Child Poverty Project
The Local Area Child Poverty Action Plan (LACPAP) is a pioneering initiative funded through the What Works programme under the Department of Children, Disability and Equality.
What is the Project
Bray, North Wicklow, and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown have been selected as one of just four pilot areas nationally to develop and test a place-based, systems-level response to child poverty.
Using a Human Learning Systems approach, the project brings together community voices, public services, and local data to identify the specific drivers of child poverty in our area-and co-design meaningful, sustainable responses.
CYPSC/LCDC interagency application under Local Area Child Poverty Action Plan engaged in a 6 month process leading to being 1 of 4 successful applicants in Ireland – FACES: Family and Child Enhanced Services – €100,000 per year for 2 year period.
Why it Matters
Child poverty remains one of the most urgent and persistent challenges facing Irish society. National data can only go so far-real change begins at local level. This project:
- Gives voice to lived experience.
- Uncovers the barriers and gaps in local systems.
- Builds a collective response that is grounded in shared learning, collaboration, and equity.
Why This Pilot Is Unique?
- One of only four national LACPAP pilots.
- Cross-boundary collaboration between Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown & Bray, North Wicklow.
- Uses a Human Learning Systems model-while not commonly applied in Irish public service projects it is gaining momentum and assessed to be the new approach to public service models.
- Creates a replicable model for other regions to follow.
- Has already shown early impact by strengthening partnerships and aligning services with real community needs.
Our Approach: Human Learning Systems (HLS)
Traditional, target-driven systems have struggled to address the complex, interconnected realities faced by families experiencing poverty. This is our chance to do things differently! Rather than working through fixed targets and siloed services, F:ACES adopts the Human Learning Systems approach – an emerging model of public service innovation that focuses on:
- Relational, not transactional practice – building trust and shared understanding with families and between agencies.
- Learning and adaptation – using reflective Focus Groups and Learning Cycles to gather insights, test new ideas, and evolve the work in real time.
- Experimentation – developing “spearpoint” actions co-designed with practitioners, community partners and those with lived experience of Child Poverty.
The Child Poverty Systems Map
The map (below) is a visual tool designed to make the complexity of child poverty visible at a local level. It brings together the range of services, organisations, and factors that shape families’ experiences across Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, Bray and North Wicklow.
Rather than focusing on individual services in isolation, the map highlights how the system behaves showing connections, gaps, overlaps, and pressure points and looks at Child Poverty through ten different lenses including: Adult Health, Child Health, Housing, Parenting, Early Years, Addiction, Domestic Violence, Employment, Adult Education and Cost of Living . It helps practitioners and partners move beyond “who does what” to better understand how families navigate the system in practice.
As a shared learning tool, the map supports collaboration, informs decision-making, and helps identify opportunities for more coordinated, preventative, and relational responses to child poverty.
https://embed.kumu.io/56e3a2b50aee68d6a280830be5540492#dlr-only-tagged/southside-partnership
