In-service education for teachers (INSET) is necessary to support them in their careers and to achieve the goals of educational reform. This research explores and analyses the policy developed by the Department of Education on INSET and its implementation for teachers in second level schools in the nineties. Policy analysis requires that the changing societal context o f the policy process be considered. The research methodology included desk research and interview. The former involved the study and interpretation of published and unpublished primary and secondary sources. Informal interviews were conducted with people in key roles in the Department and in the Support Services. Based on the review of the literature a framework was devised of the best national and international practice for INSET, and the provision in Ireland during the nineties was analysed with reference to that framework. The research findings describe and discuss the extensive policy process during the nineties. The process was participative and consultative, moving educational policy formation from the preserve of a small number of decision makers to a more inclusive broad partnership model. The research findings show a wide range of models of INSET and a multiplicity of providers. Progression in the development of INSET models is also evident with the Support Service model staffed mainly by seconded teachers, designing and providing INSET both school based and out of school. There have been a number of models of extended courses, of third level courses and of joint initiatives between schools and third level colleges. Funding for INSET increased thirteen fold by 2000 from a very small base in 1990. Some of the structures recommended in the White Paper have been established, and these are described. While policy is articulated for INSET, there is still the need for strategic planning, guided by best practice, to ensure that INSET extends personal education and professional competence, through improved understanding of educational principles and techniques.