General Reports and Other Publications
DCSF: Children, schools and families Secretary, Ed Balls has published a review of the lives of children & young people and rejected theories that children growing up in England today are worse off than previous generations.
The report - Children and Young People Today: evidence to support the development of the Children's Plan - will be the foundation for the Government's forthcoming Children's Plan, due to be published in December.
Press release ~ Children and Young People Today: evidence to support the development of the Children's Plan ~ DCSF - Time to talk ~ Existing Children’s Plan ~ Changing Lives of Today’s children ~ Britain’s children are unhappiest in the Western world - Times Online
CRC: Graham Garbutt, Chief Executive of the Commission for Rural Communities, has written about the 'lost city' - 980,000 homes across rural England with incomes below 60% of the national median, the equivalent of a city.
His article for the Local Government Chronicle asks how we can ensure challenges facing rural areas receive the same energetic attention enjoyed by urban centres and develop effective ways of working through county, district & parish councils.
Press release ~ Article ~ Local Government Chronicle ~ Commission for Rural Communities ~ CRC: Local Area Agreements - 'Thinking Rural'
Ofsted: Although most 11 year olds can now swim 25 metres, some groups of pupils are missing out. These include pupils with learning difficulties when staff are not well trained to deal with them; and some pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds who begin school with little or no experience of swimming.
A report by the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (Ofsted) reveals that the reason some pupils failed to meet expectations for the end of Key Stage 2 was usually because too little time had been given to swimming and staff had been unable to help them overcome their fear of water in the available lessons.
The standards reached by pupils were; good in nine of the 30 schools surveyed, satisfactory in 16, but inadequate in five. Although the needs of most learners were met, some schools gave too little attention to particular groups of learners, notably gifted & talented swimmers and the least able or experienced.
Press release ~ Reaching the Key Stage 2 standard in swimming: Standards and provision including the impact on swimming of the Physical Education and School Club Links strategy ~ Teachernet - Swimming
Defra: The independent Parliamentary Circus Working Group has published its report on the welfare of non-domesticated animals in circuses, relating to their transportation & housing needs.
The Academic Panel advising the Group concluded that in order to justify a change to the status quo, the balance of the evidence would have to present a convincing argument for change. On the basis of the scientific evidence submitted to it, the Panel concluded that such an argument had not been made.
Press release ~ Wild Animals in Travelling Circuses report ~ Defra - Animal health and welfare ~ RSPCA – circus animals
DfT: Targeting young people with information about alternatives to the car at key 'trigger points' in their lives could boost use of public transport more effectively, according to new research. The Department for Transport research asked older & younger people about their transport needs and opinions.
One finding showed that for younger people, the transition from education to employment is a key development stage in their lives during which it might be most effective to target efforts to influence their transport choices. The report also showed that improving frequency & reliability of public transport services was a key concern of both older and younger people.
Press release ~ 'Understanding the Travel Aspirations, Needs and Behaviour of Young Adults and People in Later Life'
DfT: More reliable & efficient journey times for passengers using Heathrow would benefit travellers and the economy the Transport Secretary, Ruth Kelly, said as she published evidence showing where passengers' journeys can be significantly improved.
Every stage of a journey, from leaving home to arrival at the airport, is analysed in Improving the Air Passenger Experience. It gives a clear picture of where pinch-points slow passengers down, identifies those accountable, and highlights what is being done and what more can be done.
MoJ: In-court conciliation helps separating parents to reach their own agreements about contact with their children, research commissioned by the Ministry of Justice has revealed. In-court conciliation typically consists of a brief meeting at court where divorcing or separating parents are encouraged to negotiate arrangements with the assistance of Children & Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) professionals.
The report concludes that although conciliation is an effective way of reaching agreements and restoring contact over the short-term, it has a limited impact on making contact work for children in the long-term.
The report goes on to recommend the development of a more relationship-based or therapeutically-orientated interventions in addition to conciliation which would target parental attitudes, help them work together as co-parents thereby improving the quality of contact.
Press release ~ The Longer Term Outcomes of In Court Conciliation ~ 'Making Contact Happen or Making Contact work: The process and outcomes of in-court conciliation' ~ Children & Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) ~ DFES guide for Separating Parents ~ Family Mediation Helpline ~ Legal aid and mediation for people involved in family breakdown ~ LSC Website : Family Mediation Fee Scheme ~ LSC : Mediation ~ JRF: The longer-term impact of family mediation ~ JRF: Family court welfare and voluntary sector mediation in relation to domestic violence ~ UK College of Family Mediators
BERR: A new report from the Renewables Advisory Board (RAB), which advises Government on renewable energy issues, provides the first in depth analysis of the role of on site energy generation in the delivery of the Government's policy of ensuring that all new homes are zero carbon from 2016.
On the basis of the reports findings RAB, which supports the zero carbon homes policy, has made three headline recommendations to Government:
* Change the proposed policy to create earlier stimulation for onsite renewable energy
* Accelerate the technological & commercial development of Biomass Combined Heat and Power (CHP)
* Minimise the use of remote offsite energy generation in meeting zero carbon standards
Press release ~ Essential role of renewables generation in achieving zero carbon homes ~ Renewables Advisory Board (RAB) ~ Building a Greener Future
FCO: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has published the fifteenth report by the Independent Monitor for Entry Clearance on refusals without the right of appeal.
Under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 amended by paragraph 27 of schedule 7 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002, Mrs Costelloe Baker monitors visa refusals made by UK Entry Clearance Officers (ECOs) in cases where there is a limited right of appeal to check that decisions are consistent and fair.
The Independent Monitor for Entry Clearance is required to submit her findings to the Foreign Secretary in the form of a report. The Independent Monitor is not an alternative to the appeal system; nor is it a procedure for applicants or sponsors to have decisions reviewed in individual cases. The Independent Monitor does not have powers to overturn decisions.
Press release ~ The Independent Monitor (scroll down)
NAO: The Carbon Trust helped UK businesses and public sector organisations reduce their carbon dioxide emissions by up to an estimated 2m tonnes in 2006-07 and its support of emerging low carbon technologies could lead to further sizeable reductions in the future, according to a report by the National Audit Office.
The report found that the Carbon Trust is likely to meet the expectation set out in the Climate Change Programme 2006, butthat organisations could achieve greater reductions in carbon emissions, as less than 40% of the carbon savings identified have so far been implemented.
The NAO also found that 60% of organisations had implemented fewer than half of the recommendations made and that only 12% of large businesses with annual energy bills over £50,000 have worked with the Carbon Trust to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions.
Press release ~ The Carbon Trust: accelerating the move to a low carbon economy ~ Executive Summary ~ The Carbon Trust: Innovation and Investment. A report for the NAO by Morgan Harris Burrows ~ Carbon Trust’s Energy Efficiency Accreditation Scheme ~ Carbon Trust’s Research and Technology Accelerators
Defra: New research published by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), shows that the arrival of children and retirement can be motivators for pro-environmental behaviour change. The research also shows that individuals and consumers recognise they have a personal responsibility to change their behaviour to protect the environment. Despite being mistrustful of some of the information they are given, most people expect government to take the lead on environmental issues.
The five independent reports, carried out for Defra by specialist research organisations, provide an in-depth analysis of the public's current expectations and aspirations of pro-environmental behaviour. The projects looked at public understanding of sustainability in the following areas: Energy Consumption, Finance & Investment, Leisure & Tourism, Consumption of Food and Transport.
Press release ~ The five reports on Understanding and Influencing Pro-environmental Behaviour ~ Green claims code ~ Go Green in a Fortnight! ~ Pocket Green Guide for Wales (5.6Mb) ~ Green Guide online
