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The Policy Readiness Tool. Laura Nieuwendyk , MSc Project Coordinator Policy, Location and Access in Community Environments (PLACE) Research Lab. In what ways is policy part of your work?. 1. I participate in promoting policy ( formally or informally). - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Centre for Health Promotion Studies
The Policy Readiness ToolLaura Nieuwendyk, MSc
Project CoordinatorPolicy, Location and Access in Community
Environments (PLACE) Research Lab
In what ways is policy part of your work?
1. I participate in promoting policy (formally or informally).2. I help to find evidence / build the case for new policies.3. I contribute to policy development.4. I am responsible for policy implementation.5. I monitor or evaluate policy effectiveness. 6. I am interested in policy, but do not have an active role.7. Policy is not part of my work / applicable to my job.8. Other
2
How would you rate your capacity to support or influence the policy process in your school or school district?
• High • Low
3
• Not sure• Medium
Centre for Health Promotion Studies
• The Policy Readiness Tool is an evidence-based tool to help foster healthy public policy
• Intent is to make participating in policy change more accessible to non-experts and experts- e.g., Policy Developers, Advocates, Community Organizations, Non-
profit Sector Staff and Volunteers, Government Employees, Community Members
- Simple to use and not restricted to health policies
- Available in English and French
Overview: Policy Readiness Tool
Centre for Health Promotion Studies
• The policy process is dynamic and can be intimidating, especially if dealing with a new issue or a new setting- Tool offers a “place to start” - Helps the user identify a municipality’s (or organization’s) relative
readiness for a policy- Then links that to evidence-based strategies known to work with
those different levels of readiness
• Provides targeted strategies to help navigate what can be a convoluted policy process- Especially for those new to advocacy or policy development, or
who are working with an unfamiliar issue
Overview: Policy Readiness Tool
Centre for Health Promotion Studies
A simple self-administered tool that:1. Assesses readiness for policy change using a simple, self-
administered checklist
2. Provides targeted, evidence-based policy change strategies for taking action (based on level of readiness)
3. Recommends general evidence-based resources to foster healthy public policy
So What is the Policy Readiness Tool?
Readiness = relative tolerance for risk for a new policyIt is NOT static & can be different from issue to issue
Centre for Health Promotion Studies
To build healthier communities……local organizations, skilled and lay advocates, and
others must be involved in the process of policy change
To support this, we need to:
‐ address barriers to local participation in public
policy
‐ increase local capacity for policy change
Centre for Health Promotion Studies
• Emerged out of research program on municipal policy development & diffusion in tobacco control
Background on Tool Development
Centre for Health Promotion Studies
• Emerged out of research program on municipal policy development & diffusion in tobacco control
• The Policy Readiness Tool employs Rogers’ “diffusion of innovations theory” to make participating in policy change more accessible
Background on Tool Development
Centre for Health Promotion Studies
Diffusion:
the spread of
something across
time and place
Innovation:something new to
solve a problem or
improve a situation
Diffusion of Innovations= a theory that is used to examine how something new spreads from
place to place over time
Centre for Health Promotion Studies
• Emerged out of research program on municipal policy development & diffusion in tobacco control
• The Policy Readiness Tool employs diffusion of innovations theory to make participating in policy change more accessible
• Level of innovation: the degree to which an adopter is relatively earlier or later in taking up new ideas than other members of a system
Background on Tool Development
Centre for Health Promotion Studies
Understanding Level of Innovation
• Past work on smoke-free spaces bylaws revealed common patterns of municipal policy behaviour
• Key findings:• Initial adopters were often the first to amend or strengthen bylaws
over time - “Initiators” reprise their roles as issue evolved
• Municipal decision-makers followed familiar patterns of policy making within their network
• Different types of “adopter characteristics” were suggestive of a municipality’s bylaw readiness relative to others in the same policy context
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• Phase 1: Development of a pilot tool
• Phase 2: Tested the tool with municipal representatives across Alberta (24 communities)
• Phase 3: Lit review, environmental scan, and key informant interviews with experts working in policy To collect evidence-based and best practice strategies on
development / implementation of healthy public policy
Development of the Tool (2011)
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• Expert advice provided by the Provincial Advisory Group of the Alberta Policy Coalition for Chronic Disease Prevention (APCCP)- Included policy developers and advocates, practitioners,
community organizations, and researchers representing 15 different organizations across Alberta
The APCCP works together to coordinate efforts, generate evidence and advocate for policy change in order to reduce
chronic disease in Alberta.
http://www.abpolicycoalitionforprevention.ca/
Policy Readiness Tool – Key Partners
Centre for Health Promotion Studies
A simple self-administered tool that:1. Assesses readiness for policy change using a simple, self-
administered checklist
So What is the Policy Readiness Tool?
Centre for Health Promotion Studies
Centre for Health Promotion Studies
• Use of 3 categories eases applicability for practitioners:
Innovators
Majority
Late Adopters
• Enables users to apply the tool in a variety of contexts
“Readiness” Categories
Readiness = relative tolerance for risk for a new policyIt is NOT static & can be different from issue to issue
Centre for Health Promotion Studies
• Not a value judgment about a municipality
There is no good or bad adopter category!
• Instead, the Tool offers an efficient way to select appropriate strategies to support policy development in a particular context
Not a one-size-fits-all solution, but a place to start!
“Readiness” Categories – Caveats
Centre for Health Promotion Studies
A simple self-administered tool that:1. Assesses readiness for policy change using a simple, self-
administered checklist
2. Provides targeted, evidence-based policy change strategies for taking action (based on level of readiness)
So What is the Policy Readiness Tool?
We’re coming back to
this!
Centre for Health Promotion Studies
A simple self-administered tool that:1. Assesses readiness for policy change using a simple, self-
administered checklist
2. Provides targeted, evidence-based policy change strategies for taking action (based on level of readiness)
3. Recommends general evidence-based resources to foster healthy public policy
So What is the Policy Readiness Tool?
Centre for Health Promotion Studies
Who Can Use the Tool?
Anyone interested in encouraging healthy public policy development:
Policy developers Advocates Community organizations Non-profit sector staff and volunteers Government employees Community members / general public Researchers
Available in English and French (~900 downloads to date)
Centre for Health Promotion Studies
What Kinds of Policies Can the Tool be Used With?
• Designed to encourage and support healthy public policies in general, for example: Smoke-free public spaces regulations Injury prevention (e.g., helmet bylaws) Nutrition policies (e.g., in schools or recreation facilities) Social planning policies Location/implementation of new green spaces or facilities etc, etc
• Created with municipalities in mind, but can be used with other types of governing bodies (e.g., school boards)
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• Complete the short checklist (found on page 5 of the tool)
• Choose the ‘closest’ description (A, B, or C) in each row that describes a characteristic (there are 11 rows)
• Tally up the total number of As, Bs, and Cs
• Select the category (A, B, or C) that has the most responses
Let’s try it together…
Using the Policy Readiness Tool
Take a moment and think about the school or school district that you work with and consider the questions from the Policy
Readiness Tool Complete the tool individually and tally your score.
25
Based on your responses to the questions
• Mostly As • Mostly Bs
26
• Mostly Cs
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Using the Policy Readiness Tool:“Adopter Categories”
Mostly Bs: The Majority
Mostly As: Innovators
Mostly Cs: Late Adopters
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• Talk about experiences getting a new policy or idea put forward within your school or school district
• Can be related to things that you have already experience or anticipate experiencing
Small Group Discussion
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• What surprised you the most?
• What were some of the commonalities/differences amongst your group?
• What were your overall experiences?
Large Group Sharing
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• Mostly As: Innovators are described as “adventurous” and often serve as initiators or role models within their social networks
• Mostly Bs: The Majority are described as “deliberate” because they require time to consider the evidence and determine whether to adopt a new policy
• Mostly Cs: Late Adopters are described as “traditional” and may be skeptical of new ideas (without substantial evidence) or eager to maintain the status quo
Adopter Category Descriptors
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• Are described as “adventurous” and often serve as initiators or role models within their social networks- Attracted by high-reward initiatives and are “risk-takers”- Can cope with elevated levels of uncertainty associated with the
new policy- Typically willing to cope with initial problems & able to identify
solutions to these problems
Mostly As: Innovators
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Centre for Health Promotion Studies
• Are described as “deliberate” because they require time to consider the evidence and determine whether to adopt a new policy- Seldom leads the pack
- Is often of the philosophy that it is better to change as a group than to be one of the first to change
- Tends to adopt policies at about the same time as the average adopter
Mostly Bs: The Majority
Centre for Health Promotion Studies
Centre for Health Promotion Studies
• Are described as “traditional” and may be skeptical of new ideas (without substantial evidence) or eager to maintain the status quo - Usually wait until the majority of others have adopted a policy
- May need to be pressured into policy adoption
- May never adopt the policy unless required to
Mostly Cs: Late Adopters
Centre for Health Promotion Studies
Centre for Health Promotion Studies
Centre for Health Promotion Studies
• Not a value judgment about a municipality, organization, school or school district
There is no good or bad adopter category!
• Instead, the Policy Readiness Tool offers an efficient way to select appropriate strategies to support policy development in a particular context
Not a one-size-fits-all solution, but a place to start!
Reminder: Category Caveats
Centre for Health Promotion Studies
• Successful diffusion depends on interaction between the adopter groups over time and place- e.g., A critical mass of bylaws can lead to provincial policy
• Supports action and advocacy:- Find sound innovations & support innovators
- Make innovator activity observable (visible!)
• Understanding policy adoption trends is useful for: - Refining policy strategies
- Responding to changes in policy context
- Informing new policies or policy development in other jurisdictions
Lessons from Practice So Far…
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Increasing Local Capacity for Policy Change
1) Builds personal and community level capacity Increase knowledge, skills & leadership
2) Addresses the resource capacity issues of advocates and organizations
Focus on effective use of limited resources via tailored strategies
3) Builds knowledge through intersectoral collaboration Encourage those from different sectors to consider new policy
change strategies
Applying the Tool: Strengths
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Applying the Tool: Limitations
• Diffusion theory is uni-directional, time-specific, and linear
- Static instrument explaining a dynamic process, which may still be ongoing at time of “readiness” assessment
• Most applicable to simple (single issue) and straight-forward cases of policy change
• Caveat - users must remain flexible and leave room to act on the unexpected!
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The team would like to thank members of the Alberta Policy Coalition for Chronic Disease Prevention (APCCP) for their expertise and feedback
in the development of the Policy Readiness Tool.
Financial Support:
* Diffusion work was funded by a CIHR Strategic Training Program in Tobacco Research Fellowship (2004-2005).
* PRT development supported by the APCCP (2009-2011), which was funded by Alberta Cancer Prevention Legacy Fund (Alberta Health Services).
* PRT pilot evaluation funded by Killam Trusts, University of Alberta (2012).
Acknowledgements
Centre for Health Promotion Studies
Laura NieuwendykPLACE Project Coordinator
School of Public Health, University of AlbertaPhone: 780-492-3902
E-mail: laura.nieuwendyk@ualberta.ca
For more information on the Policy Readiness Tool: www.policyreadinesstool.com
If you have specific comments or feedback about the Policy Readiness Tool send them to: prteval@ualberta.ca
For further information or follow-up conversation:
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