SICAP (Social Inclusion & Community Activation Programme)
The Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) 2024-2028 provides funding to tackle poverty and social exclusion at a local level through local engagement and partnerships between disadvantaged individuals, community organisations and public sector agencies.
South West Mayo Development Company is contracted by Mayo Local Community Development Committee (LCDC) to implement SICAP 2024-2028 in the Castlebar Municipal District, the Claremorris Municipal District and the Mayo Islands.
The Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) is co-funded by the Irish Government, through the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, and the European Social Fund Plus under the Employment, Inclusion, Skills and Training (EIST) Programme 2021 -2027.
This project is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union. For more information, please visit https://eufunds.ie/.
Goal 1: Contribute to Building more Sustainable, Inclusive and Empowered Communities: Empower groups of individuals, local community groups, networks and social enterprises to address collective community needs.
Goal 2: Empower Disadvantaged people to Improve the Quality of Their Lives: Support disadvantaged individuals, children and families to progress their formal education and participate in lifelong learning, to progress into employment/ self-employment, and to improve their soft skills and wellbeing.
Target Groups to be Engaged
SICAP recognises that disadvantage is experienced more strongly by particular groups of people in society and in particular geographic communities. SICAP takes a dual approach to targeting disadvantage and social exclusion. To do this, the programme works with communities in need and with individuals.
The following are the target groups to be engaged through SICAP:
- People living in disadvantaged communities
- People impacted by educational disadvantage
- People living in jobless households or households where the primary income source is low-paid and/or precarious
- People who are long-term unemployed
- People with a criminal history
- Refugees
- International Protection Applicants
- Disabled People/People with Disabilities
- Heads of One-parent Families
- Travellers
- Roma
- Island residents
Featured work carried out under SICAP 2025
Castlebar & Claremorris Municipal Districts case study (Lot 29.3)
The 2025 Castlebar & Claremorris Municipal Districts case study (Lot 29.3) looks to Encouraging and Supporting Digital Inclusion for People with a Disability through this project ‘I.T. and Me’.
Mayo Islands case study (Lot 29.1)
The Mayo Islands case study (Lot 29.1) looks at supports that a young person from an island community has received. This project aligns against our action Employability/Labor Market Prospects Pathway to Employment on Mayo Islands, as well as assisting a young person under Disadvantaged Children and Young People Including NEETS on Mayo Islands.
Click here to view past SICAP case studies.
South West Mayo Development Company implements SICAP in the former Castlebar Municipal District, the former Claremorris Municipal District (C&C), and the Mayo Islands.
For more information, please contact:
| Catherine McCloskey | cmccloskey@southmayo.com | 087 124 7771 | Social Inclusion Manager (Coordinator) |
| Anne-Marie Carroll | amcarroll@southmayo.com | 087 212 8109 | Employment & Training Officer (C&C) |
| Caroline Healy | chealy@southmayo.com | 087 615 1675 / 098 419 50 | SICAP Islands Supports Community Supports (C&C) |
| Breda Murray | bmurray@southmayo.com | 087 224 2133 / 094 936 6692 | Self Employment Specialist (C&C) |
| Olivia Kitterick | okitterick@southmayo.com | 087 060 4724 | Enterprise & Social Enterprise Officer |
| Carena Ward | cward@southmayo.com | 086 103 1485 | Project Development Officer |
| Tracie O’Leary | toleary@southmayo.com | 087 231 3270 | Lifelong Learning Officer |
| Margaret Lawless | mlawless@southmayo.com | SICAP Beneficiary & Monitoring Support Officer | |
| Helen O’Neill | helenoneill@southmayo.com | 086 152 6685 | Ukrainian Refugee Intercultural Support Worker |
| Celesta Khosa | ckhosa@southmayo.com | 086 136 4698 | Community Development & Youth |
| Galyna Marusych | galynamarusych@southmayo.com | 086 152 6688 | Family Support Practitioner |
| Oleksandra Sikach | osikach@southmayo.com | 086 127 9535 | Ukrainian Refugee Intercultural Support Worker |
| Patricia Quinn | pquinn@southmayo.com | 087 0966560 | SICAP Intercultural Support Worker |
Please note: The video above is an interim infographic video which will be updated in due course.
Who is eligible for SICAP?
SICAP recognises that disadvantage is experienced more strongly by groups of people in society and in particular geographic communities. SICAP takes a dual approach to targeting disadvantage and social exclusion by targeting communities in need by taking an area-based approach, and individuals in need by taking an issue-based approach. There are twelve SICAP target groups as follows:
* Disadvantaged Children and Families
* Disadvantaged Young People (aged 15-24)
* Disadvantaged Women
* Lone Parents
* Low Income Workers/Households
* New Communities
* People living in Disadvantaged Communities
* People with Disabilities
* Roma
* The Disengaged from the Labour Market (Economically Inactive)
* The Unemployed
* Travellers
* Disadvantaged Children and Families
* Disadvantaged Young People (aged 15-24)
* Disadvantaged Women
* Lone Parents
* Low Income Workers/Households
* New Communities
* People living in Disadvantaged Communities
* People with Disabilities
* Roma
* The Disengaged from the Labour Market (Economically Inactive)
* The Unemployed
* Travellers
