Q1 Summary of the 2026 PPN Workplan activities
- Tender for the new 5 year plan 2027 – 2031, was advertised on Activelink and a panel of scorers from the Secretariat, and host, appointed Ellenora Lynch to develop and deliver a new 5 year strategic plan for Dublin City PPN. A tender for a consultant facilitator, to assist with structured support for Representatives and Secretariat was also advertised on Activelink, and a panel of scorers, from the Secretariat and host organisation, appointed Clare Cuthbert to begin work from Q2 onwards.
- The Secretariat met three times in Q1, (January/February and March) for their monthly online meetings, and minutes from these meetings can be found here.
- The Secretariat advisory committee did not meet during Q1. The main aim of the advisory committee is to offer suggestions and recommendations to Representatives and/or Secretariat during the course of their PPN responsibilities.
- The 2025 Income and Expenditure Report was submitted to the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, on 23 March, 2026.
- The pillar working groups met once in Q1: on 27 February at Clontarf Castle (and online). The morning of this event focused on “how to make a podcast” with Brian Greene from DCTV facilitating. The afternoon was a chance for people from the pillar working groups to get together and update one another.
- Mick Keegan from the Secretariat met with the National Secretariat Network in Q1, and the PPN staff met with the national workers network twice in Q1.
- Communication: weekly Bulletins were sent via email to all active member groups, uploaded to the website and linked back out on Facebook and LinkedIn. Daily posts were updated on the social media channels.
- The Disability Thematic Group (DTG) partnered with the Independent Living Movement of Ireland (ILMI), to support the establishment and launch of a Dublin city and county Disabled Persons’ Organisation (DPO). The launch took place in the Mansion House on 25 February.
- The Migrant/Minority Thematic Group (MTG) continue to support the Local Authority Integration Team on 23 February and 20 March.
- New member applications were processed during Q1. Once ratified at the Secretariat monthly meeting, new members are invited to the “New Members Meet-Up” introduction meeting, on the last Tuesday of the month. They are encouraged to follow social media, read and share the Bulletins, attend support sessions and training, and consider which SPC their member groups mission and vision fit best with.
- There were 2 PPN Representatives peer-support-sessions online, on the last Tuesday of the month. Robbie Sinnott offered information about accessible documents for blind and partially sighted people in January, and Susan Whelan offered a session on grants and funding in March.
- Dublin City PPN partnered with Dun Laoghaire Rathdown PPN to offer online training sessions in Q1. PPN participants were offered training on making reels with mobile phones and grant writing skills.
- PPN figures were submitted to the The National Oversight and Audit Commission (NOAC), in Q1, Total number of organisations in the PPN database on or at 31 December 2025: 93 Total number of those who registered for the first time in 2025: 90 Number of groups that opted to join the Social Inclusion college/pillar: 246 Therefore, 26.4% of the PPN member groups are in the Social Inclusion college/pillar.
- All committee and Secretariat seats filled in Q1.
Q1 FINANCES
| 2026 Actual Spend TOTAL | 2560.64 |
| 001_Activelink_CapacityBuildingTraining | 180 |
| 002_MacroCentre_CapacityBuildingTraining | 218 |
| 003_ClontarfCastleHotel_CapacityBuildingTraining | 500 |
| 004_ClontarfCastleHotel_CapacityBuildingTraining | 720 |
| 005_AineWellard_CapacityBuildingTraining | 37.8 |
| 006_Supportworker_reimbursements | 34.1 |
| 007_campioninsurance_insurance | 392.14 |
| 008_ClontarfCastle_CapacityBuildingTraining | 478.6 |
Planned Activities for Q2
Quarter 2 (Apr–Jun)
- 5 nominations will be open from the Environment Pillar in Q2.
- Plenary (May): hybrid plenary with pillar working group meetings, networking, and presentation of progress.
- Summer School (June): with DCU CER, focus on inclusion, misinformation, and leadership development.
- Annual Report: submitted by June, co-signed with host & DCC.
- Secretariat Monthly Meetings: ongoing governance.
- Policy & Procedures Review: mid-year review to ensure compliance with Implementation Roadmap.
- Regional/National Networking: Staff networking lunch with other Dublin PPNs; national online staff meeting.
Additional: re-registration of membership via Salesforce, continued support work with Reps (via the new consultant facilitator Clare Cuthbert). Further planned work to update the website (staff to manage with Neo-Archaic – add photos, delete pages that are irrelevant, update nominations forms).