Technical Report - Donegal Traveller's Project

All Ireland Traveller Health StudyThe Committee to Monitor the Implementation of the Recommendations of the Task Force on theTravelling Community found shortcomings in implementation and disparities ‘between the objectivesof the Task Force and the opportunities offered by a range of State sectors’. The main recommendations ofthe Task Force Report addressed the effective organisation of trading activities, the development ofrecycling and waste management strategies, the development of strategies to increase participation byTravellers in mainstream employment and training/ employment schemes. FÁS accepted the Task ForceReport and Travellers are now included on a range of programmes.Lots of local initiatives and models of good practice have been developed but have not beenmainstreamed. The THU in the Eastern region commissioned work and published a report ondeveloping a ‘toolkit’ for employment of Travellers. The report, entitled ‘Toolkit and Guidelines for theEmployment of Travellers in the Health Service Executive’ (Traveller Health Unit, 2007), gives an overviewof some of the barriers and enablers to training and employment for Travellers.Factors identified that result in a low level of participation in the labour market by Travellers:• A lack of recognition of Traveller culture.• A lack of outreach or specific efforts to recruit Travellers, and poor tailoring of recruitmentdocumentation to meet the needs of Travellers.• A lack of additional support for Travellers, for example, childcare supports.• A lack of progression options as a result of participating on (particularly) labour market programmes.• Loss, or fear of loss, of welfare and secondary benefits.Enablers to training and employmentLabour market research on participation of Travellers also identifies good practice for overcomingbarriers and low participation rates. They must be considered at all stages of the recruitment process,from planning to delivery, and they include:• Adopting an inter-agency approach, including engagement with Traveller representativeorganisations.• Availability of additional supports to Travellers throughout the recruitment process.• The availability of dedicated staff to build relationships and support Travellers: mentoring and highsupport is seen as particularly important.• An outreach approach, and engagement with local Traveller organisations in attracting Travellers toprogrammes.• Flexibility and innovation in delivery of programmes.• Finally, the importance of Travellers who have participated on programmes and in the workplaceas role models is seen as very important, both in the workplace and also amongst the Travellercommunity as a whole.12