in partnership with Towards a Wellbeing Framework: TOWARDS A WELLBEING FRAMEWORK 1 Contents 1. Introduction 3 1.1 About the Roundtable 3 1.2 Process of the Roundtable 4 1.3 This Report 5 2. The Rise of Wellbeing as a Framework for Governments 7 2.1 The Theory of Wellbeing 7 2.2 A Global Wellbeing Conversation 12 2.3 Mixed Messages on Wellbeing in Northern Ireland 14 2.4 Wellbeing, Public Value and Public Service Reform 15 3. The Need for a New Narrative 19 3.1 Cultivating New Conversations, New Narratives 19 3.2 Beyond Measurement, Towards a Learning Society 21 3.3 Interrupting Unhelpful Stories 23 3.4 A Viable Narrative 28 4. Cultivating Wellbeing on the Journey out of Conflict 31 4.1 Making Connections 31 4.2 ‘Trauma Time’ 32 5. Towards a Wellbeing Framework 36 5.1 A Living Framework 36 5.2 The Scottish Experience 39 5.3 Elements of a Wellbeing Framework for Northern Ireland 46 5.4 Strategic Commitments and Outcomes 52 5.5 The Purpose of a Wellbeing Framework 56 6. Citizen engagement 58 6.1 The Principle of Citizen Engagement in Wellbeing Frameworks 58 6.2 The Practice of Citizen Engagement in Wellbeing Frameworks 59 6.3 Communicating our Progress on Wellbeing 61 7. New Ways of Working 63 7.1 Aligning the System: System Reset 63 7.2 The Enabling State 64 7.3 The Role of the Programme for Government 66 7.4 The 2016-21 Programme for Government 68 7.5 Strategic Integration 68 7.6 Budgeting for Outcomes 69 7.7 Local Government Reform and Community Planning 70 7.8 Prevention 73 TOWARDS A WELLBEING FRAMEWORK 2 7.9 Co-production 73 7.10 Assets-based Approaches to Wellbeing 74 8. Scrutiny 76 8.1 Scrutiny by Assembly Committees 76 8.2 The Northern Ireland Audit Office and the Public Accounts Committee 77 8.3 Local Government Scrutiny 77 9. Supporting a Wellbeing Framework 79 9.1 Capacity Building 79 9.2 Managing Complexity and Uncertainty 80 9.3 Policy Appraisal 82 9.4 Logic Modelling 83 9.5 Evaluation of Policies and Programmes 85 9.6 Statistical Support 85 10. The Roundtable Recommendations: Rationale 87 Appendix 1: Report on Focus Groups 90 Appendix 2: Stakeholder Interviews Report 102 Appendix 3: List of individuals and organisations from whom evidence was received 115 TOWARDS A WELLBEING FRAMEWORK 3 Introduction The Carnegie UK Trust has been actively involved in promoting our understanding of wellbeing since the establishment of the first Carnegie Roundtable on Measuring What Matters in Scotland, in 2010. The Trust’s discussion paper Measuring Wellbeing in Northern Ireland: A new conversation for new times reports on the outcomes of the conference the Trust hosted in autumn, 2013, on measuring economic performance and societal progress in Northern Ireland, and announced the launch of the Carnegie Roundtable on Measuring Wellbeing in Northern Ireland. The Roundtable has the support of Finance Minister, Simon Hamilton MLA and the Assembly Finance Committee Chair, Daithí McKay MLA, for its work in Northern Ireland. The aim of the Roundtable was to raise awareness of the importance of measuring wellbeing and the positive impact that this has on policy development. The remit of the Roundtable was to explore the next steps necessary to develop a wellbeing framework in Northern Ireland focused on achieving wellbeing outcomes and to seek cross-party support for this. Dr Theresa Donaldson Chief Executive, Lisburn City and Castlereagh District Council Dr Peter Doran School of Law, Queen’s University Belfast and Carnegie Associate (Executive secretary) Megan Fearon MLA Nominee of Chair of Finance & Personnel Committee David Gavaghan Chief Executive, Titanic Quarter Professor Neil Gibson Director, NI Centre for Economic Policy, University of Ulster Will Haire Head of the Policy Profession, NI Civil Service Kat Healy Policy, Research and Evaluation Officer, Community Foundation for Northern Ireland Dr Helen Johnston Senior Social Policy Analyst, National Economic and Social Council David McIlveen MLA Nominee of Minister of Finance & Personnel Dr Denis McMahon Deputy Secretary, Office of First and deputy First Minister Joe Reynolds Alternate Dr Tracy Power Director of Analysis, NI Statistics Research Agency Quintin Oliver Joseph Rowntree Foundation James Orr Director, Friends of the Earth Dr Colin Sullivan Director of Policy and Reform, Department of Finance and Personnel Dr Bernie Stuart Alternate Jennifer Wallace Head of Policy, Carnegie UK Trust Dr Jane Wilde CBE Former Chief Executive, Institute of Public Health in Ireland Lisa Wilson School of Sociology, Social Policy and Social Work, Queen’s University Belfast John Woods School of Law, Queen’s University Belfast and Carnegie Associate (Executive Secretary) (Roundtable representatives contributed on an individual basis. Not all of the views expressed in this report therefore necessarily represent the views of every individual in the Roundtable or their associated organisations.) TOWARDS A WELLBEING FRAMEWORK 4 1.2 Process of the Roundtable The Roundtable held four formal meetings in Belfast during 2014. • The first meeting of the Roundtable was convened on March 24, 2014. The first meeting established a shared understanding of the international and national policy debate on wellbeing and the measurement of economic performance and social progress, and began to assess the relevance of the debate for Northern Ireland’s political institutions and identify priority issues. • The second meeting took place on June 5, 2014. The second meeting covered an update on external engagement activities, an introduction to Scotland’s National Performance Framework from Chief Statistician in the Scottish Government, Roger Halliday, and the results from the EU research programme BRAINPOol: Bringing Alternative Indicators Into Policy. • The third meeting of the Roundtable was held on August 27, 2014. The third meeting involved the Roundtable members dividing into working groups on a new performance framework; ways of working; scrutiny; a Programme for Government; creating a compelling narrative and public participation. The working groups drafted recommendations on these work streams to inform the final report. • The final Roundtable meeting took place on December 10, 2014, at which the Roundtable members discussed and concluded the final report. At the first meeting of the Roundtable, it was agreed that there was a need to engage with different interest groups in Northern Ireland in the Roundtable process, through focus groups with members of the public, stakeholder interviews and a wider call for input. The Roundtable commissioned focus groups with ethnic minorities, older people, young people and women, in order to engage different sections of society with the idea of wellbeing and how it can be measured. A report of the findings was provided to Roundtable members to inform their discussions. We conducted interviews with key stakeholders in Northern Ireland, including representatives from political parties, local government, trade unions, business, the voluntary sector and a number of thematic groups, to inform the work of the Roundtable. A call for input into the work of the Roundtable was circulated to other interested parties, primarily using the Trust’s networks and social media. The Roundtable also undertook a study visit to Scotland in June, 2014, to learn from the Scottish Government’s world-leading approach to measuring wellbeing. As part of the study visit, the Roundtable members took part in a number of sessions to give them a strategic overview of how the Scottish Government measures what matters. Roundtable members took part in sessions on public TOWARDS A WELLBEING FRAMEWORK 5 sector reform and outcomes working, the Scotland Performs Roundtable, the development of the National Performance Framework, and practical experience of working to an outcomes approach. 1.3 This Report This technical – or background – report should be read alongside the Roundtable’s Towards a Wellbeing Framework: Findings from the Roundtable on Measuring Wellbeing in Northern Ireland (2015)1. The technical report sets out some of the Roundtable’s detailed thinking – drawing on deliberations by members and various inputs to the Roundtable – to help explain the thinking behind the 10 recommendations to the Northern Ireland Executive (below). This report was completed before the official announcement of a reduction in the number of Government departments to nine, and the replacement of the OFMDFM by The Executive Office. This report begins with a short history of the Roundtable and its process of deliberation and consultation. The report proceeds to locate the debate about wellbeing within a series of influential policy conversations, noting how these now offer a timely set of organising concepts and ideas with which to frame local policy deliberations. One of the key recommendations is that a coherent governmental focus on wellbeing will be best served by a focus on outcomes. The central elements of this report reflect the organisation of the Roundtable’s deliberations and emergent priorities: The need for a new narrative; Towards a Wellbeing Framework; Citizen Engagement; New Ways of Working; Scrutiny; and Supporting a Wellbeing Framework. The Roundtable quickly arrived at a conclusion that a meaningful approach to wellbeing within Government, between the Executive and Local Government, and within communities, will require a new conversation and the construction of a compelling and meaningful narrative. While there will be opportunities for many organisations, including cultural bodies, to help facilitate such