Invitation to Tender for Traveller Community, Needs Analysis Dungarvan Co. Waterford

Background to Mincéirí Port Láirge

Waterford Traveller Community Development Project CLG, operating as Mincéirí Port Láirge, is a Traveller-led organisation established in 1995, becoming a limited company in 2003. Mincéirí Port Láirge engages in community development work as a means of achieving social change. Its main aim is to contribute to the creation of a more just, sustainable and equal society for Travellers in Waterford and throughout Ireland. Mincéirí Port Láirge is committed to working with all members of the Traveller Community in Waterford City.

The Management Board is made up of members of the Traveller community and non Travellers, who direct the work of Mincéirí Port Láirge. The Board works to improve the quality of life for all Travellers in Waterford. We also support national campaigns and work closely with our sister projects throughout Ireland on many issues such as human rights, health, accommodation and education and training opportunities for Travellers.

Mincéirí Port Láirge works towards addressing human rights issues such as poor, unsuitable, and hazardous accommodation, discrimination, and the main concerns that affect Travellers in Waterford.

The main aim of Mincéirí Port Láirge is:

To work in partnership with Travellers to create opportunities that build the confidence and skills of Travellers, enabling the community to bring about improvements in their status, life chances and living conditions. We work from a place of respect for Traveller culture and ethnicity, using a community development approach.

To this end, Mincéirí Port Láirge established The Brighter Futures Programme, an innovative education initiative working with Traveller children in a number of primary and secondary schools in Waterford City.

Context for Tender

Mincéirí Portlairge has a city and county-wide brief in Waterford to deliver programmes aimed at achieving our aim and objectives https://minceiriportlairge.ie/ Currently our main office is based in the city with a part-time outreach programme delivered in Dungarvan, Co. Waterford. Based on the needs of the community and our collaborative work with other partners we are constrained with our resources to operate a full service for the Traveller Community living in Co. Waterford.

There are currently 500 members of the Traveller Community residing in Dungarvan and environs with one fulltime equivalent staff member to deliver health programmes. It is a matter of urgency that we source additional funding to expand our services and supports. As an active member of Waterford Traveller Interagency Group, chaired by Waterford City & County Council we have agreed with the other members/partner agencies to research and apply for appropriate funding to meet the needs.

To support future planning and funding applications we wish to undertake a full needs analysis of the Traveller Community and stakeholders with a report providing a strategic approach to achieving the recommendations and findings. The report will inform future planning and funding applications to ensure we can provide equity of services for all members of the Traveller Community in Waterford.

Please see full Tender Document attached below.

Submission of Tenders

Please submit tenders by 25th February (late submissions will not be accepted) by email to ceo@waterfordtravellercdp.com Queries on the tender will be accepted via email only.

The successful consultant must be available to commence work i.e. initial meeting with Advisory Group and desktop research in late March/early April.