Are you a Farmer or Fisherman?
Are you seeking part-time work?
Have you heard about the Rural Social Scheme?
The Rural Social Scheme provides community-based work on a part-time basis to both farmers and fishermen.
The Rural Social Scheme aims to provide services to rural communities by harnessing the skills and talents available in the farming and fishing communities.
Participants work 19.5 hours per week and these hours are based on a farmer/fisherman-friendly schedule.
To qualify a farmer/fisherman must have an active herd number or a relevant fishing license or a fishing boat that has been entered in the Register of Fishing Boats.
The farmer/fisherman must also be in receipt of a Social Welfare Payment for example : Farm Assist, Fish Assist, Jobseekers Allowance, Disability Allowance, One-Parent Family Payment, Widow(ers) Pension, both Contributory and Non-Contributory or be under 66 and a Qualified Adult Dependant of a recipient of the Non-Contributory Old Age Pension.
Should you be deemed eligible to qualify but you yourself do not wish to participate in the RSS, your spouse, child or sibling can take the available place.
Payment Figures
Participant without Adult Dependent 210.20
Participant with Adult Dependent 333.50
Each Child Dependent (Full-Rate) 22.00
Each Child Dependent (Half-Rate) 11.00
Participants are paid on a weekly basis.
Participants are entitled to retain certain secondary benefits, such as medical card, fuel allowance, back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance, etc.
The types of projects carried out under the RSS include:
Maintaining and enhancing waymarked ways, agreed walks and bog roads,
Energy conservation work for the elderly and the less well off – the Department has recently decided to allow Groups, who deliver the Rural Social Scheme to become engaged in the delivery of the Warmer
Homes Scheme and any other energy conservation scheme.
Village and countryside enhancement projects,
Social care and care of the elderly, community care for both pre-school and after-school groups,
Environmental maintenance work - maintenance and caretaking of community and sporting facilities,
Projects relating to not for profit cultural and heritage centres
Number of West Cork Community Groups Involved: 31
Sample of Areas where Community Groups are active:
Number of Participants: 68 (capped for time being)
Males: 57 Females: 1
Farmers: 64 Fishermen: 4
Those participants who qualified through:
- Farm Assist: 44
- Fish Assist: 4
- Unemployment Assistance: 11
- Community Employment: 5
- Unemployment Benefit: 3
- Disability Allowance: 1
Number of Supervisors:
Full time : 3
Part time : 1
Capital Materials 2006 Allocation Received: 41,232.00 (for purchase of equipment)
If you are interested in finding out more please contact: Arran O’ Driscoll, West Cork Development Partnership, West Cork Technology Park, Clonakilty, Co. Cork. Tel: 023 8834035, Email: arran@wcdp.ie
