A core group of Enniskerry residents has begun the process of welcoming a refugee family into the community under the Community Sponsorship Ireland initiative. The purpose of this page is to give you some information on the initiative and to alert the community that help will be sought through volunteering and fundraising in order that this programme can be brought to fruition. Following a pilot s
cheme begun in 2017, the concept of sponsoring and welcoming a refugee family into the community was launched by the Government in 2019 under the name of Community Sponsorship Ireland (CSI). Unlike traditional refugee resettlement models, such as state supported Direct Provision which we are all familiar with, CSI encourages citizens to play a key role in delivering supports. Refugees resettled in this manner tend to have better outcomes in terms of integration and overall well-being. In 2015, in response to the humanitarian crisis in Southern Europe as a result of war in the Middle East and elsewhere, Ireland committed to resettling 4,000 refugees through the Irish Refugee Protection Programme (IRPP). The first family under the CSI pilot scheme arrived in Dunshaughlin, Co. To date, refugee families have been settled through CSI in Cork, Meath, Waterford, Wicklow, with many more communities in the process of resettling families including our neighbours in Roundwood. Enniskerry Welcomes*
The Enniskerry Welcomes group has undergone training to enable us to carry out such an operation with the help of a Regional Support Organisation, in this instance the Irish Red Cross, with whom we are registered. Should this come to fruition, it would involve sourcing a suitable house for rental and welcoming a family into our community. Support would be given to the family in education, health, language, employment and leisure as well as help to enable them access a range of social services and supports. In other words, the family would be given an in-built support system until such time as they become self-sufficient and ensure their integration into the community and Irish society. It is envisaged that they would need to be supported for at least two years. Selection process of family if application is approved. Any family that is being considered for resettlement will have been nominated and given ‘refugee status’ by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The Irish authorities, having been provided with detailed fact sheets on the family, will then carry out their own vetting and screening process. On completion of all the necessary safety procedures, the Irish government will have the final say on their suitability for resettlement. The origin of the family is not known but the likelihood is that they would come from one of the refugee camps in Lebanon or Greece, though this is not set in stone. However, once a family is selected and assuming that they are open to the resettlement plan, they will then be fully briefed before arriving to their destination. We thank you for taking the time to read this and hope it gives you an idea of what Community Sponsorship looks like. If you would like further information on CSI, please visit www.integration.ie
* Please note that as Enniskerry Welcomes' sole purpose is to welcome a refugee family into the community, it is not a charitable organisation within the meaning of the Charities Act, 2009 and therefore is not registered with the Charities Regulatory Authority.
