CHAPTER 7 - STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION

Successful action on ageing is not just about drafting a strategy, policy or plan. It is also about gaining the political, institutional and community support needed to implement it. While Ireland has been innovative in the introduction of policy initiatives, pioneering the ban on smoking in public places and other innovative policy changes, the difficulties associated with implementation have been apparent in the fact that strategies often fail to progress beyond pilot stage (McGauran & Moore, 2007).

This chapter will look at the way that previous strategies have been developed and implemented. It will examine factors necessary for the successful implementation of policy as identified by research and by reviewing the experience of two national strategies (on Disability and Children), this chapter will outline a number of alternative approaches to implementation. It will examine the challenges that apply to the Irish situation and the structures and processes that could support the implementation process. Finally it will look at the role that research and data can play and the evaluation mechanisms that can be put in place to ensure that the success of the process can be measured and guaranteed.