University of Limerick-led programme supports local leaders to combat complex social problems

UL Local Leadership Programme launch  – Helen Fitzgerald, Assistant Director of the Research Evidence into Policy Programmes and Practice (REPPP) project at UL; Dr Johnny Connolly, project lead on REPPP’s Local Leadership Programme; Professor Lucy-Ann Buckley, Head of the School of Law at UL; and Dr Seán Redmond, Adjunct Professor of Youth Justice and Director of REPPP

UL’s Research Evidence into Policy Programmes and Practice (REPPP) project launches new UL Local Leadership Programme report

UL Local Leadership Programme is supporting local leaders and public officials to rethink how they combat significant social issues that are affecting communities across Ireland.

The UL Local Leadership Programme, developed by UL’s Research Evidence into Policy Programmes and Practice (REPPP) project and funded by the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, is assisting leaders in the statutory, community and voluntary, and educational sectors to examine complex problems that are rooted in poverty, inequality, ethnic differences, illicit drug use and community violence.

The UL Local Leadership Programme aims to make a distinctive contribution to problem-solving in the Irish policy landscape and, as outlined in its new report launched today, over 150 local leaders and public officials from across Ireland have participated in the programme since 2019.

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Commenting on the publication of the Local Leadership Programme report, Minister of State with Responsibility for Youth Justice, Niall Collins TD, said: “The Local Leadership Programme, developed by University of Limerick, gives local leaders and public officials the opportunity to tackle complex social problems, such as crime and community safety. There are no simple answers to these issues.

“The programme encourages fresh thinking, creativity and a new way of working. By rethinking how local leaders tackle such issues, the Local Leadership Programme is facilitating integrated problem-solving approaches to problems that matter to communities across Ireland.”

The Local Leadership Programme supports participants to critically examine the nature, character and facets of ‘wicked problems’, which have become significant challenges for public governance, and which affect communities across Ireland. These ‘wicked problems’ are social problems and issues which are resistant to change, and which persist despite significant state, voluntary and community sector interventions.

Through the Local Leadership Programme, frontline leaders engage in collaborative problem-solving to create evidence-informed and realistic proposals for change to combat complex social problems.

The programme has been rolled out in Limerick, Kerry, Cork, Galway, Longford, Wexford and Dublin since 2019 with participants describing it as “transformative” and commending the programme for “breaking down barriers”.

The Local Leadership Programme is led by Dr Johnny Connolly from UL’s REPPP project and School of Law.

He explained: “Wicked problems are unlikely to be much affected by off-the-peg, evidence-based programmes, and local leaders working in communities across Ireland are often overwhelmed by these structural and systemic problems, which cannot be simply ‘solved’ or ‘fixed’ but rather need to be managed better.

“UL’s Local Leadership Programme is particularly suited to engaging with difficult community safety issues. It brings participants together in a safe deliberative space away from their busy work and personal lives so that they have the time, free from distraction, to focus on complex social problems and develop innovative responses.”

Anti-social behaviour emerged as a persistent issue in almost all programmes to date with participants exploring ways in which communities can respond to criminal networks engaged in drug dealing and related community violence and intimidation.

Innovative proposals aimed at building community efficacy in response to anti-social behaviour were explored, as well ways in which the capacity of Approved Housing Bodies could be enhanced to address anti-social behaviour and sustain people in their tenancies through regulatory reform.

Another key theme was the need to develop innovative ways of providing educational supports and other services to disadvantaged and vulnerable groups. Programme participants were challenged to rethink and reimagine ways of working with children and families from marginalised communities in order to increase engagement in education.

The issue of trust between those working in state and community and voluntary sector agencies also emerged as a key issue with participants examining how inter-agency and partnership working can be enhanced to more effectively tackle ‘wicked problems’.

Noel Wardick, Chief Executive Officer of Dublin City Community Cooperative, an alliance of 13 grassroots community development organisations located in Dublin’s inner city, described the Local Leadership Programme as “highly effective” in bringing together a cross-section of stakeholders from across Dublin’s north inner city.

He said: “The programme brought together people who, despite working in the same area, often did not engage with each other and, to be honest, may have even been suspicious of each other.

“The benefit of the programme was in breaking down barriers between people and organisations, highlighting the futility of siloed approaches to poverty alleviation and building strong bonds of trust between participants.

“If we are to genuinely address complex issues such as community safety and structural inequality, then we must adopt innovative approaches. The Local Leadership Programme was one such approach.”

Longford County Council’s Local Community Safety Partnership (LCSP) also participated in the Local Leadership Programme. The organisation worked with other programme participants to develop tangible and realistic actions to help tackle the complex social problems encountered in Longford.

Coordinator of Longford’s Local Community Safety Partnership, Janice Bartley, said: “The Local Leadership Programme with University of Limerick and REPPP was transformative for our Longford Local Community Safety Partnership (LCSP). It strengthened trust and collaboration among members and across agencies, creating a real sense of shared purpose.

“Since completing the programme, we’ve had success in implementing the actions developed during the programme. We’ve secured funding for a resident empowerment project and commenced the establishment of an independent Traveller Movement organisation in Longford.

“Members consistently say it was the best training they’ve received for collaborative working, and it has significantly enhanced the effectiveness of our LCSP.”

The Research Evidence into Policy Programmes and Practice (REPPP) project at University of Limerick is a research collaboration between UL’s School of Law and the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration.

Established in 2016, REPPP’s mission is to support the youth justice system in Ireland to make rational judgments regarding youth justice policy and practice that are informed by scientific evidence. It does this through significant and ongoing policy-oriented youth crime research.    

Further information about REPPP’s current research projects