The role of community development practice in the development of elder-care worker co-operatives in Ireland

The role of community development practice in the development of elder care worker co-operatives in Ireland
Ireland’s population age profile is forecasted to increase over the coming decades which will have implications for the care responsibilities of families and the State. Access to quality long-term care is already a significant concern across Europe. While national contexts differ, it is estimated that 30 percent of older adults lack adequate access to care services (Scheil-Adlung, 2015). In Ireland, the challenge is particularly acute with only 1.8 formal long-term care workers per 100 persons over the age of 65, compared to 17.1 per 100 in Norway (ILO, 2015). Elder care worker co-operatives could contribute to meeting this shortfall in supply.
The Migrant Right Council (MRCI) of Ireland adheres to the principles of community development in working with migrants in developing responses to the exploitation of migrants working in Ireland. Up until 2018, their approach to working with migrants was restricted to advocating, on behalf of migrants, to the relevant government bodies for them to seek redress from migrants’ employers regarding flagrant breaches of their employment conditions. The MRCI was frustrated at the tardy and inadequate response from the Irish State. It was in this context that the MRCI decided to form a form a worker co-operative to serve as an exemplar of how elder care could be provided that prioritised both the needs of the carers and the care recipients rather than the maximisation of shareholder return for the owners/shareholders of conventional investor-owned elder care businesses. Moreover, a worker co-operative was deemed to be the most appropriate form of business due to the alignment of the seven principles of co-operatives to the principles of community development.
This led to the establishment of the Great Care Co-op (GCC) which is the first worker co-operative in the home care sector in Ireland. The mission of GCC is ‘to provide great care and great jobs’. Research has highlighted that the participation of a number of migrants in an introductory community development programme was pivotal to the establishment and successful operation of the GCC (Doyle, 2025). The article will detail the key skills acquired in participating in the programme.
The GCC aims to broaden the geographical area in which it provides care in Dublin and surrounding counties and an account will be outlined in how this will be achieved (Doyle, 2025). In doing so, the GCC will encounter a number of challenges including lack of appropriate support, access to capital, and the tendering processes to deliver home care on behalf of the State. Research has highlighted that the community development organisations and the credit union movement should resource a worker co-operative federation which would provide the assistance and support necessary for the replication of elder care co-operatives in Ireland (Doyle, 2019).
The broader community impact of worker co-operatives is another important yet often overlooked aspect. Erdal’s (2011) comparative research across three Italian towns reveals that higher concentrations of worker co-operatives correlate with healthier, more vibrant communities. These enterprises play a pivotal role in local economic democracy by anchoring capital and redistributing wealth within communities (Guinan and O’Neill, 2020). Evidence from Argentina and the UK also suggests that worker co-operatives stimulate civic engagement and generate spill-over benefits for local community organisations (Smith, 2015; Vieta, 2020).