The Communities and Local Government Department has published guidance, which outlines the new procedures for the validation of planning applications by local planning authorities; provides guidance on the scope of material that should be supplied with planning applications; and outlines the benefits of 'validation checklists' in helping local planning authorities to achieve good performance and providng local planning authorities and applicants with greater certainity as to the nature and extent of information required in order to validate applications. This document replaces Best Practice Guidance on the Validation of Planning Applications (March 2005) and the draft guidance published in August 2007.

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Click here to view the report...

The report is published as a .pdf document. If you can not view the report, you may need to install Acrobat Reader on your machine.

Tags: Planning, Guidance

The Communities & Local Government Department published it's Autumn Performance Report for 2007, which sets out the progress made against its Public Service Agreement Targets and efficiency targets since the publication of the Departmental Annual Report in May 2007. The report is structured around it's strategic priorities followed by a chapter on efficiency targets.

Click here for the relevant page to open in a new window...
Click here to view the report...

The report is published as a .pdf document. If you can not view the report, you may need to install Acrobat Reader on your machine.

Tags: Perfomance Management, PSA

The Law Commission has published a consultation document aiming at review the law and practice on how housing disputes are resolved, with the aim of reforming it to make it simple, effective, fair and proportionate.The consultation deadline is set as 28/09/2007.

To access the relevant page click here.

Tags: Statutory, Dispute Resolution

This case study examines the advantages and practical challenges of sharing and integrating services between Rotherham Council and Primary Care Trust for Children's Services, and the practical lessons that other organisation can consider whether evolving Children's Services or other shared services initiatives.

The case study looks at how both these different bodies have had to rise to challenges of adapting to a different culture, agree on new outcomes and objectives, integrate process, share information and manage confidentiality. Officers and executives of the council explain how they have managed staff change and created an integrated structure to accommodate the different organisational issues, responsibilities and governance across the Local Authority and PCT. The importance of creating a shared vision and establishing core principles is also highlighted.

To view click here. Read More...

Tags: Children's Services, Transformation

This document aims to help artists and arts organisations understand the arts funding system in England and identify specific funding opportunities.

Tags: Culture

This is a transcript of the written ministerial statement by Prime Minister Gordon Brown on the Machinery of Government changes on 28 June 2007. He says that the changes will sharpen the focus of central government on the new and very different challenges that Britain will face in the years ahead.

Tags: Transformation

This is the independent report produced by the Office of Public Management and the local area agreement (LAA) evaluation consortium for Communities and Local Government on the LAA regional roadshows held across England throughout March 2007. It details the key messages for central government and for localities, and gives an indicative LAA negotiating timetable for 2007-08.

Tags: Local Area Agreement

This report is intended to increase primary care trusts’ awareness of the children’s centre agenda and the opportunities it provides, and to share examples of good practice. It is aimed at Chief Executives of primary care trusts and strategic health authorities, Directors of children’s social services, primary care trust children’s leads, and Directors of commissioning.

Tags: Children's Services, NHS

Spelthorne has recently renewed its IT outsourcing contract with Steria to deliver technical solutions that will support service modernisation and improvement, while making £125K savings at the same time. Spelthorne’s partnership with Steria is supporting customer service improvement and releasing significant efficiencies for its Planning and Revenues and Benefits department with online self-service facilities that allow residents and businesses to manage their accounts and make payments online.

Click here to view. Read More...

Tags: Transformation, Modernisation, Systems, Technology

This document provides an update on the implementation of patient choice in the NHS since it was introduced at the start of 2006. It focuses on the experiences of patients and NHS staff. It is aimed at Chief Executives of primary care trusts, NHS trusts, and strategic health authorities, Medical Directors, Directors of Nursing, GPs, and Communications Leads.

Tags: NHS, Transformation

The Office of the Third Sector, Cabinet Office invites Regional Development Agencies to submit proposals for using additional funding to boost Business Link capacity to broker support for social enterprises.

Click here to access document.

Tags: Voluntary Sector

This report presents the findings of the national evaluation of full service extended schools. The evaluation found that extended schools lead to better exam results and children being more focused in school, particularly for those from a disadvantaged background.

Tags: Children's Services, Schools

This paper gives the Government’s response to the Power of Information Review. It outlines how the Government plans to take forward the recommendations of the review.

Tags: Technology, Transformation, FoI

This report assesses the progress and outcomes of the process of modernisation initiated in Modernising Social Services (1998) and developed in Independence, Well-being, and Choice (2005), and Our Health, Our Care, Our Say (2006) and related policies. It is aimed at Directors of adult social services.

Tags: Adult Services, Transformation

This report highlights progress across the NHS during the last 12 months and outlines the opportunities and challenges in moving forward. It is aimed at the NHS, non-departmental public bodies, voluntary organisations and local authority Chief Executives.

Tags: NHS

This action plan outlines the Department for Transport's priorities for the future, coming out of the department's Capability Review assessment.

Tags: Policy, Planning, Transformation

The annual health check assesses whether general standards and targets, in areas such as safety, clinical effectiveness and focus on patients, are being met on behalf of patients across the NHS. This page describes the Healthcare Commission's proposed approach to the assessment of performance in 2007-08 and asks for comments about a number of developments to the system.

Tags: NHS, Systems

The Cabinet Office is today launching its public sector better regulation strategy, which aims to identify and reduce the bureaucratic burden on the front line. The aim is to find practical ways to lessen the main administrative and regulatory burdens on the front line, without creating more bureaucracy in order to do so.

The strategy follows up some major initiatives to reduce bureaucracy already underway, and also focuses on what’s next. In the HE sector, for example, a recently agreed Concordat is significantly simplifying data collection and quality assurance. Next steps will extend the Concordat to more organisations and professional bodies; seek to address issues of health education regulation; and, ensure that the implementation of Sandy Leitch’s recommendations in the HE sector is consistent with principles of good regulation.

In the schools sector, the New Relationship with Schools (NRwS) was formulated in response to a review of unnecessary bureaucracy. It aims, within the context of delivering school improvement and the five Every Child Matters outcomes, to: lift bureaucratic burdens that schools feel add nothing to their core purposes; remove confusion and irritation in schools as a result of the number and separateness of the initiatives coming at them (‘initiative overload’); improve accountability by helping schools identify priorities according to their needs, based on the evidence of their self-evaluation; and, restore schools’ sense of responsibility for their own actions.

And in FE, there have been a number of recent major reforms - a focus on simplification; the creation of a single inspectorate for FE and of an Information Authority, which sets standards and organises how information about FE is collected, managed and disseminated; the Managing Information Across Partners Programme, which is securing efficiencies by improving how information about learners and learning is shared across the whole education sector; the creation of a communications gateway for the FE System and the establishment of a Practitioner Panel to advise on the timing and content of publications – LSC has reduced by over 60% the number of its publications between January and March this year compared with the same time last year. The Department recognises and values the commitment shown by the members of the gatekeeping groups to helping the DfES and its delivery partners make a real difference for those at the frontline.

For the future, the big thing that will make a difference in FE is the move to self regulation. This offers the opportunity to further streamline and challenge.

Tags: Transformation, Policy, Systems

This updated circular sets out the requirements for the ICT capital grant for 2007-08. In particular, the specific conditions of grant, grant allocations and payment arrangement. The main change to this guidance is in the Acceptance of Grant form at Annex E.

Tags: Children's Services, Systems, Technology, Transformation

This white paper sets out the steps the Department for Education and Skills, together with local delivery partners, will take to ensure children and young people in care get a better start in life. It builds on responses to the green paper, Care Matters: Transforming the Lives of Children and Young People in Care, and the conclusions of four working groups established to investigate best practice in supporting those in care.

Click here to access relevant webpage.

Tags: Transformation, Children's Services

The open sharing of information and monitoring of performance are key to the success of Local Partnerships, LAAs and LSPs. Now for the very first time, LocalGov TV are going to be talking the same language but also talking about it at the same time. 'I believe that data and that accuracy of data will provide us with the power we never had but also provide us with much more confidence that the activities we are suggesting as the way forward are the right activities' claims” Dr Angela Lennox, Chair, Leicester Partnership.

To view click here.

Read More...

Tags: Transformation, Local Area Agreement, Perfomance Management, Systems

This consultation looks back on what has been achieved since the government published its response to the children's workforce strategy in February 2006. The Department for Education and Skills is continuing to develop the priority areas and seeks to reinforce further the strategy and develop additional areas in the Children’s Workforce Strategy Refresh document, which will be published in autumn 2007.

Click here to access file.
Click here to access relevant webpage.

Tags: Children's Services

This report highlights the Government's role in influencing non-statutory, commercial and not-for-profit sectors in securing public health goals. Through the report, case studies and best practice tips, the department encourages the greater use of such partnerships for health at a local level.

Tags: Voluntary Sector

This paper aims to inform the policy debate about political management and governance reforms in English local government. It draws on research evidence about the experience of reform following the passing of the Local Government 2000 Act and looks at the possible implications of the proposals outlined in the 2006 Local Government White Paper.

Tags: Governance, Policy

This good practice guidance, produced by the Department of Health, is aimed at commissioners and procurement experts and is designed to achieve better procurement outcomes for the NHS by aligning equality and efficiency goals. It is based on the experience and knowledge of specialist procurement and equality staff in 10 NHS Mosaic pilot sites, this guide shares information and encourages innovation.

Tags: Finance, Social Issues, Systems

This webpage gives information about the Equal Opportunities Commission's investigation into the transformation of work, which examines imaginative and practical ways to meet the changing demands of today's workplace. It gives links to the final report and a series of supporting resources.

Tags: Diversity, Transformation

The concentration of men and women in different kinds of jobs is known as occupational segregation. This factsheet from the Women and Equality Unit shows how the proportion of men and women in different industry sectors are distributed and gives information about how to reduce occupational segregation.

Tags: Diversity, Discrimination

The gender pay gap refers to the difference in average hourly earnings of men and women. This factsheet from the Women and Equality Unit gives statistics, and information about what the Government is doing to address the gender pay gap.

Tags: Discrimination, Diversity

This expert forum brings together policy leaders, advisors and practitioners to consider the benefits that Shared Services between councils and other public bodies can deliver, and, most importantly, the different approaches to partnerships, governance and commercial arrangements that are proving successful in establishing successful shared services.

To view, click here. Read More...

Tags: Transformation, Technology, Systems

This letter sets out the main aspects of the local government finance settlement for 2006-07 and 2007-08 which are relevant to the funding provided for children's services. Figures for 2007-08 are provisional.

Tags: Children's Services

This circular sets out the requirements for the PEI grant for 2006-07 and 2007-08. In particular:

• specific conditions of grant;
• grant allocations and payment arrangements;
• reporting arrangements; and
• general guidance.

Tags: Children's Services

The Government is committed to improving the life chances of people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. It wants to develop services which centre around the needs of disabled people and provide seamless support to help everyone achieve their full potential.
This report sets out a vision of how the three Departments most closely involved in this area - Education and Skills, Health, and Work and Pensions - will work together to deliver high quality support and incentives for young people and adults with learning difficulties and/or disabilities in further education and training.

Tags: Children's Services

This research investigates 'what works' in terms of cohesion policy, by investigating policy and practice in six case study areas. The research was commissioned to contribute to the on-going work of Communities and Local Government and the Commission on Integration and Cohesion.

Tags: Diversity, Policy

This Review seeks the views of parents on physical punishment and evidence from those working with children and families on the practical consequences of the changes in the law brought about by section 58 of the Children Act 2004. Section 58 limits the availability of the “reasonable punishment” defence in cases involving alleged assaults by parents on their children. This consultation, which is specifically focused, will run for 8 weeks to allow the review to report in the autumn.

Tags: Children's Services, Child Protection

This publication looks at some of the innovative, ambitious and practical work being done by regional partnerships to further sustainable development.

Tags: Policy

This is a transcript of the speech by Minister for Children and Families Beverley Hughes. She says the extent to which effective joint working happens is a crucial determinant of the well-being of some of our most vulnerable children, young people and their families.

Click here to access relevant pages

Tags: Children's Services, Adult Services

The Government has drafted amended freedom of information fees regulations, which will allow public authorities to take into account more comprehensively the work involved in dealing with a freedom of information request. This consultation asks for views on the draft regulations.

Click here to access Ministry of Justice relevant page.

Tags: FoI

This review sets out proposals for short, medium and long-term improvements to protect children from sex offenders. They range from bringing in new laws and strengthening guidance, to providing more information about convicted child sex offenders to the public.

Tags: Children's Services, Social Issues, Child Protection

Proposals in the local government white paper and performance framework for local government offer great potential for local authorities to provide leadership in the community to protect and enhance biodiversity. This guidance has been issued assist public authorities in fulfilling their duty to biodiversity. It covers policy and strategy, management of public land and buildings, planning and development, and education, advice and awareness.

Tags: Climate Change

This report reviews the scientific evidence and summarises the potential impacts of climate change on the biodiversity of England within each of the sectors of the England biodiversity strategy: agriculture; water and wetlands; woodland and forestry; coastal and marine; and towns and cities.

Tags: Climate Change

This regulatory impact assessment estimates the costs and benefits of various proposals and options that may form part of a Single Equality Bill, as set out in the consultation document, A Framework for Fairness.

Tags: Social Issues, Discrimination

The Sustainable Schools agenda, launched by the DfES in 2006, places the child at the centre of its concerns for a healthy, just and sustainable society. The strategies outlined are not only about auditing current patterns - from energy and water to food and drink - but also how to think creatively to build a sustainable future. This document discusses the contributions and responsibilities of school governors in promoting sustainability. It focuses on specific sectors of sustainability providing case studies and ideas. In addition, there is a presentation with notes, designed for governors to use as a starting point in their meetings (taking about 30 minutes); and a 2 hour workshop with notes and handouts, designed for experienced facilitators to use with governors and school leaders.

Click here to visit the relevant page of teachernet,

Tags: Schools, Governance

This Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) addresses the proposals emerging from the Discrimination Law Review which are contained in the consultation document, A Framework for Fairness. The aim of this EIA is to ensure that the implications for equality in all the protected grounds are assessed.

Tags: Social Issues, Discrimination

The purpose of this summary document is to set out briefly the main issues covered in A Framework for Fairness so that readers can decide before reading the full consultation document where their interest lies and whether they want to respond.

Tags: Social Issues, Discrimination

This document presents the findings of a national survey of the status of Electronic Social Care Records (ESCR) in England. The survey was commissioned by the NHS Connecting for Health Electronic Social Care Record Implementation Board and the ADASS, with the support of David Behan, Director General for Social Care.

Tags: Children's Services, NHS

A £500,000 fund is today being awarded to innovative schemes to tackle youth homelessness, ranging from crash pads for teenagers to supported lodgings and a text message service offering housing options. Housing Minister Yvette Cooper announced that 27 local authorities and partnerships would receive the investment for their plans to reduce youth homelessness.

National Statistics released today show that new cases of homelessness reported by local authorities have fallen by 17 per cent in comparison to the same period last year to 17,230 - the lowest level since the early 1980s. However, more than a third of new cases of homelessness last year were young people aged under 25. The funding builds on a package of measures announced last year in the Government's National Youth Homelessness Scheme, including a new target to end the use of bed and breakfast accommodation for 16 and 17 year olds by 2010.

Projects being funded include mediation schemes to resolve family relationship breakdowns, which is one of the biggest causes of homelessness, and supported lodging schemes which provide short-term respite support to young people, giving them a place to stay whilst they work through problems and increase the chances they can return to the family home.

Tags: Children's Services, Social Issues

The strategy sets out the Department's vision for information and intelligence to support implementation of the public health white paper Choosing Health: making healthier choices easier. It includes a framework and an overview of plans for delivery.

Tags: Policy

Find out how Bromley is transforming services to residents and generating internal efficiencies by increasing links between its call centre and service departments via a new CRM implementation. As part of its Customer Access Programme, Bromley has implemented a new Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system using business process templates to automate linkage between call centre staff and staff within ten key service departments.

In this case study key personnel discuss the many benefits of the new structure. Contact centre staff can now train on a single system with links through to the different back office systems. This reduces the time and cost of staff training in addition to providing a swifter, more professional service to customers. The constant update of information also enables the fast and accurate production of reports for reviews.

"We were absolutely delighted with the ability to implement the new system in less than four months and the whole project including the development of hardware and software was done for under 200,000 pounds". Jim Haslam, Assistant Director of Business Solutions & ICT

To view, click

The implementation of the Microsoft Dynamics CRM system was carried out by Optevia, using Optevia's set of proprietary business process templates to provide best practice linkage to various departmental services in order to accelerate the overall CRM implementation." rel="external">here.

Tags: Modernisation, Transformation, Technology

This independent report was commissioned to ensure government acts as a leader in understanding changes in communication and information technology. It talks about a new era, where government starts to learn how to support citizens' own ways of making, finding and re-using information online.

Click here to access the relevant Cabinet Office webpage.

Tags: Systems, Perfomance Management, FoI

This letter informs Local Authorities and PCTs of arrangements, operated via a bidding process, for the allocation of up to £7 million  to support the development up to six Multisystemic Therapy (MST) pilots.

Tags: Social Issues, Children's Services

This report presents the findings from research commissioned by the CRE in 2006 to look at participation in local strategic partnerships by people from ethnic minorities. It investigates the extent to which the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund is distributed to people from ethnic minorities.

Click here to access relevant CRE webpage.

Tags: Community Engagement, Local Area Agreement, NRF

In 2009 Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA) will take over from the Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA) of local government. CAA will continue to provide assurance about how well-run local public services are and how effectively they use taxpayers’ money. But it also aims to be more relevant to local people by focusing on issues that are important to their community. It will develop a shared view about the challenges facing an area, such as crime, community cohesion, a sustainable environment or public health issues such as obesity, and will also create a more joined up and proportionate approach to public service regulation.

In April 2007, the Audit Commission published ‘The evolution of regulation’ presenting their initial thoughts on CAA to provide a starting point for widespread discussion over the coming months. At the same time, they are continuing to work with other inspectorates to develop CAA and there will be joint consultation on proposals at the end of 2007.

CPA 2007 and the transition year 2008/09

The Audit Commission have published The transition from CPA to CAA (210Kb). This consultation document included questions relating to CPA 2007 for the next round of national reporting which will be published in February 2008, and the transition from CPA to CAA in 2008/09. Very minor changes to CPA were proposed for the coming year. For the transitional year, a number of substantial amendments were considered, including possible changes to service assessments for single-tier and county councils. This consultation closed on 14 June and responses are currently being considered. The Audit Commission aims to publish the final CPA 2007 framework for single tier and county councils at the end of July.

Tags: Perfomance Management, Audit Commission, CPA, CAA

This page on the Communities and Local Government website gives links to information about the reform of the planning system, including the planning white paper and associated documents, the review of planning enforcement and the spatial plans in practice project.

Tags: Planning

Officials visited schools with outstanding rates of progression in Key Stage 2, to find out what lies at the heart of such spectacular improvements for children. Twenty schools were visited and they were chosen because over the last three years, more than 90% of their pupils who were at national expectations (Level 2) in Key Stage 1 progressed to national expectations (Level 4) at Key Stage 2. The schools were located across the country and had mixed intakes; some schools had high levels of pupils on Free School Meals (FSM) and Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) populations. In the twenty schools, officials met with the Headteacher and a member of the school’s Senior Leadership Team usually responsible for assessment. They discussed six broad areas: school culture, leadership, assessment and monitoring, policies and resources, curriculum, and teaching and learning. The schools visited all shared common characteristics in each of these areas, and a strong picture emerged of what leads to success in securing progression.

Click here to access report.

Tags: Schools, Attainment

Procurement Solutions has long been recognised for its unrivalled educational programme and is renowned for its inspirational keynotes and practical seminars that deliver the best in education and inspiration alike.

If you're looking to overcome the efficiency, sustainability and e-procurement challenges faced in the public sector then you need to be at Procurement Solutions 2007. You will hear from the biggest-names in government and have access to the best free educational programme and the best suppliers offering you the best value for money.

Spend a day at Procurement Solutions and learn to:
• Implement sustainable procurement practices
• Make further measurable efficiency savings
• Deliver fully-enabled eProcurement best practice
• Introduce new technologies to facilitate improved service delivery and efficiency
• Source new products and services
Full details and an on-line registration form are on the Procurement Solutions website.

Contact details: OGC Service Desk Tel: 0845 000 4999 E-mail: ServiceDesk@ogc.gsi.gov.uk

Tags: Finance, Systems

At the heart of Transforming Government Procurement is the need for a strong, coordinated and expert body of procurement professionals. This event heralds the creation of a reformed Government Procurement Service through which procurement practitioners can establish a coordinated and cohesive function, with the necessary access to expertise for it to gain the support and recognition it needs. Critically, this event provides you with the opportunity to help to shape the reformed GPS.  Take a place at one of the decision-making tables that will define how you and your fellow procurement professionals are represented in the future.

See the conference brochure (PDF, 120KB). Visit the OGC website.

Tags: Finance

Sue Reid, Head of the Modernisation and Efficiency Division at the Department of Communities and Local Government discusses in a one-to-one interview the progress Local Authorities and public sector bodies are making towards sharing their services.

To watch, click here. Read More...

Tags: Modernisation, Transformation

From: HM Government - Policy Review

The origin of the UK's energy supplies is changing. By 2020, the UK will be importing the majority of its gas and more than half its oil. Like other major energy-using countries, the UK is also set to become more dependent on a small number of suppliers in less stable parts of the world. Around a third of the country's electricity generation capacity will need to be replaced by 2025. At the same time, it is increasingly apparent that there is an extra cost to the exploitation of fossil fuels and natural resources and the changes in land use from which much of the global economy has drawn its income. The scientific advice is clear - human activity is altering our climate and, with it, the systems that support life on Earth. Read More...

Tags: Policy, Climate Change

The 2006 Local Government White Paper announced the intention of Communities and Local Government to promote the concept of city development companies for English cities and city-regions, including through developing guidance in conjunction with partners. On 12 December 2006, Communities and Local Government published a consultation paper on city development companies (CDCs). It sought opinions on the rationale and the key principles for CDCs, as well as views on the form, function and location of such bodies.

This document provides a summary of responses to a consultation published by Communities and Local Government published on city development companies (CDCs). The consultation sought opinions on the rationale and the key principles for CDCs, and views on the form, function and location of such bodies.

Tags: CDCs

Capital expenditure on healthcare facilities has increased from around £1.1 billion in 1997-98 to around £5.5 billion in 2007-08. This record investment has not just replaced old buildings with new ones. For this Government, the investment has served three key purposes:
• Improving the patient environment and experience in terms of more single rooms and better designed hospitals
• Modernising services - trusts have to reassess how they shape and configure their services and patient pathways, taking on board the provision of new IT, new equipment and new clinical areas
• Improving access and offering better choice by delivering a whole new generation of facilities so patients have more control over when, where and how they are seen

Click here to access Department of Health report.

Tags: NHS, Finance

On 26 April 2007, the Audit Commission published for consultation their proposed changes to the key lines of enquiry for the 2008 use of resources assessments for single tier, county and district councils. 2008 will be the last year that they assess councils under the current Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA) framework, but they expect use of resources to remain as an important element of the new Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA) from 2009.

Without anticipating the detail of CAA, they are proposing some changes to the key lines of enquiry for 2008 to help smooth the transition to the new performance framework. The White Paper Strong and Prosperous Communities indicated several issues and policy priorities that will need to be reflected in use of resources assessments under CAA. The Audit Commission is proposing to give more emphasis to these issues in 2008 to avoid too big a change the following year and to give councils time to plan and manage their response. They are also responding to the significant improvements in council performance for 2006 by continuing our policy of gradually raising standards.

Click here to access the Consultation on us of resources (2008).
Click here to access the Proposed KLOE for assessments starting in 2008.

Tags: Audit Commission, Perfomance Management

Expressions of interest invited to build 150 homes in Bristol. Housebuilders were invited to submit expressions of interest to build England’s first large scale development of zero carbon homes today, as national regeneration agency English Partnerships published its pre-qualifying questionnaire (PQQ) for a 150 home site in Bristol.

Hanham Hall – a 6.1 ha former hospital site in Bristol, owned by English Partnerships – has been identified as the first site in the country to be suitable for development under the agency’s Carbon Challenge.  Read More...

Tags: Finance

Evidence gathered in the Disability Rights Commission’s (DRC) investigation into health inequalities experienced by people with mental health and learning disabilities will be a key starting point for the independent inquiry into healthcare for people with learning disabilities to be chaired by Sir Jonathan Michael, the Commission said today. Read More...

Tags: Culture, Social Issues

This Thematic Review of housing association progress towards the Decent Home Standard (DHS), looks at the data that housing associations supply about DHS performance. It carries out an in-depth analysis of one set of data, the statistics from the Regulatory and Statistical Return (RSR). Data have been scrutinised in order to reach a conclusion about whether housing association claims stand up. The conclusion that the data indicates is that they do.

Tags: Perfomance Management, Planning

The Disability Briefing is a compendium of official statistics on disability, produced by the DRC. The Briefing is divided into three sections:
Section One includes core data on disabled people's participation in the labour market using April-June 2006 Labour Force Survey (LFS) data. This section also includes time series analysis using LFS quarterly data back to 1999, to highlight changes and trends over time. Please note revised LFS data for 1998 and 2001 is currently unavailable from the ONS, so this data is not included in the time-series (see background note for further details). Section Two presents the latest estimates on the disabled population in Britain from the Family Resources Survey (FRS).
Section Three presents a short progress report on research projects undertaken and completed at the DRC over the past year.

Click here to access briefing.

Tags: Social Issues, Culture

The Supporting People programme offers vulnerable people the opportunity to improve their quality of life by providing a stable environment which enables greater independence. It will deliver high quality and strategically planned housing-related services which are cost effective and reliable, and complement existing care services. The planning and development of services will be needs led. Supporting People is a working partnership of local government, service users and support agencies.

Click here for the Directory of Supporting People Services available in England.

Tags: Directories, Social Issues

Keeping up – Pupils who fall behind in Key Stage 2 reports the findings of a small scale study focusing on pupils who are at risk of not converting a level 2 in English and mathematics at Key Stage 1 into a level 4 at the end of Key Stage 2. The proportion of pupils achieving the national expectation of level 4 at the end of Key Stage 2 has increased significantly. In English, it has increased from 63% in 1997 to 79% in 2006; and in mathematics, it has increased from 58% in 1998 to 76% in 2006. Read More...

Tags: Schools, Attainment

In the pre–Budget report of November 2006, the Chancellor announced that “the National Audit Office will work with the Better Regulation Executive, regulators and business to develop a process of external review of regulatory performance”.The assessment process will focus on the extent to which regulators are performing in line with the Hampton principles and Macrory characteristics, and will encourage continuous improvement. Read More...

Tags: Perfomance Management, Regulation

This briefing note, published in partnership with the Department for Education and Skills and the Department of Health, aims to highlight how effective programmes to tackle teenage pregnancy can contribute to LSPs achievingtheir key priorities and outcomes.  The note is primarily aimed at LSPs in receipt of Neighbourhood Renewal Funding, and asks LSPs to consider how they could assist partnership working in helping to tackle teenage conception rates.

Tags: Local Area Agreement

Involving residents improves the effectiveness with which housing services are delivered, brings benefits of new skills and increased confidence to residents. It is a core component of helping to ensure that neighbourhoods and communities are places where people want to live, now and in the future. The Housing Corporation is clear that involvement is critical to housing associations' success as effective businesses meeting the needs of the people who live in and around their homes. An amendment has been made to their tenant involvement policy, published 31 May, to clarify the application of provisions on resident board members to charitable associations (see page 20 of People first).

Click here to access document.

Tags: Community Engagement

This study increases our understanding of the parenting support market by exploring barriers to market development; developing services in Children’s Centres and Extended Schools; and options for charging for services. Interviews were undertaken with commissioning staff across four case study local authorities; providers at local and national level; and employers and employee benefits advisors. Research concerning charging involved desk research, telephone interviews and a workshop with DfES, GO and parent support organisations.

Tags: Children's Services, Parenting

This paper analyses whether Free School Meal (FSM) status is a valid proxy for socio-economic status when conducting schools related research. The authors compare data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) with FSM data. Significant differences are found between the two sets of data, but this cannot be seen as definitive reasoning for questioning FSM as a measure. ALSPAC is not a nationally representative sample and suffers from a lack of ethnic diversity.

Tags: Schools, Social Issues

In the Budget, the Government announced that all public sector bodies will be required to prepare their accounts in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) from 2008/09. This announcement has significant implications for the way in which NHS bodies prepare their annual financial statements.  It also poses big challenges for us as auditors. The Audit Commission is committed to helping NHS bodies through this process and has published the second of a series of briefing papers, aimed at the preparers of accounts at NHS bodies, which will address developments in the application of IFRS.

Click here to access Audit Commission's briefing.

Tags: NHS, Finance

This survey collected information from employers about the volume, type and pattern of training they provide; motivations for training; and use of, and satisfaction with, external training providers. The survey consisted of 4,000 telephone interviews with establishments of all sizes and sectors in England. Some comparisons of findings can be made with the larger scale National Employer Skills Survey (NESS05).

Tags: Training

This study investigated ways of improving the measurement of the output of Children’s Social Services in the National Accounts. It was commissioned by the Department for Education and Skills following an independent review in 2005 led by Sir Tony Atkinson, which recommended changes to the way that government output is measured. Measuring the output of Children’s Social Services requires a different approach from that used for private sector goods and services because there are no market prices to indicate the value of interventions. The Atkinson review recommended that what ideally should be measured is the incremental impact that interventions have on client outcomes and welfare. The study’s aim was therefore highly challenging: to recommend a methodology for producing a robust annual output measure that fully reflects the change in welfare to individuals and society from Children’s Social Services’ provision.

Tags: Children's Services, Perfomance Management

This research examined the work and family lives of residential social workers, foster carers, family support workers and community child minders who care for children placed with them by social services. It explored how over the life course, such workers come to, and either do, or do not, sustain a career in care work. The study comprised interviews with managers in local authorities, children’s services and children’s homes; a postal survey of 305 workers in several English local authorities; 24 biographical case study interviews; and a telephone survey one year later with the postal survey respondents exploring loss from and movement within the childcare workforce.

Tags: Vulnerable Children

This paper looks at the association between urban density and pupil attainment of 16 year olds in schooling in England in 2002, 2003 and 2004. Using data combined from the Pupil Level Annual School Census (PLASC) and the National Pupil Database, the authors examine pupils’ progress when switching between schools in different locations as they move from primary to secondary education, by using the change in urban density as a variable in a regression analysis.

Tags: Attainment, Schools

Funding of over £1.6 million has been awarded by Defra to projects across the country to help farmers improve farm animal health and welfare.
Following an application process, twenty-seven different projects have received funding for a variety of farm health planning events and initiatives including farmer training, advice workshops and the development of farm health planning ‘champions’. Farm health planning means undertaking a range of measures to proactively manage disease risk on-farm.  This involves good disease record keeping; identifying existing health problems on-farm and prioritising control measures for these; developing action plans for specific problems; and assessing whether measures have been effective and reviewing health plans where necessary.

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Tags: Farming

The UK's five leading audit bodies have developed a suite of indicators to help public sector managers challenge and improve the value for money of their corporate services. A joint report, published today by the Audit Commission, Audit Scotland, the National Audit Office, the Northern Ireland Audit Office, and the Wales Audit Office, includes five sets of indicators which allow organisations to assess the value for money performance of their:
• finance;
• human resources;
• information and communication technology;
• estates management; and
• procurement.

These services have been identified by the government as priority areas for increasing efficiency and releasing resources for use in delivering front line services. Local authorities and central government departments across the UK are facing pressure to make significant efficiency savings in the coming years, alongside more effective service delivery. The indicators are therefore underpinned by a focus on better outcomes for service users as well as value for money. The indicators have been designed to ensure that public bodies will be able not only to assess their own value for money performance but also compare their results against other public sector organisations everywhere in the UK.

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Tags: Audit Commission

Carbon Trust and Defra join with BSI British Standards to develop a standard method for measuring the embodied GHG emissions in products and services.

Today the Carbon Trust and Defra announced that they will be working with BSI British Standards to co-sponsor the development of a Publicly Available Specification (PAS) for the measurement of the embodied greenhouse gases (GHGs) in products and services.
The aim of the work is to develop an agreed method for measuring embodied GHG emissions which can be applied across a wide range of product and service categories and their supply chains to enable companies to measure the GHG related impacts of their products and reduce them.

Once completed the single standard will ensure a consistent and comparable approach to supply chain measurement of embodied GHGs across markets, it will help companies understand the life-cycle climate change impacts of their products and highlight significant emissions reduction opportunities. The intention is that this is the first step in moving towards an internationally agreed standard for measuring embodied GHG emissions.

The announcement comes the day after the inaugural meeting of the project’s Technical Advisory Group (TAG), an independent body chaired by Jim Skea, Director of the Energy Research Centre and consisting of members from NGOs, government and academia. 
BSI British Standards will oversee the development of the PAS using the Carbon Trust pilot methodology as a starting point. Through the work of the TAG and a broad 2 stage stakeholder consultation beginning this summer, new and existing best practice work in this area will also be considered in the PAS development. This process is designed to develop a credible, usable method through an open and consultative forum.

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Tags: Climate Change

Support work in schools (SWiS) qualifications are designed to provide training for support workers that is relevant to their role in schools. These qualifications are The qualifications are flexible and tailored to specific development needs. This page gives information about the qualification levels and access to training.

Tags: Qualifications, Schools, TDA

This information has been put together by the Communities and Local Government team on Supporting People and local area agreements. It covers the latest developments on local area agreements and what they mean for the Supporting People programme. Information has been added on the implementation of local area agreements and the development of local strategic partnerships. There are also detailed examples of enabling measures requested for Supporting People from the pilot, second and third rounds.

Tags: Social Issues, Community Engagement, Local Area Agreement

This document provides best practice guidance for commissioners and providers on how the roll-out of free choice in elective care in 2007/8 will operate.

Tags: NHS, Guidance

This conference will be held in London on 28 June 2007 and will focus on the personalisation of care, how social care services are being shaped by the people who use them, and what needs to be done to further improve this work. It will be an opportunity to showcase the innovative work that is already happening in social care and how far social care has come in meeting the challenges of the white paper 'Our Health, Our Care, Our Say'. Read More...

Tags: Social Issues

This one-day seminar is for current and potential commissioners of housing improvement agency (HIA) services from Supporting People, health and housing services, and senior management from HIA service providers. It will be held in Birmingham on 26 June 2007 and in London on 18 September 2007. It will look at how good commissioning practice will lead to effective service delivery and value for money outcomes. Read More...

Tags: Social Housing, Social Issues, NHS

This consultation seeks comments on the draft summary of evidence to inform the development of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's public health programme guidance on community engagement and development. Click here to load NICE webpage, or click Read More... for the full insight. Read More...

Tags: NHS, NICE

This is a transcript of the speech by Minister for Culture David Lammy to the Wilberforce Institute for the Study of Slavery and Emancipation on 18 May 2007. He talks about the legacy of slavery and addresses the progress that has been made in Britain towards equality. He highlights the role of cultural institutions in the commemorative events for 2007.

Tags: Culture