Community

Action

Network Placing people at the heart of change

www.canaction.ie

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WHY

Universal (Vision for Society)

Rights v Needs

Stops Stigmatising

Evidence Based Outcome Focused

Accountability

Equal Power Relationships

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The Collective Complaint - a National Campaign

The Right to Health - Service Users Rights in Action

CAN HUMAN RIGHTS WORK

The Right to a Home - Local Campaign

Emerging Campaigns

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Outcomes

Significant Measureable

Outcomes

40 homes upgraded

Agreed regeneration plan –

phase 1 begun

Ground-breaking work on

structural nature of problems

Inspirational demonstration site

Challenging – time, resource

implications, one area does not

change the system

Larger Alliances of Communities Created

Testing the methodology in 5 other geographical communities

Community Benefits Primer

Collective Complaint process within the Council of Europe

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Collective Complaint

Ireland is member of Council of Europe

Signed Revised EU Social Charter 2000

Protocol – Collective Complaint

Ireland did not sign Article 31 but previous judgments established that the right to housing covered under Articles 16

Also Articles 17, 11, 30 and E

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ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEMS

Absence of Accountability Systems

- No representative body

- No independent complaints process

- No access to independent investigations

- No regular assessments of needs, resources,

results

Creating Accountability Systems

- Ireland in global context

- International treaties and bodies holding

Ireland to account

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Stages

Research and gather evidence

Lodge initial complaint via a recognised European organisation

Committee of Social Rights decides on admissibility

If admissible they notify the Attorney General and all relevant parties

State response

Our response

Committee assesses merits and makes recommendations which are sent to the Council of Ministers.

Not legally binding but are morally and politically

Are reviewed thereafter

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Substance of our CC

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Failure to adopt Social Charter rights within

legal, policy and administrative frameworks

of housing for Ireland

Adequacy and habitability, suitability of

some LA housing

Regeneration programmes do not respect

housing provisions and other rights in Charter

Next Steps

Test legality of Tenancy Agreements

Use media to build and strengthen participative engagement

Develop models of good practice and Public Duty- IHREC

Community Benefit Primer

Bring tenants to Strasbourg to Council Hearing for recommendations

Ongoing Monitoring

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Service Users Rights in Action

Drug Service Users

Service User Representatives

Community Activists

Facilitated by Community Action Network

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3 issues – linked lived experience to

Human Rights Violations

Urine Sampling

End practice

unless requested

Lack of Meaningful

Review

Compulsory Meaningful Treatment

Plans

Real Treatment Choice

Choice

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Human Rights Based Campaign

PR

Human Rights

and Equality

Comm.

Support from Pres.

Higgins

Leader-ship and

Power

dialogue with

micro-cosm of system

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Service Users

Local Drugs

Projects

Regional Manager

(GP Co-ordinators)

National Policy

Makers Human Rights and

Equality Comm

Ombudsman

Service Providers

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Dialogue Process

Powerlessness within system – who has the

power?

Who is accountable?

Voice and participation

of Service Users valued BUT– Who is listening?

Stuck Conversation

– Harm reduction vs Abstinence

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Reflections

Impact on Rights Holders

Participation and power

Coalitions

Emergence and learning

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Impact on Rights Holders

• Self Esteem

• Identity

• Civic

Engagement

• Shift in Power

Dynamics

• Equal

Participation

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So Placing People at the Heart of Change in

this way is all about power…

Who has it/ or not

The sources of power – what gets valued

How is it exercised

It has to do with participation / non participation in closed, invited or claimed spaces

Follows a path

Validate lived experience

Analyse Personal, Community, Cultural Political, Economic and HR

Claim HR and in so doing hold to account

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TO CONCLUDE….

Scaling up from Local to National required

- Good demonstration site that can inspire and

deliver results

- National policy issues framed as unacceptable

denial of rights

- Indicators that are reasonable and attainable

- Incentives – empowered citizens, strong

coalitions, media, international accountability

systems, staying power

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Finally

This has and is a journey of making the path by walking it…

All about emergence and complexity and daring to envision an alternative

Ongoing process of planning, acting, reflecting, learning planning , acting…

About staying power over long time

About forgiveness…

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