Community Employment scheme

Rules

There are 2 different categories of Community Employment, each with its own set of eligibility requirements. These are the Part-time Integration Option and the Part-time Job Option. You can participate in either of these options but not in both at the same time.The sponsor of the programme - the local organisation or group that manages the scheme - will plan and manage your placement. The sponsor may also offer you training or skills development opportunities that you can take up during your placement.

The average number of working hours for placements is 39 hours per fortnight. Participants are paid weekly by their sponsor. Tax may be deducted from their pay if applicable but their CE pay is exempt from the Universal Social Charge. Participants on Community Employment Schemes pay a special lower PRSI contribution at Class A8/A9 but this counts as a full Class A PRSI contribution.

CE Part-time Integration Option

The Part-time Integration Option allows you to work under the Community Employment scheme for a maximum of 1 year.

It may be possible to have your one-year placement extended by another year depending on your individual needs, to do this the sponsor must apply in writing at least 2 months before the end of your placement. Generally participants complete their one-year placement and then seek a permanent full-time or part-time job elsewhere based on the experience gained in the placement, the good reputation developed with local employers and any new skills learnt over the course of the placement.

You may qualify for participation in the CE Part-time Integration Option if:

You are aged 25 years or older and:

• Unemployed and getting Jobseeker's Benefit (JB), Jobseeker's Allowance (JA), One-Parent Family Payment (OFP), Deserted Wife’s Benefit, Widow's, Widower's or Surviving Civil Partner's Contributory Pension, Widow's, Widower's or Surviving Civil Partner's Non-Contributory Pension or Farm Assist for at least 1 year. (If you were getting Carer's Allowance this can also count towards the one-year eligibility period, but your caring responsibilities must have ceased and you must currently be getting either JB, JA or OFP.)
• An adult dependant of someone who has been getting Jobseeker's Benefit, Jobseeker's Allowance, or Farm Assist for at least 1 year - see 'Swap with adult dependant' below.

OR

You are aged 18 years and over and:

• A member of the Traveller community, unemployed and getting Jobseeker's Benefit or Jobseeker's Allowance for any period or One-Parent Family Payment for at least 1 year. Travellers aged 16 and 17 who have spent 12 months in a Travellers Training Centre are also eligible.
• Getting Disability Allowance, Blind Person's Pension or Invalidity Pension
• Getting Illness Benefit for at least 6 months
• A refugee authenticated by the Department of Justice and Equality (Garda Registration Certificate with Stamp 4) and getting a social welfare payment.
• An ex-offender who has been referred by the Probation Service or an ex-offender not referred by the Probation Service who has been getting JA or JB for 12 months.
• Referred by the Drugs Task Force.
• Living on one of the offshore islands.

Where applicable, it is possible for applicants to meet the eligibility requirements by adding time spent on a recognised training or employment programme to the time spent receiving allowances.

Part-Time Job Option

This CE Part-Time Job Option provides participants with part-time work placements of up to 6 years for participants over 55 and up to 3 years for participants under 55. This option is designed to give extended access to employment to older people who may have been unable to secure regular employment for some time. The participation limits for people on one of the specified disability payments (see below) are 7 years for those aged 55 to 65 and 4 years for those aged 35 to 54. Time spent on CE before 3 April 2000 is not counted in these participation limits.

You may qualify for participation in the CE Part-Time Job Option if:

You are aged 35 years or older and:

• Have been getting Jobseeker's Benefit, Jobseeker's Allowance, One-Parent Family Payment (OFP), Widow's, Deserted Wife's Benefit, Widower's or Surviving Civil Partner's Contributory Pension, Widow's, Widower's or Surviving Civil Partner's Non-Contributory Pension or Farm Assist for at least 3 years. (If you were getting Carer's Allowance this can also count towards the 3-year eligibility period, but your caring responsibilities must have ceased and you must currently be getting either JA, JB or OFP)
• Getting Disability Allowance, Blind Person's Pension or Invalidity Pension
• Getting Illness Benefit for at least 6 months
• An adult dependant of someone who getting Jobseeker's Allowance, Jobseeker's Benefit or Farm Assist for 3 years or more - see 'Swap with adult dependant' below.

OR

You are 18 years of age or over and:

• A member of the Traveller community getting Jobseeker's Benefit, Jobseeker's Allowance or One-Parent Family Payment for at least 1 year. Travellers aged 16 and 17 who have spent 12 months in a Travellers Training Centre are also eligible.
• A refugee authenticated by the Department of Justice and Equality (Garda Registration Certificate with Stamp 4) and getting a social welfare payment.
• An ex-offender who has been referred by the Probation Service or an ex-offender not referred by the Probation Service who has been getting JA or JB for 3 years.
• Referred by the Drugs Task Force.
• Living on one of the offshore islands

Where applicable, it is possible for applicants to meet the eligibility requirements by adding time spent on a recognised training or employment programme to the time spent receiving allowances.

Swap with adult dependant

If you are getting JB, JA or Farm Assist and qualify for CE, you may transfer your eligibility to your adult dependant. People who avail of this swap will not lose out on any allowances as they will exchange circumstances with each other, meaning that the allowances the Community Employment applicant would have received will be transferred to their adult dependant. It is important for the adult dependant to sign on for credits at the local social welfare office to protect any future pension entitlements.

Social welfare payments

Since 16 January 2012 new participants on Community Employment (CE) schemes will not be able to claim another social welfare payment at the same time. New participants are defined as those who have not been employed on a CE scheme in the previous 12 months. People who were approved by the Department of Social Protection for a CE scheme before 16 January 2012 but who, for operational reasons, only started working on or after 16 January 2012 will be treated as existing participants for the purpose of retaining their social welfare payments.

Existing participants on One-Parent Family Payment, Deserted Wife's Benefit, disability payments and widow’s, widower’s or surviving civil partner’s pensions will continue to get their social welfare payment until they are no longer eligible to participate in a CE scheme or they leave the scheme voluntarily. Otherwise they will keep it until December 2014 which is the final cut-off date for getting a concurrent social welfare payment.

Qualified child increases: If a person is on a CE scheme and getting One-Parent Family Payment, Deserted Wife's Benefit or Widow's, Widower's or Surviving Civil Partner's Contributory Pension, payment of 2 qualified child increases will cease for both new and existing participants with effect from 20 February 2012. Existing participants will get the qualified child increase on their social welfare payment and will get the personal rate for a CE participant. New CE participants will get the qualified child increase with their CE payment.

Secondary benefits

You will retain your medical card.

You will retain an entitlement to the secondary benefits you were receiving immediately before going onto Community Employment provided you continue to satisfy the conditions for these benefits.

Rent and Mortgage Interest Supplements

The amount of Rent Supplement which you get may be reduced. You may be able to keep part of your Mortgage Interest Supplement.