Action on Elder Abuse / DH: Safe care in your own home? - Care Services Minister Liam Byrne is to create a new group of dignity guardians to help him toughen the regulation of social care. The urgent need for this initiative has been brought home by a new report from Action on Elder Abuse, which found that of all the abuse directed at adults, well over half is targeted at vulnerable older people, that almost a third of adult victims are abused in their own home and 20% were abused by a carer, partner or family member.
The findings have caused consternation amongst professionals and the project is being flagged up as one of the most significant pieces of work since No Secrets, a joint DH/Home Office national guidance document published in March 2000.
The charity is now making a number of recommendations to Government including a call to give abuse of vulnerable adults the same status as that of child protection and domestic violence. Currently, all work carried out for the protection of vulnerable adults centres around the No Secrets guidance which, unlike child protection and domestic violence, has no statutory basis.
The other two major recommendations contained in the report are that:
· the Government should introduce national data collection & reporting requirements on Protection of Vulnerable Adult referrals
· clear performance measures across NHS and Social Care, based on the reduction and elimination of risk to vulnerable adults suffering abuse, should be implemented
Action on Elder Abuse press release ~ DH press release ~ Adult Protection Data Monitoring: For copy please email Hannahbodsworth@elderabuse.org.uk ~ No Secrets: National guidance on developing and implementing multi-agency policies and procedures to protect vulnerable adults from abuse ~ Action on Elder Abuse website ~ Help the Aged ~ Which? consumer group ~ Age Concern ~ Alzheimers Society ~ Relatives and Residents Association ~ The Beth Johnson Foundation ~ DH – Vulnerable adults website
DCMS: Taxi companies income safe for another 10 years - Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell has published a White Paper on the future of the BBC, which is intended to ‘put the licence fee payer at the heart of everything the BBC does’. No mention though of extending the free ‘get you home from work’ taxi service enjoyed by senior BBC managers to the general public!
The white paper - A public service for all: the BBC in the digital age – confirms that the BBC will be overseen by a new Trust that is ‘separate from its management and will actively work to ensure the interests of the public are paramount at all times’. Central to this will be ensuring that the cycle of Charter reviews can't dictate the BBC's approach to its services.
In addition, the white paper sets out in further detail how the BBC will be expected to ‘reach a more consensual relationship with the media industry, providing transparency, certainty & clarity where its activities could have an impact on the wider market’.
Ms Jowell also urged the BBC to "continue to take fun seriously" in the future, stressing that high quality entertainment remained a vital part of the corporation's mission.
The government says that it is keen to hear any comments or thoughts (by
Press release ~ White Paper and related documents ~ Current Charter and Agreement ~ Switch to Digital ~ Submit your comments online
The 254-page report says that the investigation uncovered evidence of real suffering, distress and uncertainty about the future among pension scheme members & their families, who had relied on government information when making choices about their future pension provision.
Ms Abraham found that official information about the security of final salary occupational pension schemes provided over many years by the DWP, the Occupational Pensions Regulatory Authority and other government bodies was inaccurate, incomplete, unclear and inconsistent.
Ms Abraham said: “Government has a unique responsibility in these matters. Government set the pensions policy framework and took upon itself the responsibility of providing information for the public.
The maladministration which my investigation has uncovered caused injustice to a large number of people who, as a result, lost the opportunity to make informed choices about their future.”
PO’s press release ~ DWP press release ~ Parliamentary Ombudsman ~Trusting in the pensions promise (260 pages( ~ Guide to the Parliamentary Ombudsman’s report ~ Pension Protection Fund ~ The Pensions Regulator ~ Financial Assistance Scheme
Defra: Latest guidance from King Canute - The government has launched revised guidance on Shoreline Management Plans (SMPs), which set policy at a local level for the strategic management of flood & erosion risk and encompass four principal approaches:
· Holding the existing line, by maintaining or changing the standard of protection.
· Advancing the existing line, by building new defences on the seaward side of original defences.
· Managed realignment, by allowing the shoreline to move backwards or forwards through controlled movement.
· No active intervention, where there is no investment in coastal defences or operations.
The revised guidance takes account of the latest science & information available as well as future challenges and it includes a shift from a look ahead of 50 years to one of 100 years, better linkages with the statutory planning system and more effective stakeholder engagement on preferred policies & their likely consequences.
The 2004 Foresight Future Flooding report, which took a long-term view of national flooding and coastal erosion risks to 2100, estimated that there were £130 billion of assets (homes, businesses, etc.) at risk of coastal flooding and also at least £10 billion of assets at risk of coastal erosion.
The study predicted that future climate change could lead to potentially significant increases in future risk by the end of this century with annual losses due to flooding increasing to between 2 and 20 times current values and coastal erosion annual losses rising by 3-8 times.
Press release ~ Defra - Shoreline Management Plan ~ 'Making Space for Water' ~ Environment Agency - Foresight Future Flooding ~ Foresight – Flood and Coastal Defence project ~ Futurecoast ~ ABI Flooding & Insurance website (includes principles) ~ Defra Flood management website ~ Repair and restoration of buildings following flooding ~ Flooding in Scotland ~ National Flood forum ~ Preparing for Floods ~ National Appraisal of Assets at Risk of Flooding and Coastal Erosion in England and Wales ~ Flood Ranger ~ Wallasea Wetlands
Industry News: Housing Corporation £518m extension -The Housing Corporation has revealed a turnover of £8.3 billion this year for the housing association sector, up £518 million (6.6%) on the previous year, according to its figures in its 2005 Global Accounts and Sector Analysis.
The 2005 Global Accounts is based on the published financial statements of the largest 557 housing associations and this view of the sector’s overall financial strength has been formed by aggregating the results
The Housing Corporation is the Government Agency responsible for the regulation & investing in over 1,500 housing associations in
The housing association sector now provides over two million affordable homes across
Crucially for the sector, uncertainty over interest rate rises represents a significant risk for associations.
Clare Miller, Director of Regulation at the Housing Corporation, comments: “These accounts reveal the sheer scale of housing association achievements, as the principal provider of new affordable homes in this country, and as landlords managing homes for over 5 million people”.
Full article ~ Housing Corporation website ~ 2005 Accounts ~ Rent restructuring ~ Decent Homes Standard ~ ODPM - Affordable Housing ~ Affordable homes (ODPM response) ~ Modern methods of house building ~ NAO - Using modern methods of construction to build homes more quickly and efficiently ~ Bank of Good Practice ~ An end to end review of the Housing Corporation
Forthcoming Event: Engaging the Public Through Efficient Public Sector Communication - Are you a communicator working in the public sector? Are you expected to deliver more with less, while at the same time improving your organisation's reputation? Attend Melcrum's Public Sector Communication Conference (
Nine case studies will show you how to:
· Enhance your organisation's reputation
· Change public perception
· Measure the effectiveness of your strategies
· Target hard-to-reach audiences through new channels of communication
· Build public sector partnerships to maximise campaign efficiency
· Create cost-effective but high-quality campaigns
· Engage staff by improving internal communication
Two follow-up Practical Workshops (
· How to Communicate Change and Maximise Employee Engagement in the Public Sector
· Measuring What Your People Think and Feel
Full details ~ Government Communications Network ~ Central Office of Information ~ Office of Public Sector Information ~ Chartered Institute of Public Relations ~ Changes to Government Communications Machinery ~ Phillis report
CCWater: The Consumer Council for Water has
supported the imposition of a hosepipe
ban by Thames Water to take effect from
CCWater’s press release also suggests five fast
facts on water saving
Press release ~ Thames Water: Water Wise ~ Water UK: Industry committed to drought action
without delay ~ Consumer Council for Water ~ 'Drought prospects 2006'
HSE: New research
on asbestos confirms that risks from
asbestos containing textured coatings (TCs) are much lower than previously thought and that
the research supports the proposal that work with textured coatings will no
longer require a licence. Textured
coatings contain only small amounts of asbestos and this is bound in a matrix
that does not readily release asbestos fibres when removed.
HSE plans to make final recommendations to the HSC in
May, with a view to introducing the
revised Regulations on
Press release ~ HSE
asbestos website ~ HSE: Decorative Coatings Investigation ~ Summary Report On Additional Work Carried Out On The Monitoring
Of Chrysotile Containing Textured Decorative Coatings ~
Health & Safety Commission ~ Health and Safety Laboratory
(HSL) ~ Asbestos removal Contractors
Association
FCO: The joint
Home Office and Foreign & Commonwealth Office Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) has launched
a national publicity campaign - 'You Have A Right to Choose' -
on forced marriage, which aims to increase awareness of the issues surrounding
forced marriage.
It will highlight the difference between forced &
arranged marriage and make clear that forced marriage is an abuse of human rights and a form of domestic
violence. The
campaign is intended to publicise the support available to young people
affected by forced marriage and encourage them to seek help. It will also highlight the damaging
emotional consequences to families and the crimes involved in forcing someone
into marriage.
Press release ~ Forced Marriage
Unit ~ Further help contact
suggestions ~ Islam online ~ Guidelines for police ~ Guidance
for education professionals ~ Forced Marriage Update
13/10/05 ~ A
choice by right ~ Oxfordshire NHS FM website ~ Other material on Forced Marriage
DWP: A review of Remploy Ltd will look at how to open up
more employment opportunities for disabled
people, how Remploy operates and suggest ways to both improve the
opportunities for the 9,000 disabled people it presently supports, while
providing better value for money.
It follows the publication of a report by the
National Audit Office last autumn which recognised that some of Remploy's
factory businesses were not financially sustainable.
Press
release ~ Remploy ~ 'Gaining and retaining a job: the Department for Work and
Pensions' support for disabled people' ~ Executive summary ~ Green
Paper - A new deal for welfare: Empowering people to work ~
Employers’ Forum on Disability ~ Work Preparation ~ Workstep ~ New Deal for Disabled people ~ Access to Work ~ Job Introduction
Scheme ~ Disability
Symbol
Defra: British Gas
has announced an initiative offering 880,000 householders in 16 local
authorities across
To qualify for the rebate, owner-occupier households must
have subsidised cavity wall insulation installed by British Gas in their
home. Upon the installation of the
cavity wall insulation, the council will deduct the rebate from the
householders' council tax bill.
Over a five year period households could save up to £485.
Press release ~ Home Energy Conservation Act 1995 ~ Building Regulations Act
of 1990 ~ Energy Saving Trust
Home Office: Home Office Minister Fiona Mactaggart has launched
an advertising campaign, warning men that they could go to jail for rape if they have sex without consent. The campaign aims to reduce incidents
of rape by ensuring that men understand that they need to gain active consent
before they have sex.
The Sexual
Offences Act 2003 set down, for the first time that a defendant in a rape
case would need to show that they have reasonable grounds to believe that the
other person had given their consent. The Act also introduced a definition of consent - that a
person consents if s/he 'agrees by
choice, and has the freedom and capacity to make that
choice'.
Press release ~ Home Office Sexual Offences website ~ Victim
Support ~ Rape Crisis ~ Rights of
women ~ Victims Walkthrough ~ Project
Sapphire - Improving rape investigation and victim care ~ Sexual Offences Act 2003
DH: Health
Minister Rosie Winterton is claiming that, following
analysis of a 2004 consultation’s responses, salaried dentists will see their careers modernised and pay reviewed.
NHS Employers will now undertake negotiations based
upon the proposals set out in Creating the Future - Modernising careers for
Salaried Dentists in Primary Care with a view to new terms & conditions
of service being introduced from April 2007.
In response to representations from the BDA, the
Department of Health will be issuing legal directions to the NHS
as to the way in which salaried dentistry should be provided in the future, so
as to ensure that all parts of NHS dentistry operate within the same regulatory
framework.
Press release ~ Creating the Future - Modernising careers for Salaried
Dentists in Primary Care ~ Creating the future: Modernising careers for salaried dentists in
primary care - Stakeholder consultation response report ~
Find
your local NHS Dentist ~ British
Dental Association ~ NHS Employers ~ Choosing Better Oral Health ~ BASCD ~ Personal Dental Services (PDS) pilots
~ DH Dental Services website ~ British
Dental Health Foundation ~ Community Dental Health ~ Dental Health
services Research Unit
OPDM: The ODPM has
published its Sustainable Development
Action Plan to highlight claimed progress in implementing its commitment to
sustainable development through its policies for creating sustainable
communities.
The Action Plan is intended to illustrate how the
work of the ODPM in creating sustainable communities which embody the
principles of sustainable development through a range of
milestones.
Press release ~ ODPM
Sustainable Development Action Plan ~ Sustainable
Development Commission ~ UK Sustainable Development Strategy, 'Securing the
Future' ~ Code for
Sustainable Homes ~ PPG25: Flood risk ~ PPS10:
Waste management ~ PPG3:
Housing ~ Barker Review of Housing
Supply ~ Green
Belt Direction ~ PPS22:
Renewable energy ~ PPS1: Delivering Sustainable Development ~ Neighbourhood Renewal Unit ~ Local
Area Agreements ~ Safer, Stronger Communities Fund
DTI: Outlawing
discrimination by pubs, hotels & restaurants to gay and lesbian customers
is at the heart of a new DTI consultation (closes
Views are being sought on the following
areas:
·
how
religious organisations and faith schools should be covered by the
regulations
·
whether
or not exceptions should be provided in a few specific areas such as to allow
sexual health clinics for gay men or lesbians to continue to target their
services to these groups and
·
how
charities should be covered by the regulations
Press release ~ Consultation document - Getting Equal: Proposals to Outlaw Sexual
Orientation Discrimination in the Provision of Goods &
Services ~ The pink pound
HSE: The Health
and Safety Commission (HSC) has published a consultative document (closes
The proposed regulations will amend the Biocidal Products Regulations 2001 (BPR),
which put into place procedures to allow applications to be made for use of
an active substance in a biocidal product and for the authorisation for
marketing & use of such biocidal products.
Press release ~ Consultation documents ~ HSE Biocides
website ~ Biocides factsheet ~ Env. Agency NetRegs
Home Office: A new
programme of action and five practical guides aimed at reducing
vandalism and other forms of criminal damage in 80 local areas in England and
Wales have been launched by the Home Office, in partnership with Government
Offices and environmental campaigns charity ENCAMS.
The free scheme will see Crime Disorder and Reduction Partnerships
(CDRPs) work together to identify the extent & scale of the problem in
the local area and draw-up comprehensive action plans to tackle them. After
three months, the CDRPs and partners will come together to assess whether the
crack-down has worked and what more needs to be done.
Press release ~ Guides ~ British
Crime Survey ~ The economic and social costs of crime against individuals and
households 2003/04 ~ Together website ~ Home Office's
Crime Reduction website ~ Crime
Disorder and Reduction Partnerships (CDRPs) ~ ENCAMS ~ DfT
DH: The NHS
should re-negotiate local contracts with GP practices to ensure doctors deliver
better services for patients and offer value for money, according to new
Department of Health guidance recently published.
The guidance directs primary care trusts (PCTs) to
make sure that locally agreed Personal
Medical Services (PMS) and Alternative Provider Medical Services (APMS) contracts offer
patients similar improvements in access, booking & choice as the new
national General Medical Services contract (GMS).
The government says that PCTs will need to review the
financial provisions in their existing PMS and APMS contracts to ensure that
they offer value for money. Where
existing contracts do not reflect the efficiencies negotiated as part of the
national GMS deal, PCTs should negotiate savings.
Press release ~ Guidance on non-GMS contracting arrangements for
2006/07 ~ National GP Contract ~ GMS Contract ~
NHS
Employers
DWP: The Industrial Injuries Advisory Council
(IIAC), the independent scientific body which advises the Secretary of
State for Work and Pensions on the prescription of diseases within the Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit
scheme, has announced the publication of its eighth Annual
Report.
The main content of the report is work completed by
IIAC in 2005/6, its future work agenda and the names of Council members and
other positions held by them.
LSDA: A project, which started in 2003, is
believed to be the first
Press release ~ Developing oral communication and productive thinking skills in
HM prisons ~ English Speaking
Board ~ Forum on Prison education
LSDA: A report - Modern foreign languages
in a vocational context - is the result of a research project that set out
to discover to what extent languages are integrated within vocational courses,
such as business studies. The aim
of the research was not only to find out the scope & take-up of modern
foreign languages, but also to identify the barriers to learning a language and
the vital success factors that teachers & trainers need to take on
board.
A national survey revealed
a high level of interest in modern foreign languages, with
Spanish being the most popular. This is normally included in travel &
tourism or business courses, but some colleges are also recognising the
importance of languages such as Spanish within the IT industry, which is
rapidly becoming a multi-lingual pan-European operation.
Press release ~ Modern foreign languages in
a vocational context ~ Contribution of foreign languages to economic
development ~ DfES Languages website ~
NAO: According to a National Audit Office, the DWP’s 60 contact
centres have already made a major contribution to the service provided to
millions of citizens and have the potential to further improve customer
service, whilst realising further efficiency savings.
The DWP is
undergoing a major transformation in the way it handles many of its customers
and it is increasingly using contact centres to deliver services. It envisages that eventually almost all
non face-to-face contact will be done in this way.
Press release ~ Delivering effective
services through contact centres (VLF 2.3Mb) ~
Executive Summary
NAO: The National
Audit Office says that better management of the office accommodation used by
the DCMS and 24 of the organisations it sponsors could lead to 10% savings in
its £40 million annual expenditure.
The NAO
found that, on average, accommodation per employee costs £8,500 a year to
provide (ranging from £10,000 in
Press release ~ Full report (VLF 1.5Mb) ~ Executive summary ~ OGC Government relocation portal ~ Lyons
review
NAO: The National Audit Office has reported on the support
provided by the DTI to the restructuring of British Energy completed in January 2005 and the Department’s
management of the risks to the taxpayer arising from the Company’s activities
since the completion of restructuring.
Normally,
when private companies get into difficulty the Department’s policy is not to
intervene, on the argument that
Press release ~ NAO – The restructuring of
British Energy (VLF 1.2Mb) ~ Executive summary ~ DTI –
Managing the nuclear legacy website ~ Nuclear Liabilities Fund ~ British Energy
~ Nuclear Decommissioning Authority ~ Nuclear Safety
Directorate ~ Greenpeace
DWP: New research published by the Department for Work and
Pensions examines lone parents' knowledge & understanding of how their
benefit might be sanctioned for failing to take part in a mandatory Work Focused Interview (WFI).
In October
2003, the appointments process for lone parent WFIs was altered to minimise
abuse of the system, by limiting lone parents' opportunity to rearrange the
appointment after failing to attend the WFI.
Press release ~
Working
Paper 27: Impact of Sanctions for Lone
Parents: Findings from Qualitative Research ~ Work Focused Interviews and lone parent initiatives: further
analysis of policies and pilots
DWP: New research
published by the Department for Work and Pensions examines customer's
understanding and knowledge of the sanctions regime; the processes involved in
this; the potential effects of the threat of a sanction; and ultimately the
impact of receiving a sanction.
Press release ~ Research Report 313 - A
Review of the JSA Sanctions Regime Summary Report ~ Summary version
ECGD: The
Government has published its Final Response to the Export Credits Guarantee
Department's (ECGD) consultation on the changes made to its
anti-bribery and corruption procedures in December 2004.
Following two rounds of public consultation in 2005,
conducted under Cabinet Office guidelines, ECGD will now make a number of
changes to its procedures (due to come into effect on 1 July 2006), which the Government believes will reduce the risk of ECGD supporting contracts tainted by
corruption, while also being workable for exporters and
banks.
Press release ~ ECGD bribery & corruption
policy ~ Final Response to the Export Credits Guarantee
Department ~ SustainAbility ~ Consultation paper ~
2003 Draft Corruption Bill ~ Transparency
International (UK) ~ The
OECD Convention On Combating The Bribery Of Foreign Public Officials In
International Business Transactions ~ Business Link – Ethical
trading
HSE: The Health
and Safety Executive's (HSE) HM Railway Inspectorate (HMRI) has published
its report into the Central Line train derailment at Chancery Lane tube station
on 25 January 2003, which concludes that the companies involved had done what
was reasonably practicable with regard to both maintenance procedures and the
operational response to the incident.
The immediate cause of the derailment was the
detachment of the rearmost traction motor on the fifth car, itself caused by
gearbox failure. HSE has decided
that formal enforcement action is not appropriate in this instance.
Press release ~ LUL Chancery Lane derailment ~ HSC's
Enforcement Policy Statement
ODPM: The fourth
(and final) part of a series of reports on the Survey of English Housing (SEH) for 2003-2004 has been released,
focussing mainly on households in deprived areas. The survey, first conducted in 1993-94, provides key housing
data on tenure, owner occupation & the social rented sector; and is the
principal source of information about the private rented
sector.
This concludes the release of part reports from the
2003/04 Survey of English Housing. A
full report for 2003/04 will be available as a web-only document from late
April - comprising the four part reports plus a number of appendices
covering detail such as the grossing and weighting procedures, sampling errors
and the complete survey questionnaire.
The plan is to publish the 2004/05 Survey of English Housing report in the
autumn. In the meantime a number of live web tables will be updated
with 2004/05 results during the next month.
Press release ~ SEH
website ~ Part 4
report ~ SEH live tables
BLF:
People across the
As part of the People’s Millions this year, GMTV
viewers will also be given the chance to award a single grant of £1.5 million
in early
April. Next year, on
top of the regional contests for £50,000, the Big Lottery Fund and ITV will be
asking viewers UK-wide to vote on an award of between £25 and £50 million to a
single project.
Press release ~ Big Lottery
Fund ~ The People’s Millions
CC: The Charity
Commission is asking financial specialists to stop requesting certificates
proving their clients are registered charities in order to continue to claim
Stamp Duty Reserve Tax exemption. Many accountants, brokers & financial advisers
believe the need for a certificate is a requirement from HM Revenue &
Customs but this isn't the case.
The Commission's Chief Executive, Andrew Hind,
said:
"If your clients are registered charities there is a quick, easy and
accurate way to check - look them up on our online register of charities and
print off their entry. For those who want to continue claiming Stamp Duty
Reserve Tax exemption this really is the only proof needed that they are what
they say they are."
Pensions Regulator: The Pensions Regulator's Early leavers - reasonable periods code of practice relates to new
provisions due to be introduced from April 2006. It outlines the rights of members leaving occupational
pension schemes early (other than on death or normal retirement.
Press release ~ Early leavers -
reasonable periods draft code ~ Pensions
Regulator
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