Information
The Department of Social Protection has opened a public consultation on the Cost of Disability. The department is seeking opinions, thoughts and comments for the agenda and format for a Cost of Disability Strategic Focus Network Summit on 13 May, and the design of a Cost of Disability payment. The department wishes to hear views from disabled people, Disabled Person’s Organisations (DPOs), family members and carers of people with disabilities, and other types of contributors. You can find out more about the consultation and how to make a submission here.
The Department of Health is currently undertaking a public consultation on the new Healthy Ireland Framework. They are inviting organisations and their networks to share their views and help shape the future direction of health and wellbeing policy in Ireland. The consultation is open until 22nd of April and submissions can be made online via the following link here:
Clare O’Connor worked with Dublin City PPN last year, on how to make effective submissions for public consultations, and you can read or re-read her notes here. Clare’s information and guidelines, provide member groups with a “how to” checklist of activities to help make your submission be as good as it can be. These notes are relevant for PPN member groups that have never made submissions or member groups that submit often but would like a reminder of good practice.
Dublin City Council (DCC), would like to inform PPN member groups about its Draft Development Contributions Scheme, and the public notice on the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended (2026 – 2029) can be accessed here.
Dublin Learning City Festival 2026 will take place from 22 – 25 April 2026. If you are involved in adult education, community programmes, innovative learning initiatives and would like to showcase your work and celebrate your contributions, submit your event today, and join the Learning City Festival in shaping a brighter, more informed future through education. You can submit your event for the festival here.
Women’s Shed’s Ireland Women’s Sheds of Ireland, now have a toolkit available for anyone interested in setting up, starting and running a Women’s Shed in your local area. Simply email and find out where and how you can be supported.
Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), invite PPN members to its Conference 2026. Join FASD on the 14 and 15 May, at the Hotel Woodstock, in County Clare under the theme “Justice and FASD”. You can read more about the speakers and sign up for an early bird ticket here.
Nature Network Ireland invites you to join their newly launched Digital Hub. This will be a national home for groups working together to reduce the impacts of climate change. Funded by Community Foundation Ireland and the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment, the Digital Hub is a free-to-use directory, sharing space, and interactive map. You can sign up here.
Capacity Building Training
The Dublin City PPN Host, Dublin City Volunteer Centre (DCVC), has a large section of resources, training materials and trained staff, to assist volunteers with the tools needed to find a role that suits, to offer organisations guidance and support in developing an engaging volunteer programme, and help with once off events through the Community Volunteers. Find out more here.
Carmichael Ireland offer a range of diverse and various training courses for PPN member groups, including online and in-person sessions, which are during the day time or evenings. Topics include: how to take meeting minutes, Board Member Induction, Risk Management, Strategic Planning, and Diversity and Inclusion sessions. You can find out more about their programme of capacity building training here.
The Wheel invite PPN member groups to attend its conference on 21 May, where Ireland’s charities, community groups and social enterprises gather to connect, collaborate and unlock new possibilities. Find out more about the programme and speakers here.
Updates from PPN Representatives and Secretariat
The PPN migrant/minority group were very happy to join with local authority staff on Thursday 19 March at an event, to “Show Racism the Red Card”. At the heart of the PPN is the idea that groups are better and stronger together when they network and support one another. The PPN currently has six internal groups.
You can watch the PPN Representatives at committee meetings on the Dublin City Council Public i.TV. This webcast resources is a place to access live council meetings or viewed archived council meetings, including the Strategic Policy Committees, where the PPN has 20 seats. You can subscribe to the meetings you are interested in (for example, housing, planning, mobility, economic development, finance, climate or culture) and you will be sent a reminder when the next meeting takes place. You can find the meetings here.
The PPN provides information and capacity building training and support, for PPN member groups, so that they might participate more in local authority decision making. If you would like more information about the council committees and themes being discussed, please contact the PPN staff today.
