety Partnership to take forward its work.
Commenting on the Ms McEntee’s visit today her party colleague, local TD Fergus O’Dowd said he was delighted the Minister has extended the plan today.
“This plan has already made a huge difference on the ground but I think we are all conscious that a significant amount of work is yet to be delivered.
“The Minister for Justice and her Department have been incredibly supportive of the plan and have provided bridged funding in a number of key areas.
“However, whilst a number of Departments and state agencies have engaged closely with the plan, the HSE’s lack of commitment on providing long term funding to organisations highlighted in the report would need to be addressed.
“There is also a huge amount of work to do to progress the Moneymore Community Hub project which is still at an early stage of development and work continues on the expansion of early intervention services on the Southside.
“We also want to continue to build on the considerable strides we have made on the educational front, we had a perfect example of this last week when we had DCU committing to building a University pathway in DIFE, separately the Apprenticeship Training Hub will open shortly and we have the future expansion of DIFE, all delivered on the back of recommendations in the Geiran report.
O’Dowd added “I would also like to pay tribute to the work of the Board Chairperson, Michael Keogh, Coordinator Grainne Berrill, the board members and the subgroups who continue to drive forward the remaining recommendations.”
