A Submission from the
WHO WE ARE The Alberta Centre (The Centre) is grateful for the opportunity to provide this submission as input to the development of Alberta s Social Policy Framework. Established in 2003 and funded by The Province of Alberta, The Centre generates, synthesizes and mobilizes research knowledge and evidence on policy issues related to improving the well-being of children, families, and communities in Alberta. Its aim is to provide an unbiased evidence-informed foundation for identifying and promoting effective public policy and service delivery. In collaboration with multiple partners and stakeholders across sectors and disciplines, The Centre develops capacity, knowledge and skill in researchers, policy makers, service providers, and families. In addition, The Centre has the ability, through its Child and Youth Data Laboratory (CYDL), to analyze and interpret linked administrative data collected across child and youth serving ministries to respond to policy questions and inform program development. The CYDL has the ability to undertake retrospective, longitudinal analyses and can thus depict the impact of policy decisions over time. It is the only such data laboratory in Canada established specifically to inform social policy. Given our mandate, and the Province s historical interest in bringing knowledge and evidence to social policy via the creation and support of The Centre, we are pleased to see a proposed principle for the Social Policy Framework of policy and programs being informed by knowledge and evidence. WHAT WE THINK The ability of any single individual to realize their talents and contribute to a civic society is most likely to occur when the basic needs of all are addressed. This concept is neither novel nor discipline specific and has been articulated by scholars, anthropologists, economists, business leaders, public health experts, humanitarians, theologians and great thinkers over time. As illustrated simply, and some time ago, by Abraham Maslow, the ability to realize human potential, including physical, cognitive, social and emotional development is contingent upon personal experience of having one s basic needs of food, safety and security met (Maslow, 1943). Furthermore, the greatest return on investment to optimize human development occurs when children are young (Heckman, 2000). Others have identified that when competition for basic needs is minimized, civic society flourishes, illness decreases, lifespan increases, and economic productivity accelerates (Ryan & Jetha, 2010; Wilkinson & Pickett, 2010; Bronson & Merryman, 2009; Etzioni, 2001). In summary, the health and well-being of the individual is correlated to and contingent upon the health and well-being of the community (Christakis & Fowler, 2009; Garrett L, 2000). When social policy is effective it is often invisible nothing happens When social policy is operationalized and adequately resourced children are safe and happy, caregivers are skilled and loving, strangers are compassionate. When social policy is operationalized, children arrive at school ready and able to learn, playgrounds are safe and provide a venue for recreation and skill development, and risks for chronic disease are minimized. Indeed, when social policy is at its best, at its highest potential nothing happens. There are no measles outbreaks, there is no gang violence and there are no extreme gaps in the ability to meet basic needs due to variations in wealth. Page 2 of 7
The invisibility of success is precisely why social policy must be on the radar of the public sector and why it must reflect the values of an inspired, informed collective. Effective social policy helps to create environments that make it easy for people to do the right thing make choices in the best interests of their own health and well-being as early and as often as possible Human nature and brain architecture have evolved for rapid and efficient decision making, which must be considered when trying to influence behaviours and outcomes (Kahneman, 2011). For example, when grocery stores are inconvenient, and fresh fruit and vegetables are difficult or expensive to obtain, we do not make it easy for people to follow a healthy diet. When playgrounds are perceived to be unsafe we do not make it easy for children (or parents) to get adequate exercise, develop coordination and balance, or learn about playing with others. When families and communities lack understanding about the importance of early brain development, children may be exposed to toxic stress and chaotic environments which handicaps learning and increases the risk for chronic diseases such as obesity or addiction (Centre on the Developing Child, 2012). When social support is lacking and mothers become socially isolated they are at risk of poor mental health and depression, which also confers developmental risk to their children (Kingston, 2011). Effective social policy sets the context for supportive environments that enable choices and behaviours that contribute to individual and family health and, ultimately, the health of a community. And it can help level the playing field for individuals and families who may be starting from a place of disadvantage. Alberta has an opportunity to be a leader in the design and implementation of social policy that uses evidence and information to identify early threats to well-being and to implement and evaluate how we promote well-being to the benefit of all. Characteristics of lived environments and past experiences provide early warning signs that identify those who will struggle with activities of daily living, with learning and with contributing to society. Structures of lived environments, workplaces and communities tell us how well we are doing, what could be improved, and how to make it easier for people to do the right thing for their own well-being. Social policy is only as good as the evidence used to support its development To enable Alberta to be one of the finest places to live, work, and raise a family, comprehensive and informed analysis of the factors influencing the lives of Albertans is required. Policy based on solid and relevant evidence is a powerful tool in the determination of individual, family, and community outcomes. Policy relevant knowledge and evidence developed by skilled researchers, based on multiple data sources, with consideration of data gaps, analysis of relationships between diverse data elements and under the umbrella of a supportive government, can be many times more powerful. Improved leverage of administrative data is an important opportunity Alberta already has a rich and population-wide base of data that has the potential to provide a wealth of information that could inform social policy. Administrative data are determined and collected as part of the delivery of services provided or funded by government ministries (such as organizing payments to physicians, tracking student enrolment data, or classifying categories of income support recipients). These data are a detailed source of information about the citizens of Alberta. Page 3 of 7
Ministries often analyze their own administrative data to inform policy in a particular ministry. What occurs less frequently and in the face of multiple barriers, is sharing of data across ministries. Several jurisdictions, including Manitoba, British Columbia, and Australia, have been pioneers in the sharing of administrative data within governments. Their efforts have resulted in strong traditions of evidenceinformed policy development and evaluation, improving the lives of their citizens in a multitude of ways. The Centre s CYDL is Alberta s entry into this exciting and ground breaking way to develop policy. The CYDL currently links and analyzes data from six government ministries. These data are derived from dozens of programs within each of the ministries. The results and knowledge created from the first linked data analysis project are currently being reviewed within government. Increased support for the concept of open data, by reducing barriers to sharing data, will add a level of richness and comprehensiveness to policy development that cannot be matched by looking at single sets of data. Data sharing across ministries is crucial to knowledge development and evidence informed policy and programs. The effectiveness of programs can be increased by better matching the needs of the population to services known to be the most successful and available. This is in keeping with the goal of ensuring that policy sets the stage for programs and services that understand and meet the needs of the whole person. Other sources of data must be cultivated Existing administrative data do not meet all of the information needs for policy development. Data gaps are common; we do not understand the earliest risk factors and determinants of many of the challenges faced by vulnerable persons in Alberta because we do not have adequate information. Addressing data gaps will help ensure policy can be based on an informed and objective analysis of determinants and needs. If necessary, administrative data collection can be augmented or altered in response to determination of data gaps; in other words, ministries can collect additional or different information during provision of services. Surveys, research data sets, cohort information and related types of data can also be developed and supported to provide evidence in areas not covered by ongoing ministry business. Structures can be established and supported to house and facilitate sharing of data in anonymous form, promoting more engagement of researchers in social policy questions. For example, The Centre is working toward establishing a Child Data Centre which will store existing research data in a repository for use by other researchers. The repository will be centrally managed, ensuring proper safeguards and stewardship of data, and will provide support to researchers and policy makers to maximize the potential and availability of the data. Encouraging data sharing, analysis and interpretation among institutions, and between institutions and government ministries, will help provide a robust picture of the health and well-being of Albertans. It will also facilitate longitudinal tracking of outcomes that can help inform policy decisions by providing information about results achieved. Results oriented programs can be developed and customized for life stages, ensuring a continuum of opportunities and met needs across the lifespan. New evidence and knowledge are of optimal value when mobilized into policy and practice Even good data, evidence and knowledge are of limited value if not mobilized into action. The Centre supports collaboration among researchers, policy makers, and service providers to ensure that new knowledge generated is relevant and timely, and to increase the likelihood that it will be used to inform the creation of new or refinement of existing policy and practice. Page 4 of 7
Collaboration among members of the Alberta research community itself can also lead to an exponential increase in the value of the separate contributions, again increasing the potential usefulness and uptake of new and multi-sector evidence to policy and practice. The Government of Alberta can broker and support collaboration by creating incentives for the inclusion of researchers and existing data in policy development, inclusion of researchers in the ongoing maintenance and evaluation of the Social Policy Framework, and actively encouraging collaboration. Building a culture within the Government of Alberta that encourages and supports implementation of the latest knowledge and evidence in decision making will benefit all Albertans. The result will be a transparent, open knowledge environment, leading to everyone from the public to government to researchers being better informed about social policy issues and thus better able to contribute to improving the social fabric of our province. Building and maintaining research capacity is the key to ongoing knowledge creation and evolution of effective social policy A new Social Policy Framework for Alberta will be a significant contribution to a province already seen as having considerable advantages over others. Sustaining these advantages will require the capacity to evaluate policy implementation, measure policy and program outcomes, and generate new knowledge as the social landscape evolves and needs change over time. Alberta is well positioned to attract and retain the intellectual capital necessary to investigate policy relevant issues and generate the data and new knowledge to keep Alberta in the forefront. Engaging the academic community in social policy issues by investing in ongoing research in the social sciences is a pivotal strategy to sustain initial gains from the development of the Social Policy Framework. KEY POINTS FOR ACTION The Social Policy Framework for Alberta needs to support flexible and integrated social policy decisions that address the continuum of needs and maximize opportunities for the well-being of all Albertans. As a priority step, in order to identify early threats to families and communities, ongoing investments are required in mechanisms that support research and evaluation, including analysis and interpretation of administrative, cross sector, longitudinal and other data sources. This information can tell us where our most vulnerable citizens are struggling and help us identify what factors predicted this vulnerability. Evidence informed investment in social policy to identify and address these early threats requires: Page 5 of 7 a) Understanding the information we have about our citizens, communities and current programs and services b) Understanding the evidence about human development and behaviour, environmental design, quality of life, social policy impact, and implementation science, c) Understanding the context and composition of our communities, including the demographics, culture, socio-economic factors and availability of resources, d) Designing, implementing and assessing prevention and early intervention strategies and social supports, e) Creating, sharing, utilizing and mobilizing knowledge through collaborative models with academics, stakeholder organizations and social policy experts.
f) Developing evidenced informed strategies to mitigate the risk for poor outcomes and increase the probability of positive outcomes through best practices, with an immediate focus on our most vulnerable citizens and communities, and g) Investing in strategies so that each Albertan can understand their role in, and actively contribute to, the health and well-being of themselves, their community and society. Page 6 of 7
References Bronson P & Merryman A. (2009). Nurture shock: New thinking about children. New York, NY: Twelve Hachette Group. Centre on the Developing Child. (2012). Toxic stress: the facts. Retrieved from the Harvard University website: http://developingchild.harvard.edu/topics/science_of_early_childhood/toxic_stress_response/ Christakis N & Fowler J. (2009). Connected: The surprising power of our social networks and how they shape our lives. New York, NY: Little, Brown & Company. Etzioni A. (2001). Next: the road to the good society. New York, NY: Basic Books. Garrett L. (2000). Betrayal of trust: The collapse of global public health. New York, NY: Herpion. Heckman, J.J. (2000). Policies to foster human capital. Research in Economics, 54(1), 3 56. Kahneman D. (2011). Thinking, fast and slow. New York, NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux Kingston D. (2011). The effects of prenatal and postpartum maternal psychological distress on child development: a systematic review. Retrieved from the ACCFCR website: http://www.research4children.com/admin/contentx/dpdocuments/launch.cfm?itemid=6186 Maslow A. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50, 370-396. Ryan C & Jetha C. (2010). Sex at Dawn: The prehistoric origins of modern sexuality. Harper Collins. Wilkinson R & Pickett K. (2010) The Spirit Level: Why Equality is Better for Everyone. Penguin. Additional Resources Understanding the Link Between Research and Policy, Prepared by Steven Dukeshire & Jennifer Thurlow with help and guidance from the Rural Policy Working Group, 2002, 2002 Rural Communities Impacting Policy Project, ISBN 0-9780913-1-0 Evidence for Social Policy and Practice: Perspectives on how research and evidence can influence decision making in public services, NESTA, April 2011 Page 7 of 7