OLDER PEOPLE'S CONSULTATIVE FORUM
All Our Futures: Planning for a Scotland with an Ageing Population
This note sets the context in which the Scottish Government is operating, and then deals with All Our Futures: Planning for a Scotland with an Ageing Population and its implementation.
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. 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.
Scottish Centre for Intergenerational Practice
The Centre has been established, based at Children in Scotland, and its Director is Brian McKechnie, Senior Studies Institute, University of Strathclyde. Its priorities are to develop a website, with materials on that website accessible and useable by all, and to run introductory roadshows across Scotland in February and March.
The centre will work 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.
The Centre issued its first Newsletter in December, and a second in January. These have details of the Centre's Roadshow programme, and of its Connecting Generations small grants programme. Over the coming months, the Scottish Centre for Intergenerational Practice will be visiting communities throughout Scotland to share information and consult on the future activities of the Centre.
The Roadshow programme is 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
Inverness Wed 30 April
Thurso Thur 1 May
Fife to be confirmed
The Centre's web-site is at www.scotcip.org.uk.
National Forum on Ageing
The Minister for Public Health (Shona Robison) has agreed to chair the National Forum on Ageing. This will be a working group about implementation of All Our Futures, acting as a champion and to provide direction to All Our Futures. Its membership will include 4 older people, 2 nominated by the Older People's Consultative Forum and 2 others, COSLA, Scottish Federation of Housing Associations, Association of Directors of Social Work, Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland, Councils for Voluntary Service, Chief Executive. Age Concern Scotland, and the Director, Help the Aged in Scotland.
The first meeting is now due to be held on 16 September.
Anti Ageism Campaign
Work is underway with the Newhaven Agency on developing 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 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. 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 has since developed treatments for TV, radio, newspaper and poster advertising, which they have just tested in public focus groups. This would seek 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 will involve TV over a 9 week period, radio over an 8 week period, press advertising, and public relations work that would involve local authorities and the voluntary sector, e.g. Community Service Volunteers.
Timing is subject to confirmation, but the campaign is likely to run from 7 July to end-September.
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. We now think that rather than having one national event, there could be 5 or 6 regional events so more people can share in it. These could be in the likes of Dumfries and Galloway, Aberdeenshire, Inverness, East Ayrshire, Glasgow, and Fife or Edinburgh/Lothians. We are planning to hold these in September and October. These might then conclude with a national event.
These would have themed workshops for delegates, as well as representatives from the likes of the Scottish Centre for Intergenerational Practice and the Scotland Futures Forum to promote and update their work.
Older People and Age Team
Scottish Government
April 2008