Title
Contents
Acknowledgements 6
The Authors 8
Part one - Core principles of the LinkAge Plus approach 9
Core principles 10
LinkAge Plus approach 11
LinkAge Plus outcomes 12
Summary 14
Part two - Capacity building - enabling and empowering older people as independent and active citizens 18
1. Introduction 19
1.1 Aim of the report 20
1.2 Structure of the report 20
2. Capacity building: theory, research and policy 21
2.1 Capacity building as enhancing inputs and processes 22
2.2 Capacity building as citizen and community empowerment 22
2.3 Capacity building as improving services 24
2.4 Capacity building as improving outcomes 25
2.5 Policies for older people and capacity building 26
3. Research questions and methodology 31
3.1 LinkAge Plus and capacity building 31
3.2 Research questions 32
3.3 Research methodology 34
3.4 Research findings 34
4. Better use of existing services which increases number and range of older people benefiting from improved outcomes 36
4.1 Enhanced skill and knowledge resulting in better ways of working within existing services 36
4.2 More effective processes generated by local organisations to enable access to, and targeting of, referrals for information, advice and services 37
4.3 Better understanding of the type and range of services offered by statutory, voluntary, community and private organisations and the ability to focus on appropriate strengths and specialisms 43
4.4 Joined up or integrated services resulting in efficiency gains through reduced duplication 46
4.5 Holistic understanding of older people's quality of life outcomes resulting in people-centred, rather than organisational or service-centred, approaches to strategic commissioning and operational procurement 47
5. Development of new services creating different outcomes for older people 50
5.1 Older people having new opportunities to socialise through involvement in social, training, leisure and networking activity 50
5.2 Creation of employment, self-help and volunteering opportunities which develop new skills and social capital through the engagement and empowerment of older people 52
5.3 Market development resulting in new organisations being created to work with, and for, older people by partnerships of statutory, third sector and private organisations 55
5.4 Market development resulting in new preventative services being created by statutory, third sector and private organisations either individually or in partnership to work with, and for, older people 57
5.5 Multiplier effects, where older people, either individually or collectively, have been at the centre of policy development and service design and empowered to identify outcomes and create innovative solutions 60
6. Conclusions 65
Appendix The LinkAge Plus pilot programme and its evaluation 69
References 74
Table 3.1 Mapping the ten capacity building dimensions against the LAP national evaluation working assumptions 33
Table 5.1 Summary of key evidence of examples of capacity building presented in this thematic report 64
Figure 1 The LinkAge Plus approach 13
Figure A.1 Benefits for older people 72
Figure A.2 Organisation benefits 73