Part-time Integration Option

Participation on the Part-time Integration Option is for 1 year. In certain limited circumstances a second year may be available, subject to DSP approval and the availability of places and budget.

Eligible persons under 55 years of age may be eligible for a maximum of 3 years overall participation on Community Employment (CE). Eligible persons of 55 or over may be eligible to a maximum of 6 years overall participation on CE. Persons in receipt of any of the 4 disability-linked Social Welfare payments (detailed below) may be eligible for 1 additional year's participation. Only time spent on CE since the 3rd April 2000 counts towards these participation limits.

Eligibility criteria:

Persons aged 25 years or over and who are currently in receipt of any combination of the following payments for 12 months or more:
Jobseekers Benefit (JB, formerly Unemployment Benefit);
Jobseekers Allowance (JA, formerly Unemployment Assistance);
One Parent Family Payment (OPFP);
Widows/Widowers Contributory Pension;
Widows/Widowers Non-Contributory Pension;
Deserted Wife's Benefit (DWB);
Farm Assist (FA).
Time spent in receipt of Carer's Allowance can also count towards the 12-month eligibility period, but caring responsibilities must have ceased and the person must currently be in receipt of either JA, JB or OPFP.
Time spent on a CE-qualifying disability-related payment can count towards the 12 month period provided it is contiguous with the current social welfare payment, as listed above (i.e. no breaks), e.g. 3 months on Illness Benefit followed immediately by 9 months on Jobseekers Allowance.
If you are aged 18 years or over and are currently in receipt of any of the following payments from the Department of Social Protection (DSP):
Disability Allowance;
Blind Pension;
Invalidity Pension;
Illness Benefit for 6 months or more.
Travellers aged 18 years or over, who are unemployed and in receipt of Jobseekers Benefit, Jobseekers Allowance for any period or One Parent Family Payment for 1 year or longer. In the case of travellers under 18 years of age, a minimum of 12 months spent in a Travellers Training Centre is enough for eligibility.
All refugees aged 18 years or over, as authenticated by the Department of Justice and Equality, in receipt of payments from the Department of Social Protection.
Persons aged 18 years or over inhabiting the offshore islands.
Ex-offenders aged 18 years or over and referred by the following agencies: the Probation Service; IASIO’s Services - the Linkage Service, the Gate Service and Resettlement Service; and the Irish Prison Service. Also, Ex-offenders aged 18 and over and not referred by these Services and in receipt of Jobseekers Allowance or Jobseekers Benefit for a period of one year or more. Time spent as a prisoner is regarded as reckonable when considering duration unemployed. In addition, prisoners released on Temporary Release are considered eligible for application.
Persons aged 18 years or over based on evidence of an appropriate referral following an appropriate assessment of the applicant in the context of the National Rehabilitation Framework protocols.
Time spent on recognised training programmes (such as a FÁS training course) or in prison can also be counted towards eligibility. N.B. Time spent on CE no longer counts towards continued time on CE for new entrants who commence on or after 8th October 2012. Existing PTI participants can still have time spent on CE count as part of the qualifying period until they exit.

Please note that eligibility to participate on the Community Employment programme is linked to those in receipt of an Irish social welfare payment (where specified). Those persons not meeting the criteria under the Part-time Integration or Part-time Job Options, or who are signing for credits, or receiving social welfare benefits from a different country, are not eligible to participate on Community Employment. Note: For JA or JB recipients, a maximum of 30 worked days in the 12 months prior to commencing a Community Employment Scheme will be allowed in assessing eligibility.

Note:

Persons availing of the Tús, Rural Social Scheme, Springboard or JobBridge programmes, or receiving Back to Education Allowance (BTEA) may not commence or simultaneously participate on Community Employment (CE).
Persons engaged on the Tús, Rural Social Scheme, Springboard or JobBridge programmes, or receiving Back to Education Allowance (BTEA) may not avail of spousal swap option for CE (to allow their spouse on CE) for the duration of their own programme.
Time spent on Tús, Rural Social Scheme, Springboard, JobBridge or Back to Education Allowance will not count towards the qualifying period for eligibility to CE. Entry to CE following any of these programmes is not considered as a suitable or valid progression. The only exceptions to this rule are:
if the BTEA was being received for second-level education purposes.
Tús participants who have completed 52 weeks on that programme can progress onto CE for a maximum of one year where it is considered appropriate within the context of an agreed progression plan mediated by Intreo/DSP Employment Services.
Progression from CE to any of these programmes (excluding Tús) is considered as a suitable and valid progression.
Current CE participants can avail of 3rd level Springboard programmes at zero cost. The CE Supervisor will follow the ILP process and on reaching agreement with the CE participant on the course choice, the CE Supervisor should refer the participant to the appropriate Intreo/Employment Services Officer or Job Facilitator. The Springboard course can then be input and approved by the DSP Community Development Officer via the ILP system

Spousal Swap

If you are unemployed and qualify under the Jobseekers Assistance, Jobseekers Benefit or Farm Assist criteria detailed above but you yourself do not wish to join the Community Employment programme, you may be able to transfer eligibility to your spouse. Qualified Adult Dependents, aged 25 and over, of eligible persons (as defined by the Department of Social Protection) may avail of the Spousal Swap option. This involves the person and their dependent exchanging places, the dependent inheriting the age/entitlements of the person, and ensuring that no losses are incurred in their relative entitlements as a result of this exchange.

Re-Entry to Community Employment

For a person who has exited CE to be considered for re-entry to Community Employment, 12 months need to have elapsed since any previous participation and he/she must have been on the Live Register for that 12-month period. This is subject to availability of places and compliance with the CE participation time limits. Participants being re-engaged (rollovers) are excluded from this requirement of a 12-month break between projects.