Fingal County Council appoints new Integration Officer

Valerie has been involved in the development of the new Fingal Integration Forum and has recently completed a review of Fingal County Councils policies in conjunction with the Immigrant Council of Ireland (ICI) to ensure that they were equality and human rights proofed as set out in IHREC public sector duty guidelines.

Valerie has worked in Community Development for more than 25 years, and for the past 18 of those she has worked with the Fingal Community Development Office in the areas of Social Inclusion, Community Development, Capital and Strategic Projects.

She has coordinated projects such as the Volunteer Centre Fingal, Comhairle na nÓg and the development of Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) funded training “Intercultural, Diversity and Public Sector Duty”.

Mayor of Fingal Cllr. David Healy said: “Integration is a vital element of healthy, cohesive and diverse societies, and I welcome Valerie’s appointment as Integration Officer to spearhead Fingal’s efforts in this direction.”

Chief Executive of Fingal County Council AnnMarie Farrelly said: “As a county with one of the most diverse and dynamically growing populations in Ireland, it’s imperative that Fingal prioritises integration. Valerie’s appointment will help Fingal to achieve this in a strategic and effective way.”

Valerie said: “I am very pleased to be taking on this new role within Fingal County Council in coordinating the goals of the Migrant Integration and Social Cohesion Strategy Actions and in supporting the development of the proposed outcomes.

“The appointment of an Integration Officer reinforces the commitment of the council to promoting integration across the county and to respond to the challenges and opportunities posed by the changing population which it serves”.