The Standards for Community Work

Community Development/Community Work is a unique discipline and distinct professional practice comprised of both a task and a process. The task is social change, to achieve equality, social justice and human rights and the process is the application of principles of participation, empowerment and collective decision making in a coordinated and structured way.  Community Work is based on a set of values that are interdependent and intersectional with considerable cross-over between the knowledge, skills and qualities required to do the work and inherent in all of them.

The All-Ireland Standards for Community Work were published by the All-Ireland Endorsement Body for Community Work Education and Training (AIEB) in 2016 to provide a foundation and guiding framework for Community Work/Development in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. 

To celebrate Limerick Lifelong Learning Week 2026 and to mark the ten years of the All-Ireland Standards for Community Work, Anastasia Crickley and Ciara Shanahan of AIEB will join us in Limerick for a workshop on the Standards. This workshop will provide an opportunity for those involved in Community WORK/Development to learn more about the Standards and to explore their value and use for the complexities of current work and the issues faced in practice. This is an AIEB quality assured CPD initiative. CPD Certificates of attendance will be issued after the event to participants who request them.

Please register your attendance with Martina Shanahan by emailing mshanahan@limerickcitypartnership.ie