Transcript The Policy Making Process and the Positive Ageing Strategy

The Policy Making Process and
the Positive Ageing Strategy
Eileen Kehoe
Office for Older People
Department of Health and Children
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Introduction
• Opportune time for this Seminar
• Good quality policy depends on high quality
information from a variety of sources
• Set out approach to developing a Positive
Ageing Strategy
• Commitment in the Programme for Government
2007-2012
• Intention is to have a broad ranging, outcomes
focussed strategy, developed in consultation
with the key interest groups.
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Why a Strategy for Older People
• Demographics
– Increasing number of people aged 65+
– Now 467,000 (11%) in 2006, 775,000 (13.6% in 2021)
• Changing nature of policy development and
social service delivery
– Move from agency led services, driven by
contingency or crises to tackle specific issues
– Strategic direction from the centre, standards,
outcomes, continous improvement based on
feedback and participation
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Why a Strategy for Older People
• New approach represented most clearly in
lifecycle approach - NESC 2005 Developmental
Welfare State
• Future development of public services organised
around the main stages, ie children, people of
working age and older people
• Places the individual at the centre of policy
development and delivery, outcome focussed
rather than contingency and targetting groups for
interventions
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Commitment
• Programme for Government 2007-2012
commitment to Strategy.
• 2006 Social Partnership Agreement Towards
2016 adopted the lifecycle approach.
• First time there has been a commitment to such
a broad-ranging strategy for older people.
• The Years Ahead - A Policy for the Elderly 1988,
Adding Years to Life and Life to Years 1998
focus on health and social services.
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Background and Context
• Programme for Government 2007-2012 “ to
better recognise the position of older people in
Irish society”
– Operational plans by Government Departments
– Joined up thinking on initiatives serving older people
– Ongoing mechanisms to monitor progress and
identify challenges
– Liaise with recognised voluntary groups
– Consider appointment of Ombudsman for Older
People
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Background and Context
• Pointed out that the development of public
transport systems improve accessibility for
older people.
• Provisions relating to education and
training, making it easier for older people
to stay in their own homes, pensions,
improving income and employment and
employment conditions.
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Leadership
• Minister of State for Older People and Health
Promotion.
• Member of the Cabinet Committee on Social
Inclusion – specific remit to bring a coherent and
integrated approach to social policy issues.
• Within DoHC but Minister has responsibilities at
D/Social and Family Affairs, D/Environment,
Heritage and Local Government.
• Supported by Office for Older People
• Office now includes former staff of the National
Council on Ageing and Older People.
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Evidence and Information
• Quality policy depends on high quality
information from a variety of sources
– Expert knowledge
– Existing evidence, including international
– Evaluation of other or previous policies
– New evidence or secondary sources
– Operational data from frontline staff in
departments, agencies, local authorities.
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Sources
• Cross Departmental Group
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Chaired by Director, Office for Older People
11 departments, Central Statistics Office
Charged with developing the Strategy
UN Principles for Older Persons
WHO Policy Framework on Active Ageing
• NGO Liaison Group
– 12 members, expert information, priorities
• Expert Advisory Group
– agencies, independent experts, priorities
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Sources
• Desk based literature review of other strategies
• Public call for Submissions
– individuals, organisations, groups
– issues relating to older people’s participation in
society, the way services are organised and used by
older people, issues that affect quality of life or any
issue considered of importance to older people
– not intention to propose new services
– strategic direction for future policies, programmes and
services in the future
• Regional Meetings
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Sources
• Ageing Well Network
– Policy network, wide ranging membership
– developing position papers on a range of
issues relating to older people
• Older & Bolder Network
– Network of organisations concerned with
older people and ageing issues
– feedback from consultation process earlier in
the year.
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Where Now?
• Work continuing
• Submissions: closing date 24 September
• Regional meetings
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For Researchers
• Context of increasing emphasis on data both
quantitative and qualitative data
• Strategies – Disability, Social Inclusion,
Children’s - all developing data strategies
• DoHC developing a National Health Information
Strategy
• Research Unit within DoHC
– to support the conduct and use of research across the
department
• All departments now required to have Data
Strategies
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For Researchers
• Objective is to have implementable
strategies
• Grounded in the real needs and lived
experience of older people
• Stakeholder opinion, experience of
professionals/front line staff
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Data from Research
• Robust descriptive, inferential, and longitudinal
data
• Qualitative data to aid understanding
• Show overall wellbeing within and between
populations over time
• Point to emerging trends, enables policies to be
proactive rather than reactive
• Monitor progress, identify shortcomings
• Quantify level and locations of need
• Reveal severity, geographic concentration –
reduce ambiguity
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For Policy Makers
• Shared understanding between researchers and
policymakers about what information is of most
interest
• Data for policy has to be guided by vision and
specific provisions of any strategy
• Clarity of goals, time scales, objectives,
implementation structures
• Clarity about the questions to be asked or
answered
• Openness to identifying and addressing gaps
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Need?
• Not enough information about the social
determinants of quality of life
• Need to know how older people interact with
services, what else is needed, what are the
barriers, what happens when people move
between services
• Information for policy development different from
that needed to monitor performance
• Capacity of researchers
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Policy Makers
• Ability to interpret data, understand
underlying assumptions, other political,
economic and social factors
• Combine data and stakeholder opinion
• Coherence with other stategies
• Objective to increase policy analysis
capacity within departments
• Inter agency/cross departmental working
difficult but essential
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TILDA
• The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing
• Partnership with Trinity led consortium
• Good example of iterative process and
how shared understanding of evidence
needs and priority contexts can develop to
the benefit of both researchers and policy
makers
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Challenges
• Gathering evidence takes time but
policymaker may need the information
quickly
• Small scale research projects and
qualitiative research have a valuable place
• Measuring progress on ‘softer’ issues can
be difficult
• Gathering robust data on minority,
marginalised or difficult to reach groups
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The Policy Making Process and
the Positive Ageing Strategy
Eileen Kehoe
Office for Older People
Department of Health and Children
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