Policy Officer with the Centre for Ageing Research Development in Ireland (CARDI)
Introduction
Identifying a broad range of key public policy
initiatives as they relate to age can facilitate discussion and create
new knowledge within and across government to maximise the opportunities
afforded by an ageing population. This article looks at how examining
the current public policy frameworks in Northern Ireland can present
opportunities for those working in this field for the benefit of older
people.
Good policy formulation needs to be
evidence-based, flexible, innovative and look beyond institutional
boundaries. Bringing together architects and occupational therapists,
for example, has the potential to create better and more effective ways
relevant to health, housing, social services and government departments.
Traditional assumptions of social policy towards older people have
tended to be medically focused with an emphasis on care and dependency.
This in turn has consequences for the design and delivery of services
for older people. It is important that these assumptions are challenged
as changes in thinking and attitudes can lead to a redefinition of
ageing, resulting in policies and practices that benefit older people
now and in the future. Older people, their voices and experiences, need
to be central to these developments.
The Centre for Ageing Research and Development in Ireland
The Centre for Ageing Research and Development in
Ireland (CARDI) (1) is a not for profit organisation developed by
leaders from the ageing field across Ireland (North and South) including
age sector focused researchers and academics, statutory and voluntary,
and is co-chaired by Professor Robert Stout and Professor Davis Coakley.
CARDI has been established to provide a mechanism
for greater collaboration among age researchers, for wider dissemination
of ageing research information and to advance a research agenda
relevant to the needs of older people in Ireland, North and South.
Operating at a strategic level and in an advisory capacity, CARDI’s work
focuses on promoting research co-operation across sectors and
disciplines and concentrates on influencing the strategic direction of
research into older people and ageing in Ireland. It has been
strategically positioned around the following four areas:
- Identifying and establishing ageing research priorities relevant to policy and practice in Ireland, North and South;
- Promoting greater collaboration and
co-operation on ageing research in order to build an ageing research
community in Ireland, North and South;
- Stimulating research in priority areas that can
inform policy and practice relating to ageing and older people in
Ireland, North and South;
- Communicating strategic research issues on
ageing to raise the profile of ageing research in Ireland, North and
South, and its role in informing policy and practice.
Context of Ageing in Ireland
Ireland ’s population is ageing. One million
people aged 60 and over now live on the island of Ireland. By 2031, it
is expected that Northern Ireland’s percentage of older people will
increase to 28% and the Republic of Ireland’s to 23%. The largest
increase will be in the older old; the number aged 80+ is expected to
triple by the same date. However while life expectancy has increased, it
is not clear that life without disability and ill health has increased
to the same extent. A growing number of older people may face the
combined effects of a decline in physical and mental function, isolation
and poverty. Policymakers, service providers and older people alike
recognise the need to create a high quality of life for our ageing
population. This challenge can be meet by addressing the problems
relating to healthy ageing, reducing inequalities in later life and
creating services that are shaped by, and appropriate for, older people.
Devolution and Structures of Government in Northern Ireland
The Agreement (2) reached in the Multi-Party
Negotiations in Belfast 1998 established the Northern Ireland Assembly
which has full legislative authority for all transferred matters. The
majority of social and economic public policy such as; agriculture,
arts, education, health, environment and planning is determined by the
Northern Ireland Assembly at Stormont. There are 11 Government
Departments covering the main areas of responsibility with 108 elected
Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLA’s).
The powers of the Northern Ireland Assembly do not cover ‘ reserved’ matters or ‘ excepted’ matters
. These are the responsibility of Westminster and include issues such
as, tax, social security, policing, justice, defence, immigration and
foreign affairs. Northern Ireland has 18 elected Members of Parliament
(MP’s) to the House of Commons.
Public Policy Context in Northern Ireland
The economic, social and political consequence of
an ageing population is a challenge for policy makers across government.
Considering the complex and diverse causal factors that contribute to
ageing in Northern Ireland, there are a number of areas of government
policy at regional, national and international levels that are likely to
impact in this area.
International
The Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing (3) and the Research Agenda on Ageing for the 21st Century (4) provide important mechanisms for furthering research into ageing. The United Kingdom has signed up to these. The Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing
commits member states to a systematic review of the Plan of Action
through Regional Implementation Strategies. The United Kingdom’s
Regional Implementation Strategy covers Northern Ireland.
National
At National level, pension and social security are high on the agenda. The Pensions Act
(5) became law in 2007 and links pensions increases with earnings as
opposed to prices from 2012. Additional credits for people raising
children and caring for older people to boost their pensions were
introduced. Some protections are included for those who lost
occupational pensions as a result of underfunded schemes being wound up
before April 2005. In relation to State Pensions and benefits, this Act
will bring changes to state pensions in future. The Act now places the
Pension Credit element which is up-rated in line with or above earnings,
on a permanent, statutory footing.
Regional
At regional level there are a number of age
related public policy initiatives that have the potential to impact
positively on the lives of older people in Northern Ireland. Some are
specific to ageing such as the Ageing in an Inclusive Society (6) and others by their nature are cross-cutting such as Lifetime Opportunities: Governments Anti-Poverty Strategy for Northern Ireland (7).
The main public policy framework in Northern Ireland is the Programme for Government: Building a Better Future, 2008-2011(PfG) (8)
. The PfG, is the overarching high level policy framework for Northern
Ireland and provides useful principles for ageing research and public
policy in Northern Ireland.
The PfG vision is to build a peaceful, fair and
prosperous society in Northern Ireland, with respect for the rule of
law. A number of Public Service Agreements (PSA) aligned to the PfG
confirm key actions that will be taken to support the priorities that
the Government aim to achieve over the next three years. For example
objective 2 of PSA 7: Making Peoples’ Lives Better: Drive a
programme across Government to reduce poverty and address inequality and
disadvantage, refers to taking forward strategic action to
promote social inclusion for older people; and to deliver a strong
independent voice for older people. The Office of the First Minister and
deputy First Minister (OFMDFM) have recently appointed an Interim Older
People’s Advocate, Dame Joan Harbison to provide a focus for older
peoples issues across Government.
Ageing in an Inclusive Society is the
cross-departmental strategy for older people in Northern Ireland and was
launched in March 2005. It sets out the approach to be taken across
Government to promote and support the inclusion of older people. The
vision coupled with six strategic objectives form the basis of the
action plans accompanying the strategy. The vision is:
“To ensure that age related
policies and practices create an enabling environment, which offers
everyone the opportunity to make informed choices so that they may
pursue healthy, active and positive ageing.” (Ageing in an Inclusive Society, Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister, 2005)
Action planning and maintaining momentum across
government in relation to this strategy has proved to be slower than
anticipated. It is proposed to refresh this Strategy in line with Opportunity Age – meeting the challenges of ageing in the 21st Century (9).
There are a number of policy levers elsewhere which can also be used to promote the positive aspects of an ageing society. The Investing for Health (10) and A Healthier Future:A 20 Year Vision for Health and Well-being in Northern Ireland (11), seek
to ensure that the overall vision for health and wellbeing is
achievable and provides a useful framework for ageing policy and
research in the health area. These health initiatives have the potential
to positively impact on the quality of life of older people and provide
a useful framework for improving current policy and practice.
In addition to public policy initiatives, the
anti-discrimination frameworks in terms of employment in Northern
Ireland cover age as well as a range of other grounds. Goods facilitates
and services are currently excluded from the Employment Equality (age)
Regulations (NI) 2006 (12). Supplementing the anti-discrimination
measures, Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 (13), unique to
Northern Ireland, places a statutory obligation on public authorities in
fulfilling their functions to promote equality of opportunity across
nine grounds, one of which is age(14). This positive duty has the
potential to make a real difference to the lives of older people in
Northern Ireland. Those affected by policy decisions must be consulted
and their interests taken into account. This provides an opportunity for
older people and their representatives to participate in public
policy-making, right from the start of the process.
Policy and Research Interface
“Ageing research is vital as
decisions in relation to policy and practice and resource allocation
will be made on the best available information”. (CARDI’s Strategic Plan 2008-2011)
As outlined earlier, CARDI has been established to
bridge the gap to ensure that research reaches those involved in making
policy decisions.
CARDI is stimulating the ageing research agenda in
Ireland through a specific research fund that has a policy and practice
focus. My work is presently focusing on helping to build a greater
awareness of the key policy levers and providing opportunities for those
within research and policy to develop closer links. The development of
this shared understanding by establishing these links between
researchers and policy makers is seen as the best predictor for research
utilization. It is important to acknowledge and recognise that
researchers and policy makers operate in different institutional,
political and cultural contexts. Research however needs to ‘resonate’
with the contextual factors in which policy makers operate.
Conclusions
Those working within the public policy field
recognise all too often that the development of government policies and
initiatives in respect of age does not guarantee that they will result
in changes in actual provision of services, despite Government
recommendations and commitments. The identification of public policy
initiatives as they relate to age has the potential to highlight
persistent and entrenched difficulties that social policy has previously
failed to address. Furthermore, the identification of these
difficulties can maximise the opportunities for progressing these across
government. A focus on developing effective and meaningful targets to
ensure measurable outcomes in public policy for older people can assist
in this. Access to sound, credible and up-to-date evidence will be vital
in this respect. As well as a commitment to working across departmental
boundaries to effect change.
Further details: If you would like to discuss this paper or for further information about CARDI please contact: Judith Cross, Policy Officer, Centre for Ageing Research and Development in Ireland CARDI). t: +44 (0) 28 9069 0066; m: +353 (0) 867 904 171; e: judith@cardi.ie ; or visit our website at: www.cardi.ie
References
1) Centre for Ageing Research and Development in Ireland (2008) Strategic Plan 2008-2011. Belfast. CARDI
2) The Agreement: Agreement Reached in the Multi-Party Negotiations. Belfast 1998
3) Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing. http://www.un.org/ageing/
4) UN Programme on Ageing (2007) Research Agenda on Ageing for the 21st Century: 2007 Update. New York. New York. UN Programme on Ageing and the International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics.
5) The Pensions Act 2007 Chapter 22
6) Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister (2005). Ageing in an Inclusive Society. Belfast. OFMDFM Central Anti-Poverty Unit.
7) Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister (2005). Lifetime Opportunities: Government’s Anti-Poverty and Social Inclusion Strategy for Northern Ireland. Belfast. OFMDFM Central Anti-Poverty Unit.
8) Northern Ireland Executive (2008) Building a Better Future: Programme for Government 2008-2011. Belfast. OFMDFM Economic Policy Unit.
9) Department for Work and Pensions, (2005) Opportunity Age: Meeting the Challenges of Ageing in the 21 st Century. London. DWP.
10) Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSS&PS) (2002) Investing for Health. Belfast. DHSS&PS.
11) Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSS&PS) (2005) A Healthier Future:A 20 Year Vision for Health and Well-being in Northern Ireland Belfast. DHSS&PS.
12) The Employment Equality (Age) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006 SR2006 No.261
13) The Northern Ireland Act 1998, Part VII, S75
14) The nine grounds covered under S75 of the
Northern Ireland Act are: gender, religion, race, sexual orientation,
those with dependents, disability, political opinion, marital status and
age.