Strategic planning and progress under the All Wales Strategy: reflecting the perceptions of stakeholders

Nominated representatives from the various stakeholder interests, i.e. soci al services, health, education, voluntary organizations, parent groups and self-advocacy groups, involved in the implementation of the All Wales Strat egy for the development of services for people with intellectual disability were interviewed 2 years after the end of the initial IO-year phase. Inter viewees were asked to reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of policy imp lementation, including: changing priorities, planning arrangements, agency roles, central guidance and financial mechanisms, consumer participation, a nd the impact of more recent policy or structural developments. Despite rec ognition of the leadership of the Welsh Office, the shift in thinking achie ved, the developments made in joint agency collaboration and in consumer pa rticipation in planning, and an increasing competence to plan effectively o ver time, the overriding perception was that more could have been made of t he opportunity afforded by the dearest and best resourced central governmen t policy within the UK in this area. At the heart of this judgement lay con cerns about pragmatic rather than strategic planning. a failure to link ann ual service developments to a final comprehensive end point and a related f ailure to integrate planning to meet community needs with hospital resettle ment Factors which may have contributed to these weaknesses are discussed, as are lessons for subsequent community care policy.