Paper 2:2008
NATIONAL FORUM ON AGEING IMPLEMENTATION GROUP
ALL OUR FUTURES: PLANNING FOR A SCOTLAND WITH AN AGEING POPULATION IMPLEMENTATION
The context in which All Our Futures: Planning for a Scotland with an Ageing Population is operating is quite different from that in which it was launched in March 2007. This paper describes that new context, and then sets out where we are with implementation of All Our Futures.
Context
All Our Futures was published on 9 March. Scottish Parliament elections were held on 3 May, and the SNP administration confirmed on 16 May. The Scottish Executive became the Scottish Government shortly after.
The Government has a single, overarching Purpose that will help Scotland flourish and will align, as never before, all the resources and policy of government to the achievement of that Purpose. The Purpose is
To focus government and public services on creating a more successful country, with opportunities for all of Scotland to flourish, through increasing sustainable economic growth.
The purpose is underpinned by the 5 Strategic Objectives -
· a wealthier and fairer Scotland
· a smarter Scotland
· a healthier Scotland
· a safer and stronger Scotland
· a greener Scotland.
Issues around older people cut across all of these, some more than others. Underneath these are the 15 agreed national outcomes.
The Government's Economic Strategy published on 13 November is central to the delivery of the overall Purpose. It sets out how government will work collaboratively with the private, public and third sectors in pursuit of increasing sustainable economic growth.
The draft Scottish Budget published on 14 November set out the Government's spending plans for the next three years 2008-09 to 2010-11. It provides an effective framework for expressing the common purpose of the whole of the public sector and enabling the Government to demonstrate progress to the Parliament and the people of Scotland.
It includes a number of announcements relevant to older people, not least the freeze on council tax; uprating of free personal and nursing care, for the first time; and a commitment to improve support for people affected with dementia.
The new relationship between the Scottish Government and local government is set out in the concordat agreed between Ministers and CoSLA also published on 14 November. It changes quite fundamentally the ways in which the objectives of government are set and delivered.
The Concordat sets a new relationship based on mutual respect and partnership. The emphasis is on local authorities having substantially greater flexibility and greater responsibility. In future, the onus will be increasingly on authorities to reach decisions on where money should be spent to deliver the shared national outcomes. While the Scottish Government will stand back from micro managing what authorities do, authorities will be expected to take responsibility for their own decisions and to be answerable for these.
All Our Futures: Planning for a Scotland with an Ageing Population
All Our Futures: Planning for a Scotland with an Ageing Population was published in March 2007. It sets out how the Scottish Government will deal with the issues around the demographic ageing of the population. The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing (Ms Sturgeon) has made it clear that the Scottish Government endorses All Our Futures as an evidence base and a clear strategy for the future, and supports its overall conclusions.
All Our Futures -
· sees older people as contributors to life in Scotland,
· seeks to break down barriers between generations, and
· aims to ensure that services are in place so that people can live life to the full as they grow older.
All Our Futures followed one of the most extensive consultation and engagement processes ever undertaken by the Executive. The Age and Experience consultation ran from March to June 2006. It was also supported by an external Advisory Group which included representatives from Age Concern Scotland, Help the Aged, and the Scottish Pensioners Forum.
The consultation identified six priority areas for action:
1. improving opportunities and removing barriers
2. forging better links between the generations
3. improving and maintaining health and well being
4. improving care, support and protection for older people
5. developing housing, transport and planning services
6. offering learning opportunities throughout life
Work is underway on the main All Our Futures commitments -
· to set up a Scottish Centre for Intergenerational Practice
· to set up a National Forum on Ageing
· a campaign to combat ageism and promote more positive images of older people
· the national event promised for 2007 - now 2008-09
· report to Parliament.
Scottish Centre for Intergenerational Practice
The Centre has been established, and its Director is Brian McKechnie, Senior Studies Institute, University of Strathclyde. Initial priorities were to:
- develop a website, with materials accessible and useable by all, and
- run introductory roadshows across Scotland, held in February and March.
The Centre is working with public, private and voluntary sector organisations, as well as individuals and families, to gather and share best practice, provide information and support, and develop new opportunities for intergenerational working in communities.
Its first Newsletter issued in December, and a second in January. These had details of the Centre's Roadshow programme, and of its Connecting Generations small grants programme. The Centre used its Roadshow programme to visit communities throughout Scotland to share information and consult on its future activities.
The Roadshow programme was as follows:
Glasgow Tue 19 February Royal Concert Hall
Borders Mon 25 February Tweed Horizons Conference Centre
Kilmarnock Thu 28 February Park Hotel
Aberdeen Tue 4 March Exhibition & Conference Centre
Lerwick Wed 12 March Volunteer Centre
Kirkwall Thur 13 March Volunteer Centre
Stornoway Tue 18 March Volunteer Centre
Edinburgh Thur 20 March Queen Margaret University
Perth Wed 26 March Salutation Hotel
Glenrothes Tue 29 April Rothes Hall
Inverness Wed 30 April Thistle Hotel
The Centre's web-site is at www.scotcip.org.uk
Brian McKechnie will provide input of 2 days a week to the centre in 2008-09, and a priority is to recruit a Development Officer. Other priorities for 2008-09 are:
- Continue to develop SCIP as a recognised national centre providing information and support, through newsletters, web information and published materials.
- Produce a national summary of current intergenerational working in Scotland through local and web based information gathering, good and interesting practice identification and project evaluation activity.
- Develop a national training and support programme to meet identified needs and support local networks, including development of support materials and training / learning opportunities, online materials from other national centres, training for trainers and SCIP Summer or weekend schools.
- Network membership to be served by local SCIP development partnerships located regionally across the country to provide local support and intervention, on a low cost part time or volunteering basis. Inclusive local networks to be established in each local authority area to support intergenerational working, train practitioners and identify new areas of working and potential partners. This to be initiated by a series of small scale networking meetings to be held in late 2008 and early 2009.
- Support the development of intergenerational project activity throughout Scotland by influencing funding organisations to develop specific funding strands, promoting standards for intergenerational practice, providing guidance for funding applications and supporting innovative projects.
- Develop links with older peoples groups in communities, day and residential care centres and other groups to explore opportunities for intergenerational working to benefit older citizens.
National Forum on Ageing
The National Forum on Ageing Implementation Group has been established with its first meeting on 16 September. It is a working group about implementation of All Our Futures, acting as a champion, providing direction to All Our Futures in the current context, and taking thinking forward beyond All Our Futures for new issues and challenges arising. It is chaired by the Minister for Public Health.
Proposals for another manifestation of the National Forum on Ageing were presented to the first meeting, for a National Forum on Ageing Futures Group. The proposal presented has an entirely different focus, and will take the National Forum on Ageing to parts of Scotland the Implementation Group will not reach.
Anti Ageism Campaign
The Scottish Government commissioned the Newhaven Agency to develop a campaign to promote more positive images of older people and tackle ageism.
As a first step in the process, the Newhaven Agency commissioned 2 pieces of research. The first was qualitative data from 12 mini groups covering the ages 18 to over 70. These groups were held over 26-29 November 2007 in Glasgow, Inverurie, Edinburgh and Dundee. They involved discussion of issues affecting attitudes to older people, though often brought out quite forcefully that younger people (particularly teens) often feel discriminated against, and that these younger people are much more angry than those who are over 70.
Quantitative research was undertaken by telephone surveys of 1,022 adults across Scotland (weighted roughly according to population) over the period 23 November to 6 December 2007. Questions asked were based loosely on Age Concern research.
The findings of these 2 pieces of work were consistent (this is very unusual) and suggested that the campaign tone should
- be warm, engaging
- be ageless, but challenging, and prompting reflection.
- run deep and stir something within, and
- create empathy, not sympathy, for older people.
Newhaven Agency developed treatments for TV, radio, newspaper and poster advertising, which they have just tested in public focus groups. This seeks to
- put the subject of older people on the public agenda and challenge negative perceptions towards older people (possibly referencing teenagers for clarity and understanding)
- provoke thought, and get people to recognise and reflect on their own attitudes and mindset.
The message is See the person, not the age. The campaign began with a press launch on 4 July at Discovery Point in Dundee, and is running from 7 July to end-September. It involves TV over a 9 week period, radio over an 8 week period, press advertising, and public relations work with local authorities and the voluntary sector, e.g. Community Service Volunteers.
The 'See the Person, Not the Age' TV advertisement was voted the public's favourite of the week, in a marketing agency's weekly poll of 1,000 members of the public.
National event
The All Our Futures commitment is
'to hold a national stakeholder event at the end of 2007 to hear the initial plans for action identified by key stakeholders at which we will consider further the responses of all sectors to this Strategy'.
This did not happen in 2007, and we are taking this forward for 2008-09. Rather than having one national event, we now plan on holding 7 regional events so more people can participate. These will be in Glasgow (Royal Concert Hall on 14 November), Aberdeen, Inverness, Perth or Dundee, Edinburgh, Borders, and Dumfries and Galloway. There is also the possibility of a joint Black and Minority Ethnic older people stakeholder event for summer 2009.
These events will be organised and run by several local older people's organisations working together. There will be themed workshops for delegates, as well as representatives from the Department for Work and Pensions, Scottish Helpline for Older People, Energy Watch and the likes of the Scottish Centre for Intergenerational Practice and the Scotland Futures Forum.
Regular reports to Parliament
The All Our Futures commitment is
'We intend to make regular reports to Parliament, starting in 2008.' Vol 1 p. 11
We plan to submit written reports every 2 years ('regular intervals'). We are working on the first report, which will report on the main All Our Futures commitments mentioned above. There is an issue as to what extent we report on each of the 47 action points at the end of Volume 1, or seek to relate to the 5 Strategic Objectives: our preference is for the latter. We expect to present the first report to Parliament in October or November.
Older People and Age Team
Scottish Government
September 2008