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General Reports and Other Publications
DH: Proposals to improve access to childcare, introduce part time training and improve career guidance have been outlined in a report published as some of the key ways to help improve the future career prospects of women doctors.
The National Working Group on Women in Medicine’s report ‘Women Doctors: Making a Difference’, highlights current barriers that prevent female practitioners in the medical profession from reaching senior positions & leadership roles and sets out recommendations on how best to address these.
Press release ~ Women Doctors: Making a Difference ~ On the state of public health: Annual report of the Chief Medical Officer 2006 ~ Women in Academic Medicine ~ Bad doctors are overwhelmingly men
FSA: The Food Standards Agency has published an evaluation report of FSA Mission: Possible!, a UK-wide pilot scheme aimed at teaching food hygiene messages to children aged 8 to 10 (key stage 2). The report concludes that the pilot was a success. The scheme's secret agent concept captured pupils' imaginations and allowed them to develop a range of skills that could be applied to the wider curriculum, such as carrying out scientific investigation.
With the pilot stage now complete, the Agency is considering options for the future development of the project. The long-term development of FSA Mission: Possible! will depend on how well it can be integrated into the school science curriculum.
Defra: The path to Britain becoming a zero waste nation was recently announced by Environment Secretary Hilary Benn at a summit of Local Authorities and the waste industry. In 2010, Defra will consult on what recyclable & compostable items should be banned from landfill and how a ban will work, so that we can exclude the most climate damaging substances from landfill by 2020 at the latest.
Press release ~ Household Waste Prevention Evidence Review ~
WAG: A report on the independent investigation of expenses claimed by International Business Wales (IBW) staff has been published in full by the Welsh Assembly Government. The forensic investigation into expenditure was conducted by KPMG – one of the UK’s leading providers of professional services, who examined more than 7,000 transactions in a detailed 2-month study.
This report follows an independent review to assess how the Welsh Assembly Government performs its inward investment function compared with competition elsewhere in the UK.
Press release ~ Review Of International Business Wales Report for the Assembly Government ~ Welsh Assembly Government Forensic Investigation of Expenses at International Business Wales ~ International Business Wales (IBW)
CRC: The Commission for Rural Communities has recently responded to 2 consultations on coastal policy from Defra and CLG:
* Defra's 'Consultation on Coastal Change Policy' concentrates on how coastal communities can successfully adapt to coastal change
* CLG's 'Consultation on a new planning policy on development and coastal change', which the government ultimately intends to combine with 'PPS 25 Development and Flood Risk' concentrates on development appropriate to coastal areas at risk
Press release ~ CRC response to Defra's 'Consultation on Coastal Change Policy' ~ CRC response to CLG's consultation on a new planning policy on development and coastal change ~ 'PPS 25 Development and Flood Risk'
DH: A new report showing how communities have been inspired & helped to improve the health of all their residents has been published. The Communities for Health programme is helping some of the most disadvantaged communities in the country. More than 360 local activities have enabled people to take control of their own health & wellbeing, tackling obesity, smoking, drugs and alcohol.
This second report about the Programme - Unlocking the energy within communities to improve health - describes how community activities in more than 80 local authorities have encouraged behaviour change and strengthened local partnership to tackle a wide range of key health priorities.
Press release ~ Communities for Health programme – Oldham ~ Communities for Health: unlocking the energy within communities to improve health
NE: Natural England has published a report claiming that investment in the natural environment is critical to long term economic prosperity and that natural services provide a highly cost effective solution to growing problems like flood & coastal defence, carbon emissions and the preservation of soil, water & air quality.
No Charge? Valuing the Natural Environment pulls together leading research to show that the economic value of nature now runs to £bns in the UK alone and that there are major savings to be made through looking after it.
Press release ~ No Charge? Valuing the Natural Environment ~ Natural England – Secure Environmental Futures
Ofsted: Ofsted’s latest evaluation of 173 serious case reviews (SCRs) has found evidence to suggest that Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCBs) are taking a more robust approach in carrying out their SCRs to support the learning of lessons from these tragic incidents and improve their practice.
These reviews are being carried out more quickly & with greater levels of independence, and the backlog of historic cases is largely now addressed. In addition there is evidence that LSCBs are co-operating more readily where a review spans more than one area. However, weaknesses still exist with 34% of reviews judged as inadequate.
Press release ~ Learning lessons from serious case reviews: year 2 ~ Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCBs) ~ Previous report: Learning lessons, taking action ~ Safeguarding the young and vulnerable: The Joint Chief Inspectors' recommendations and the Government's responses one year on ~ The protection of children in England: Action plan
WAG: Credit Union membership amongst adults in Wales has increased from 11,000 in 2000 to 42,000 in 2007, with a further 7,500 child members, thanks in part to £8m of support from the Welsh Assembly Government and Europe, a new report has claimed.
Deputy Minister for Regeneration Leighton Andrews launched the report last week to mark International Credit Union Day. ‘Realising the Potential’ was commissioned by the Welsh Assembly Government and carried out by UWIC’s Cardiff Institute for Co-operative Studies.
