STRATEGIC SOCIAL PLAN
PUBLIC DIALOGUE

SOCIAL POLICY WORKBOOK

Social Policy Advisory Committee
1996

A Strategic Social Plan for Newfoundland and Labrador

The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is developing a strategic plan to guide the development of its social policy, programs and services for many years to come. As part of the process of developing this plan. Government established an independant Social Policy Committee (SPAC) to hear the ideas and views of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.

SPAC is made up of private citizens representing different interests and different regions of the Province. It is chaired by Penelope Rowe, the Executive Director of the Community Services council. To make sure that evertone has a chance to be heard, SPAC has set up several different ways for people to participate, including public meetings around the province, written briefs, focus groups, meerings - and this workbook.

The Workbook

Filling in this workbook is a way of participating in the process; sending it back will ensure that your ideas are heard by the Social Policy Advisory Committee.

Individuals can work through this book independently. Groups can use it to focus their discussions on the issues.

When you're done (even if it's not completely filles out), please send the workbook back to us by November 22, 1996, using the enclosed envelope. It doesn't need a stamp. Just drop it in the mail.

This Workbook was prepared by the Social Policy Advisory Committee.
We can be reached at
PO Box 8700
St. John's, Newfoundland, A1B 4J6
or
Telephone 709-729-2646
Toll free 1-800-814-5611
Fax 709-738-2469
E-MAIL sspac@porthole.entnet.nf.ca
On the World Wide Web at /spac/spac.htm

Please call us to find out about other ways you can participate.

BACKGROUND

Who is Affected by Social Policy?

Social policy affects us all.

Everyone who sees a doctor, goes to a hospital, is enrolled in a school or university, uses municipal services (including roads, water and sewerage), receives social assistance payments, takes in a performance at an arts and cultural centre, deals with the legal system, uses a recreational facility or park, or is employed in the workplace uses our social programs and services. How these services work and what services we have are determined by social policy.

As tax payers we also have a real investment in social policy since it determines how efficiently and effectively our services are managed, and how well they do their job.

What is Social Policy?

Government's social policies are its directions for, and approaches to , dealing with issues, needs and priorities in the social sector. Its policies are its guidelines for establishing social programs and services, and defining their objectives.

Social policy shapes the roles of the Departments responsible for Justice, Health, Education, the Environment and Labour, Social Services, Culture and Recreation, Municipal and Provincial Affairs, and of other agencies and institutions, as well as Government's relation with the voluntary sector.

Why is Social Policy so Important?

Education, health care, environmental protection, the justice system and social services programs all make Newfoundland and Labrador a better place to live, work and raise families.

They also make Newfoundland and Labrador a more attractive place for people to visit, and to come and do business.

For those with special needs, social programs can make the difference between being healthy, happy and productive, or being unhappy and dependent.

Some issues affect women differently from the way they affect men; good social policy will make sure that programs treat different groups fairly.

Programs that support children and youth deter- mine what Newfoundland and Labrador will be like 20, 30 or 40 years from now, because our children are our future.

But social policy does not work alone. Our social situation is very closely linked with our economic well-being. The two depend on each other in many different ways.

Unnecessary, ineffective or badly organized social programs not only cost us more money, they affect our chances for prosperity. Poorly-educated, unhealthy people, for instance, have a much harder time improving their economic situation.

On the other hand, if our economy is weak, more people will be out of work and unable to provide for their families, and Government will not have as much to spend on such things as health care, rehabilitation and education.

Why do we need a Strategic Plan?

Government is designing its Strategic Social Plan to make sure that its policy, programs and services work more effectively and meet Newfoundland and Labrador's needs for the future.

This Plan will help to establish a framework of social policy for many years to come. The Plan will set out long-term objectives, broad strategies, and priorities for its social programs and services.

It will decide how best to provide the services Newfoundlanders and Labradorians need, how we can afford them, and how we should share the responsibility for delivering them.

Developing the right kind of plan means we will be prepared.

It means we will be able to reduce the need for crisis management, avoid temporary fixes for unexpected problems, and use more of our limited resources to address root causes instead.

Having a good plan will mean that we are better able to deal with the changes that are taking place, and better able to anticipate and meet the new challenges that lie ahead.

Instead of simply trying to cope with the challenges, we must plan for them rationally, realistically and effectively.

Changes and Challenges

Even if we didn't have any significant social or economic problems or challenges we would need a plan to make sure we were meeting all our social needs and doing it effectively.

But the reality is that we are living in a time of tremendous change and challenge. For instance,

the Province's birth rate is dropping
our population is getting older
more people are leaving the Province than are coming here
most of those who are leaving are young and fairly well educated
our population is shifting towards towns and cities
several of our traditional industries have disappeared or changed dramatically
an increasing number of people are having to rely on income support to get by
there have been disturbing increases in some crime rates
many children are threatened with violence and lack the environment they need to develop properly
people with disabilities still need a better opportunity to be part of society
in the workplace, many women still face discrimination
the changing world economy has meant new pressures on our education system.

Recession, reductions in Unemployment Insurance coverage and the effects of the collapse of the groundfisheries have combined to increase the demand for Social Assistance in the Province from less than 20,000 cases a month in 1989 to more than 35,000 a month in 1995. Today, nearly 20% of the Province's population depend on some form of Social Assistance at some point during the year.

In 1995, 347,500 Newfoundlanders and Labrador- ians (out of a population of 577,000) lived in households which received some kind of govern- ment income support, such as UI, TAGS or Social Assistance. Nearly 70% of the Department of Social Services' budget is spent on Income Security, primarily on Social Assistance.

Poverty, low education and unemployment which so often go together have an impact on almost every one of the services Government provides.

For instance, health care studies show that poor, uneducated and unemployed people have lower levels of health and require the greatest amount of care and treatment.

The fact that we are a small population living in more than 700 communities scattered over a very large land mass also increases our needs and the costs of meeting them.

The Province of Newfoundland and Labrador is large enough to fit the entire UK England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland within our borders and still have enough room left over for all the Maritime Provinces. Yet, our entire population is less than the city of Winnipeg.

Even though demands on many services are already high and may increase with changes and new challenges, Government may have to meet them with less money. In the years ahead, it is likely that we will continue to receive less support from the Federal Government, and the Provincial Government's own financial resources will continue to be strained. And few people want tax increases or higher fees for services.

Government's cost of providing services has been more than the Province's tax base and other revenues can bear for many years. This has meant that the Provincial debt has increased almost every year since Confederation.

The debt now totals nearly $6 billion and costs more than $500 million a year in interest.

But simply cutting services is not the answer, especially since our social and economic situations are closely tied together. To help our economy along, and to make it stronger, we have to maintain good health care and education, and there will always be a need for special assistance for those in need of some kind of support.

How we anticipate and deal with change, and how we meet the challenges, will determine how well we do in the future.

Getting it Right

The Plan has to look at new ways of doing things. It has to develop creative strategies for dealing with the challenges that lie ahead as well as for meeting those we face today. It has to be flexible and able to respond to changing circumstances and new demands.

Delivering social programs and services more effectively and efficiently will require us to spend smarter. A good start would be to

establish a rational basis for decision-making
emphasise prevention and early intervention
focus on the people who need and use the services
look at ways of delivering more services in communities and away from institutions
make sure there is better cooperation and communication among departments and service providers
develop stronger partnerships among governments, communities, voluntary organizations, business, families and individuals
integrate social and economic development initiatives.

We can help Government develop the right kind of plan through the public dialogue process and this Workbook by

deciding what's important to us and to the Province
identifying the issues and finding solutions
thinking of how existing services can become more effective
thinking about values and principles
thinking about a vision for Newfoundland and Labrador
setting priorities
thinking of how we should stay involved in social policy planning in the future, and how to make sure the Plan is working.

We all need to think about the important issues and decide where we want to go as a society. This public dialogue process allows us to make these important decisions together.

2. WORKBOOK .This part of the workbook is designed to help you (and your group) think about what's important to Newfoundland and Labrador, to think about where we want to go as a society, and to consider some of the major issues that we face and choices we have to make.

It is also an important way for the Social Policy Advisory Committee and Government to find out what people are thinking and to hear their ideas. Please try to send (or fax) in to us any writing you do in the following sections.

Take your time. Think things through. Skip any parts that you don't want to comment on; you don't have to answer every question if you don't want to. Although it's better to work through the workbook from beginning to end, you can come back to skipped parts later if you need to.

If you have other comments or ideas, or if there are issues you think are important that aren't dealt with in a section or anywhere in the workbook, please let us know. Write them down at the end of a section, or on a separate sheet and send them in to us with your workbook.

Be creative. Think about new ways of doing things.

And remember - there are no wrong answers.

Before you begin..

please tell us where you live:
Community: _______________________
Region: _______________________
Economic Development Zone (if known):
_______________________

1. Thinking about What's Important

A good way to start thinking about the kind of social policy we need is to think about what's important to us, to our community and to our province.

This can also help us decide where we want to go in the future.

Instructions: Thinking about the kind of society you want to live in, write down what you think are ...

The most important things for you and your family (try to think of at least three things):

_____________________________________________________________________

The most important things for your community or region:

_____________________________________________________________________

The most important things for Newfoundland and Labrador:

_____________________________________________________________________

2. Identifying Issues - Finding Solutions

Recognizing what's important and where we should aim to be can help us focus on specific issues on what we need, and on how we can satisfy our needs.

Because our society's well-being is everyone's responsibility not just Government's we also need to consider how we can share the responsibility of meeting our own needs and the needs of others.

For instance, is making sure that children don't go to school hungry, a family responsibility, a community responsibility, a government responsibility, or should the responsibility be shared (through a partnership)? If it should be shared, what should each do?

Part A. Instructions: Social issues affect everyone, but some issues affect some people more than others, and solutions have to address their individual needs and expectations.

Answer the following questions about issues affecting each of the groups of people named on the following pages.

Then, for each group, think of how some of these issues might be addressed by

individuals
community groups (including non-profit and voluntary organizations)
Government (departments, agencies and institutions)
or by community groups (or others) working in partnership with Government.

Children

What are the most important concerns or needs of young children in your community?

_____________________________________________________________________