SICAP assists both individuals and groups through a two-pronged approach; supporting communities and supporting individuals. SICAP target groups include; children and families living in disadvantaged areas, lone parents, new communities (including refugees/asylum seekers), people living in disadvantaged communities, people with disabilities, Roma, the unemployed (including those not on the Live Register), travellers, and young unemployed people living in disadvantaged areas.

Some of the key findings from the 2021 SICAP Annual Report include:

• 2,646 Local Community Groups were supported in 2021, 542 of these were new to the programme.
• €336,988 in grant funding was allocated to Local Community Groups.
• 501 Social Enterprises were supported by SICAP in 2021
• 26,483 individuals were supported by the programme during the year.
• 72 people received an enterprise start-up grant and a total amount of €44,617 in start-up grants were awarded.

COVID-19, and its associated public health restrictions, continued to have a significant impact on Irish society in 2021. This impact was particularly pronounced for the more vulnerable and marginalised groups that SICAP works with such as Roma, Travellers, and disadvantaged children and families, amongst others. The findings in this report indicate that all SICAP stakeholders learned from their experiences of implementing SICAP during COVID-19 in 2020 and brought this flexibility, experience, and understanding to bear in 2021. LDCs reports and case studies show nuanced and targeted approaches and supports delivered to vulnerable individuals, community groups, social enterprises, and families. The number of people engaged with SICAP increased, and progression rates for individuals have started to climb towards pre-pandemic levels. There is evidence of growing and intensive engagement with Roma and Traveller groups as well as other more disadvantaged groups. The main achievements for 2021 are outlined.