Making Policy Work For You

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PRESENTATION

• Making Policy Work For You

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Outline of the day

• Morning Session
• Session one Introduction to policy
• Session two What good policy looks like
• Session three How the community and voluntary
  sector
• engages with policy
• Session four Policy analysis skills
• Lunch
• Afternoon Session
• Session five Putting policy into practice
  (guest practitioner)
• Feedback and close

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Introductions about NICVA

• NICVAs mission is to achieve progressive social
  change by tackling disadvantage through
  voluntary action and community development.  It
  is the representative body for the voluntary and
  community sector in Northern Ireland and has over
  1,000 organisations in its membership.

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Introductions - what NICVA does

• Governance and Charity advice - set up/operation
  of a group
• Funding Advice - advice on project planning,
  funding and grant-makers
• Policy - training, facilitation, lobbying and
  representation, raising profile of sector
• Europe - NICVA houses Europe Direct and a
  European library
• Research - knowledge about the sector for
  researchers, policy makers, etc
• Partnerships - representing the sector on
  committees, fora and working groups

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Introductions todays trainers

• Lisa McElherron Policy Development Manager
  NICVA
• Jonny Currie Policy Development Officer NICVA
• Karin Eyben Policy Officer Rural Community
  Network

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Introductions housekeeping information

• Fire alarms
• Emergency exits
• Assembly area
• Toilets
• Timetable and break times
• Mobile phones

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Introductions Objectives for today

• By the end of the session you will be able to
• describe where policy comes from
• understand how government develops policy
• outline the key skills necessary to respond to
  policy
• critically examine the policy function of your
  
• organisation
• highlight examples of good practice in policy
• development and responding to policy.

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Session 1 introduction to policy

• Discuss with a partner
• name, role and organisation
• why you came today
• key policy issues in your sector
• what is the main policy issue you would want
• to influence?
• Introduce your partner to the group.

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Session 2 what good policy looks like

• Social Policy is
• policies of government in relation to welfare,
• social protection and the environment
• and
• the way in which welfare, in its broadest
  sense,
• is developed in society. It is about how
  people and
• society are quality of life.

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Where does policy come from?

• European Union
• England and Wales
• From policy experts and academics
• Reviews of legislation
• Priorities and budget
• Party policy/manifestos
• Decisions of Ministers
• Public opinion
• Lobbying

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Sectors relationship with Government

• New Labour philosophy
• Compact
• Joint Forum
• Representative from each Government Department.
  At least Grade 7. 15 members from the voluntary
  and community sector. Meets three times per year
  to focus on issues of concern to the sector.
• Taskforce
• Partnerships
• Contracts

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Why does the sector want to influence policy?
Session 3 How the voluntary and community
sector engages with policy

• Its what we are about
• Core to our aims and objectives
• Social change
• Need
• Concern about how things are done
• Belief in participative democracy
• To get results

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How the sector influences policy

• Groups and networks
• Working with government
• Policy fora and policy manifesto
• Consultation

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Groups and networks

• Branches and local groups
• Membership organisations, thematic and
• geographical
• Established groups, eg Law Centre fora on
• social security, community care, etc
• Sub-sectoral networks, eg Coalition for
• Environmental Protection, Equality Coalition
• Job-specific networks, eg ACOVO

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Working with Government

• Specific groups such as PSI groups
• Steering groups, advisory groups
• Sub-sectoral structures, eg NGO Forum in the
  childrens sector
• Joint Forum
• Targeted consultations

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Policy Fora and Manifestos

• Policy fora on Older People, Women, Arts,
  Environment, Local/Global Poverty facilitated by
  NICVA
• Existing fora in other parts of the sector eg
  Voluntary Sector Housing Policy Forum, Coalition
  of Aid and Development Agencies, Ad-Hoc Womens
  Policy Group
• Manifestos NICVA and other organisations such
  as NIEL

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Consultation

• The main purpose is to improve decision making
• by ensuring that decisions are soundly based on
• evidence, that they take into account the views
• and experience of those effected by them, that
• innovative and creative options are considered
  and
• that new arrangements are workable.
• Cabinet Office 2004
• www.cabinet-office.gov.uk

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Types of Consultation

• Document looking for responses to key questions,
  sometimes with a pro forma
• E-consultation
• Seminar, focus group
• Public meeting
• Questionnaire
• One-to-one meetings

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What to respond to and how

• What is relevant?
• What capacity do you have? Staff? Time?
• Internal decision making?
• Can you contribute to another response?
• Can you endorse another response?
• Using other sources eg manifestos, research

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Consulting

• Do you have members?
• Do you represent a particular client group whose
  views need to be heard?
• Conferences, seminars, e-consultations, email,
  briefings and policy papers are useful ways to
  consult.

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9 things you need to know to do policy analysis
Session 4 Policy analysis skills

• Know your subject
• Know what you have said before
• Know the status quo
• Know what good policy looks like
• Know the process
• Know what others are saying
• Know the stats
• Know the bigger picture
• Know how you would do it better

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Follow-up

• Give your details and be prepared to discuss
  further if necessary
• Check if responses will be published if so,
  ensure yours is adequately reflected
• Ask for feedback, or details of any further
  consultations
• Relay this to your members, clients etc
• Compare final to original document

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Good policy?

• What key elements do you think should be in a
  good policy document?
• What do you think makes bad policy?
• Discuss with a partner

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Good policy

• Evidence (evidence-based policy/policy-based
  evidence?)
• Vision
• Budget
• Is it measurable?
• Will it be monitored?
• Does it take account of need?
• Who has been involved in developing it?

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An Example of Good Policy Making

• Taskforce on Resourcing the Voluntary and
  Community Sector
• Driven by a transparent and broadly
  representative group
• Published all research, other papers and minutes
• Looked for evidence
• Made themselves available
• Pathways for Change mid term report
• Inclusive and wide consultation process
• - Resourced groups to participate
• - Available for meetings and presentations
• Analysis of responses
• Investing Together
• Positive Steps ongoing process with sector

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An example of bad policy making

• Towards an Anti-Poverty Strategy
• No concrete proposals
• Launched during a holiday (no questions)
• Consultation over the summer
• Ignored much of the consultation
• No real change from what we already have
• Endless evidence BUT
• No political vision
• No budget
• Secrecy
• Flawed process of reaching targets upside down

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Current Policy Issues

• Many areas impact across the sector
• Review of Public Administration
• Anti-Poverty Strategy
• Partners for Change
• A Shared Future
• Positive Steps
• Strategies eg gender, race, older people

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Policy Innovation Unit - Role
To improve the capacity of the Northern Ireland
administration to address strategic,
cross-cutting issues To promote innovation in
the development of policy and in the delivery of
government objectives. To promote evidence-based
policy making, including the dissemination of
relevant information and research.
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Consequences of Poor Policy

• User expectations not met
• Poor quality services
• Adverse effects on competitiveness
• Adverse social / environmental impacts
• Not sustainable in the long term
• Sections of society excluded from benefits

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The Policy Cycle A Practical Guide to Policy
Making in Northern Ireland
The Strategic Policy Process

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10 Features of Good Policy Making (OFMDFM, 2003)
Inclusive Joined up Learns lessons Communicat
ion Evaluation Review
Forward looking Outward looking Innovative,
flexible creative Evidence-based Inclusive
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Further information - contacts

• Lisa McElherron
• NICVA Policy Development Manager
• E-Mail lisa.mcelherron_at_nicva.org
• Tel [phone]
• Jonny Currie
• NICVA Policy Development Officer
• Email jonny.currie_at_nicva.org
• Tel [phone]
• Web Sites www.nicva.org www.communityni.org

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