DfES: Sit & Learn - Ruth Kelly has welcomed the Learning Behaviour report from the Practitioners’ Group on School Behaviour and Discipline, which includes a package of new proposals to tackle poor pupil behaviour, saying that behaviour will be a cornerstone of the forthcoming White Paper.
The Group’s concludes that good teaching is key to promoting good behaviour, combined with consistently applied strategies to help pupils manage their behaviour, with a balance of rewards & sanctions. Firm & consistent action is required, but the cooperation of parents is also essential.
Press release ~ Learning Behaviour Report (1.3Mb) ~ DfES Learning & Behaviour website ~ Pupil Referral Units ~ TeacherNet Behaviour monitoring website ~ TeacherNet - Violence, threatening behaviour and abuse in schools ~ Learning Support Unit ~ Safer Schools Partnership ~ Behaviour and Discipline - Memorandum of SHA to the Practitioner Group on Behaviour and Discipline ~ Behaviour UK
DTI: Pension strike averted - The Government & unions have agreed a set of framework principles that will be applied to the reform of public sector pension schemes in health, education & the civil service.
New scheme members will receive a final salary pension (plus indexation) and will continue to have the right to retire at age 60, if they pay higher contributions, while those working to 65 will pay the standard contribution rate. Scheme specific negotiations will take account of the special physical and mental demands of many public sector jobs and individual scheme negotiations should be complete no later than June 2006.
Jonathan Baume, FDA General Secretary, said: "We made clear from the outset that existing staff should not have their pension arrangements changed against their will. The Government has now accepted this”.
DTI Press release ~ FDA press release ~ Framework principles ~ Public Services Forum ~ GMB Position ~ Govt. Actuary’s department
DH: / Defra: Pandemic Influenza Contingency Plan Updated - The government has published an updated version of the Pandemic Influenza Contingency plan, plus a guide for Health professional & the public, a key facts document and an information leaflet
The Department of Health is inviting manufacturers to tender for a contract to supply approximately 120 million doses of the pandemic flu vaccine once the pandemic strain is known.
Commercial poultry keepers will be asked to register their flocks as part of an initiative to step up surveillance of the avian influenza virus. Members of the public should not handle dead birds. If multiple bird deaths are found the public should report this to the Defra helpline 08459 335577.
DH press release ~ Defra press release ~ Confirmation press release ~ DH Pandemic website with newly published documents ~ UK Resilience Pandemic web page
DH: Future of Social Care - A Green Paper setting out the responses received to the consultation on
Subsequent to publishing the responses report the Department of Health announced the start of a ‘wide-ranging’ review of the regulatory framework for the health and social care sector.
Consultation press release ~ Review press release ~ Responses to the consultation on adult social care in England: Analysis of feedback from the Green Paper Independence, Wellbeing and Choice ~ Original Consultation ~ Wider review of regulation of health and social care
CIOB: Ignoring standards raised death toll - An informative item reveals how the ignoring of building standards led to an increase in the heavy toll of casualties caused by the earthquake that struck
Press release ~ Chartered Institute of Building International website ~ Richter scale ~ Aga Khan Cultural Services ~ Baltit Fort
Industry News: New ‘BOBI’ helps police with inquiries - Staffordshire Police Force now use Business Objects Business Intelligence solutions to provide a single reporting infrastructure for a consolidated view of up-to-date information that supports tactical & strategic decision-making ands drive performance improvements.
The improvements in information availability led to Staffordshire Police achieving the largest performance improvement of any force in the
Full article ~ Staffordshire Police Force ~ www.businessobjects.co.uk ~ National Intelligence Model (NIM) ~ NIM – Key lessons ~ Integrating the NIM with a ‘problem solving’ approach ~ Police Force Analysis ~ intelligence-led policing ~ Crime & Disorder Reduction Partnerships
Socitm: The Society of IT Management has launched a new initiative to support
& encourage the transformation of local public services through
ICT-facilitated change.
According to
Socitm, transformation has not generally happened in the
Press release ~ EU Ministerial e-Government
Conference in
Manchester, November 24-25 ~ <
SPAN style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">Socitm’s Performance Management Group
(PMG) ~ PMG Annual KPI workshop 22
November 2005 ~ BVPI 157 (NAWPI 1.5 in Wales) ~
e2Government
leaflet - (enter following URL in your
web browser: http://www.socitm.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/616B14DA-6A73-4FAB-A9BB-E2D3
BED1EC72/0/e2GovLealflet.pdf
Highways Agency: School children in Surrey have been the
first to use a new teaching pack - "Just
a Stones Throw" - designed to help 10 & 11 year olds understand the
dangers of dropping objects onto traffic from bridges and the emotional impact
on families, relatives and friends when someone is hurt or dies. The pack includes a personal letter
from the family of a man who died from injuries received when a brick was
thrown from a bridge over a motorway.
Press release ~ Teaching
pack ~ LASER (Learning About Safety by Experiencing
Risk)
Defra: Fly-tipping
is now costing almost £1 million a week to clear-up, according to new data
released by Defra from its Flycapture database.
However, a new measure providing local authorities with the capacity to
immediately remove abandoned cars from the streets came in to force last
week.
Press
release ~ Flycapture
Database~ Clean Neighbourhoods and
Environment Act ~ Defra Fly-tipping
website
Defra: Defra has launched Farm Business
Advice Service -Knowing Your Options to provide free
business advice to English farmers. It is intended to help farmers claiming the
Single Payment to consider the implications for their business and to explore
options for change - including restructuring, diversification and
co-operation.
The service, which will run until the end of March
2007, will be delivered under eight regional contracts and it
replaces the former three day farm business advice service which ended in March
2005.
Press release ~ Farm Business Advice Service - Knowing your options ~
Single
Payment Scheme
DfES: Schools
Minister Jacqui Smith has congratulated Liz Robinson on her appointment as head
teacher at the
Press release ~ Fast Track Teaching website ~ Teacher Training
Agency ~ NCSL Head teacher training
programme ~ BBC Q&A on becoming a
teacher ~ GO4itnow website
DH: The
Department of Health has announced £130 million capital investment in mental
health services (from 2006 onwards), which is intended to update the mental
health estate and ensure that each mental health trust has access to an
’appropriate place of safety’ for assessment of people brought in under the
Mental Health Act by the police.
Press release ~ Joint Committee on Human Rights ~ Mental Health Bill ~ DH Mental Health website ~ Rethink website ~ The National Audit of Violence (2003 - 2005) Final
Report ~ National Assoc. of Psychiatric IC
Units
WG Newswire: The first
ever national training syllabus to tackle violence against frontline staff in mental health and learning
disability services - Promoting Safer and Therapeutic Services - was launched recently by
the NHS Security Management Service (NHS
SMS). The syllabus, which will
be delivered by
2008, will provide training in recognising,
de-escalating & managing potentially violent incidents, whilst improving
staff and service-user safety.
Press release ~ NHS
Security Management Service (NHS SMS) ~
Defra: Biodiversity Minister Jim Knight has
announced that most respondents to a public consultation on wildlife
legislation are in favour of reviewing the laws that protect individual
wildlife species in
Press release ~ Review of Part I of the Wildlife and Countryside Act
1981 ~
DH: Care Services Minister Liam Byrne has announced that a
new taskforce to help
not-for-profit organisations pitch for health & social care
work has been set up. The taskforce will identify how to break down the barriers
that stop third sector organisations, including the voluntary sector and not
for profit social businesses, having a much greater involvement in delivering
innovative person-centred health and social care
services.
Press release ~ National
Strategic Partnership Forum (NSPF) ~ NAO –
Working with the Third Sector ~
Mencap ~ Turning
Point ~ Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations ~
Northern Ireland Council for
Voluntary Action (NICVA) ~ Wales
Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA) ~ Third Sector European Network (TSEN) (scroll
down)
DH: Health
Minister Lord Warner has announced a review aimed at helping the
NHS plan & pay for some of the most expensive treatments and
drugs.
The new taskforce will look at ways of ensuring PCTs
to work together to commission specialised services so that the financial risk
is shared and also how to tighten the ways in which specialised services are
commissioned, so that there is greater consistency across all
PCTs
Press release ~ DH Commissioning Specialist
Services website ~ Specialised Healthcare Alliance ~ Specialised Services National
Definitions
DWP: David Blunkett and Patricia Hewitt have launched the first
stage of a strategy that places ‘responsibility’ not just in the hands of
Government, but also with employers, individuals, the healthcare profession and
stakeholders.
The
strategy, Health, Work and Wellbeing -
Caring for our Future, lays out a blueprint for change, so that work
related illness and accidents can be avoided in the first place, but if not,
ensures people get fast treatment and that they can access occupational health
services if they need them.
The next step will be to publish a
charter next
spring, which will include an action plan.
Press release ~
DfES: Schools
Minister Andrew Adonis claims that "Cricket Explorer", an interactive programme
in cricket clubs, will help underachieving youngsters increase their knowledge
& understanding of the geography of
It is part of the Playing for Success initiative, which according to the government,
four independent national evaluations have demonstrated has had a significant
impact on pupils’ literacy, numeracy and ICT skills, boosting pupils’ self
esteem and increasing their motivation to learn.
Press release ~ Playing for Success
initiative ~ Literacy Trust findings ~ NFER reports &
articles
DfES: Minister for Lifelong Learning, Further and Higher
Education, Bill Rammell has announced changes to the planning & funding of
the Further Education (FE) sector.
The two-year strategy outlined in a document published by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), is
meant to:
·
enable
more 14-19 year olds to stay in education or training and improve their
results;
·
Train
more adults without basic skills and qualifications to join the workforce.
And
·
Increase
the percentage of the costs paid by individuals and
organisations
Press release ~ LSC document: Priorities for Success - Funding for Learning and
Skills ~ DfES White Paper: Skills
Getting on in business, getting on at work ~ White Paper: 14-19
Education and Skills ~ National Employer Training programmes ~ National Institute of Adult
Continuing Education
(NIACE) ~ Association of Colleges funding
petition
DCA: Proposals to ensure the most effective use of judges at all levels have
been outlined in a new consultation paper (closes 20 January 2006) issued
by the Dept. of Constitutional Affairs.
Focusing Judicial Resources
Appropriately outlines ways to ensure cases are dealt with in a more efficient way by
the appropriate level of judge.
Defra: Defra has launched the 2nd
stage of a consultation (closes
Press release ~ Gangmasters (Licensing) Act 2004 ~ Consultation documents ~ Gangmasters Licensing
authority
Defra: People living in rural
The first
section of the Toolkit describes the evidence base for rural health
commissioning, while the second covers areas that are often overlooked in commissioning health
services in rural areas. Each chapter of the Toolkit is illustrated with examples of
good practice, some of which are derived from the Defra-commissioned database
of good practice in rural health and wellbeing.
Press release ~ Institute of Rural Health’s Rural Proofing Toolkit for Primary Healthcare
Organisations ~ Institute of Rural Health ~ Defra-commissioned database of good practice in rural health and
wellbeing
Defra: Defra
has published the Code of Good Practice
on the Use of Snares in Fox and Rabbit Control as part of a review of the
use of snares in the
Press
release ~ Code of practice and other relevant
documents
DTI:
Horizon scanning and greater openness are two key elements outlined in the Chief Scientific Adviser’s
revised guidelines for advice to Ministers, when using evidence in advice to
key Government decision makers.
Press
release ~ Guidelines on Scientific Analysis in Policy
Making ~ Horizon Scanning Centre ~ Foresight
Website
ODPM: New guidance
to inform emergency planning for clearance of sites affected by incidents such
as natural disasters or terrorist attack has been published by the ODPM and the
Welsh Assembly Government.
Press release ~ Guidance on Development of a Site
Clearance Capability ~ UK
Resilience
ODPM: According to
the Arson Control Forum annual
report, in the year ending December 2004, there were 75,800 deliberate fires -
down by 21% per cent on 2003, while in the same period deliberate road vehicle
fires fell by a quarter:
Press release ~ Arson Control Forum website ~ Annual
report ~ LFB Fire setters intervention scheme ~
LFB Advice for parents & guardians ~ Educational initiatives ~ Other initiatives ~ HMIC for Scotland report ~ Evaluation of interventions with arsonists and
young firesetters
DH: Secretary of State for Health, Patricia
Hewitt, called for action by all European member states to break the cycle of
poor health among disadvantaged groups when she opened the Tackling Health Inequalities - Governing for
Health Summit in
Press release ~ DH Summit website ~ Health Inequalities - Europe in Profile (1Mb) ~ Health Inequalities - A challenge for Europe
DWP: The 2000-06 ESF England Objective 3 programme provides £2.9 billion to
support domestic labour market programmes and policies. By the end of March 2005, 1.75 million
people had benefited from the support of a wide variety of ESF projects. Most
funding is targeted on unemployed and economically inactive people, and some
funding is used to support employee development.
Press release ~ Research Report No. 287 - Evaluation of the European Social Fund
Objective 3 Global Grants programme ~ Summary version ~ England ESF Objective 3
programme
DCA: Lord
Falconer, claims that ‘putting consumers
first in modernised legal services’ is at the heart of a package of
proposals for reform of the legal services market
published in the White Paper - "The
Future of Legal Services - Putting Consumers First". It also means complaints about lawyers will be handled
independently.
Press release ~ White
Paper (1Mb) ~ DCA
Legal reform website ~ Sir David Clementi review of legal
services
DCA: Lord Falconer
hopes that simpler & more accessible court structures leading to more
efficient & effective civil justice will be delivered by his newly
announced proposals, including the unification of civil and family court
jurisdictions which were outlined in a consultation document,
Press release ~ Closed
consultation: A Single Civil
Court?
DCA: Another 18 courts (total 25) are to be
equipped to specialise in dealing with domestic violence cases in a scheme
which is claimed to have already shown striking results. Domestic violence accounts for 17% of recorded
crime, according to the latest statistics and, on average, more than two women
a week are killed by a current or former partner.
Press release ~ Womens
Aid ~ Reports on DV courts (scroll down) ~ Organisations providing aid ~ Domestic
Violence wbsite ~ National Plan ~ Tackling Domestic Violence: Providing support
to survivors from Black Minority Ethnic communities ~ Tackling domestic violence: Providing support
for children who have witnessed domestic violence ~ Developing Domestic Violence Strategies - A
Guide for Partnerships
~ Violence at Home
DTI: Alan Johnson,
has announced that the Work &
Families Bill aims to create a modern framework of employment
rights & responsibilities for employers & employees, while minimising
the impact on business.
Press release ~ Work and Families Bill (click on ‘W’) ~ Details
on the Work and Families consultation and Government response ~ Results of the Second Flexible Working Employee Survey
2005 ~ DTI Working Parents
website
Defra: The
government has laid regulation in Parliament that will transpose the Linking Directive into
Press release ~ Linking Directive Regulations ~
Charity Commission: Andrew Hind, chief executive of the Charity Commission, has
been in
Press release ~ HERE ~
Guidance for Charities working Internationally ~ Commission for Africa ~ Report on the Second United Nations Interagency
Anti-Corruption Co-ordination meeting
FSA: New policy
aimed at making the Financial Services
Authoritys enforcement process more transparent & fair took
effect last week. The new policy
reflects those recommendations of the FSAs Enforcement Process Review,
published this summer, which required changes to the FSA Handbook.
Press release ~ Handbook ~
Policy Statement ~ report of the review team
~ Consultation Paper
Whale
Improve Party Line - Britain’s Labour Party has a large, non-technical staff that works from
home or in satellite offices across the country and needs to access information
quickly and securely.
The organisation has now overhauled its outdated
dial-up networking system (which had become too slow & costly) using Whale
Communication’s e-Gap® Remote Access
Appliance to give employees simple & secure access to their Lotus
Notes-based email, as well as essential files and data.
Strict provisions for wiping all traces of email
attachments, files and user credentials from the end-point, as well as the
ability to permit different levels of access and functionality depending on
compliance of the access device with Party security policy, were
critical.
Northgate helps Council to relate to
citizens - Over 160,000 citizens living within Wycombe
District Council are to benefit from the delivery of radical improvements to
citizens’ services, thanks to a new partnership with Northgate Information
Solutions
The programme Wycombe Direct will see Northgate’s
Front Office citizen-relationship management solution rolled out across the
council. The system will go live with Stage 1 integration to Northgate’s
Benefits system, while Stage 2 will see the integration of Northgate’s Revenues
system.
For further information on the above and previous
articles, please click HERE
For further information on the
events listed below (and subsequent events) please click HERE
Date:
Venue:
Organiser:
Enhancing individual, team
and organisational performance is the theme of a one-day National School of
Government training and development conference. Designed for public sector senior managers, HR and training
professionals and anyone looking to introduce new approaches, ‘Hitting the
Right Note’ features a presentation on passionate & memorable oral
communication from Russell Wardop, followed by a workshop on developing the
high-performance team led by the City of London Sinfonia.
Date: 9 - 11 November
2005
Venue:
Organiser:
On completion you should
understand the basis of effective management including:
the role of the manager
·
leadership
·
motivation
·
strengths & preferences
·
teamwork
·
problem-solving & decision-making
·
effective communication
·
arguing your case.
This course includes a
management case study against which you pitch your skills.
Date:
Venue: Radisson SAS Portman Hotel,
Organiser: Economist
Conferences - Third
Annual Public Sector Conference
Building on results for
next-generation public services - Government today is engaged in complex
business transformation programmes. A wave of efficiency drives in recent years
has seen public sector organisations make real efforts to streamline operations
and cut costs. Can leaders fulfil the public’s increased expectation of
effective service provision? Is there a handle on developing an effective
service delivery culture? Help shape the answers at this strategic one-day
conference.
Date: March - July
2006
Venue: Pinewood Studios
Organiser: Defence Science and Technology Laboratory -
£10,000 Up for grabs
underwater
In the first competition of its kind in the
Five Universities
have already signed up for the challenge, including
For further information on the above (and
subsequent) events please click HERE
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