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The Strategic Development Department


The Strategic Development Department has lead responsibility for the Council’s research, policy development and planning roles.

Laganvale Brass Band practice ahead of the European Brass Bands Championships
Photograph: Three trumpeters from the Laganvale Brass Band



The work of the Arts Council is based around 3 planning cycles : the Strategic Plan which sets out our overarching priorities across a 5-year period; the 3-year Corporate Plan which identifies specific objectives and performance targets; and an annual Business Plan which gives more detail on the actual activities which we will undertake to achieve our objectives and strategic aims.

Green Park Trust, Regional Acquired Brain Injury Unit, Musgrave Park Hospital. Harrison’s Photography
Photograph of an artwork; wire figures with wheelchair and red-cross flags



The Council’s decision-making process with regards strategies and activities are fed by the research programme which is designed and implemented by the Department. The research programme covers an array of projects, from large scale public consultations on the future development of the arts sector to original research into the impact of the arts. We work with other departments of the Council: gathering information; identifying trends; evaluating programmes and generating evidence to help inform future policy and to support our advocacy of the arts.

Opera Theatre Company - Melia. Photographer Patrick Redmond. © OTC.
Photograph: Female opera singer in costume



The Department also has responsibility for the Council’s compliance with statutory requirements including equality legislation.



Find out about the research we conduct by clicking the links below:


    Publications and Information
    Current Initiatives
    Contact Us
    Useful Links

Publications and Information

Current
  • Arts and Culture in Northern Ireland 2007 (Arts Council of Northern Ireland)

    Arts and Culture in Northern Ireland 2007 is the second dedicated study undertaken in recent times to collect and analyse information on consumption, behaviour and public attitudes towards the arts. The study provides a comparison with the 2004 baseline survey and enables key questions to be examined by demographic.


  • Barriers to Disabled People's Participation In and Access to the Arts in Northern Ireland (Arts Council of Northern Ireland)

    Undertaken by Ipsos MORI, this is the first large scale research study in Northern Ireland to use the social model of disability. This concept was interpreted at the fieldwork stage through a range of qualitative and quantitative methods, including a door-to-door survey of 500 people with disabilities, focus groups with disabled people who attend or participate in the arts and face-to-face interviews with arts venue managers.

    Since completion, the research has been used to inform the Arts Council’s new Five Year Plan Creative Connections and to support a range of policy and development work within the field of Arts and Disability.

  • The Disability Strategy and Action Plan 2007 - 2008 (Rich Text or PDF)
    (Arts Council of Northern Ireland)

  • Local Authority Arts Expenditure Survey 2003-4 and 2004-5
    (Arts Council of Northern Ireland)
  • Review of the Support for the Individual Artist Programme (SIAP) 2004
    (Arts Council of Northern Ireland, 2004)

    Download Summary
    In order to ensure that the Support for Individual Artists Programme (SIAP) remains relevant to the professional needs of the arts sector, an independent review was conducted by BearingPoint in 2004 to determine its Value for Money.
    Key considerations for this research included: establishing efficiency and effectiveness; conducting a comparison with similar UK schemes to identify ‘best practice’ and establishing relevance within changing political, social and economic contexts.

  • Research into the Actual and Perceived Barriers to Publicly Funded Arts
    in Northern Ireland     (Arts Council of Northern Ireland, July 2005)

    Download Summary
    The Arts Council for Northern Ireland recognises the need to remove barriers that prevent people, in particular young people, those with disabilities, people from ethnic minority groups and those who are socially excluded from taking part in the arts. This report provides compelling evidence of the barriers faced by bringing together research from a number of primary and secondary sources.

  • Arts Council Client Satisfaction Survey 2005
    (Arts Council of Northern Ireland, March 2006)

    Download Summary
    This report presents the findings of a Client Satisfaction Survey carried out among Arts Council of Northern Ireland (ACNI) operational contacts during quarter 4 of 2005 and January 2006. The aim of the survey was to establish a measurable baseline of client satisfaction relating to key areas of the Council and its activity.

  • An Analysis of 2006 / 2007 Governance Survey

  • Mentoring Development Project
  • Review of Musical Instruments for Bands Scheme
    (Arts Council of Northern Ireland, February 2006)

    Download Summary
    The Musical Instruments for Bands Scheme was first introduced by the Arts Council in 1994. In November 1996 the Lottery Department of the Arts Council instituted a moratorium on capital equipment awards to individual bands. In 2000 the scheme was reviewed for the purposes of establishing a policy for future ACNI National Lottery funding to the band sector based on the identified needs of the sector. Following on from the review, the Arts Council launched a new scheme in 2002. This Review was undertaken after the Scheme had been suspended in Spring 2005.

Archive:

 


Current Initiatives
  • The Arts Council is working with Local Councils to evaluate the impact of the Art of Regeneration programme at an individual and community level.
  • We are contributing to regional and national research and policy initiatives through involvement on advisory panels and steering groups.
  • The Arts Council provides the arts sector with key statistics on current participation and attendance levels in cultural activity for advocacy and policy purposes.


Contact Us

Further information on any of the Council’s Research Plan can be obtained by contacting

Graeme Stevenson
Northern Ireland Arts Council
MacNeice House
77 Malone Road
Belfast . BT9 6AQ
Tel: 028 9038 5202
Email: gstevenson@artscouncil-ni.org