Community Sponsorship Ireland
From 2019 to 2024, The Open Community served as Ireland’s national centre of expertise for Community Sponsorship, acting as a vital bridge between civil society and the Irish Government.
Our work focused on three core areas: coordination, resource development, and promotion, building a robust national ecosystem to sustain and scale community sponsorship.
The Open Community provided strategic and operational oversight of the national programme. This included convening advisory boards, thematic working groups, and national roundtables, as well as coordinating a Peer Support Network for Community Sponsorship Groups (CSGs).
We strengthened programme governance through the development and continuous improvement of key documentation, including application processes, settlement planning tools, and standard operating procedures. We also introduced protocols to support groups in managing complex situations.
Our work included extensive engagement with legal and regulatory bodies, resulting in clear guidance on the legal status of CSGs, updated privacy frameworks, and the development of model constitutions and financial guidelines.
A formal Monitoring and Evaluation framework was established, alongside monthly reporting to the Irish Refugee Protection Programme (IRPP), ensuring transparency and continuous learning across the programme.
We designed and delivered a comprehensive national training curriculum, supported by an Interactive Learning Centre to equip community sponsors with the knowledge and skills required for effective integration support.
To strengthen delivery on the ground, we developed a suite of practical tools and supports, including:
The SWIFT integration app (multilingual)
A bespoke insurance policy for CSGs
Access to a free legal advisory panel
A centralised Sponsors Support Bank
In response to global crises, including Ukraine and Afghanistan, we rapidly developed tailored supports such as trauma-informed training, legal guidance, online clinics, and seed funding to enable communities to respond effectively.
The Open Community led national communications and outreach efforts to grow awareness and participation in community sponsorship. This included managing a central programme website, delivering public information sessions, and leading national recruitment campaigns.
A key achievement was the development of the Cairde: Allies Partner Network—a diverse coalition of organisations supporting and promoting community sponsorship across sectors. This network played a critical role in scaling the programme and continues to provide a foundation for future community-led welcome initiatives and complementary pathways, including labour mobility.
Over five years, The Open Community established the systems, partnerships, and tools required to deliver community sponsorship at a national scale. The programme demonstrated the power of community-led responses to displacement and created a lasting infrastructure to support refugee welcome and integration in Ireland.