Guidance Notes and Best Practice Guides
QCA: Diplomas are a new type of qualification, developed to transform teaching & learning by appealing to different learning preferences and by motivating young people to participate and achieve. The learning required for each Diploma is based on the Line of Learning statement, which outlines what needs to be included in the curriculum & specifications and how to ensure that the teaching & learning are appropriate and fit for purpose.
To support the delivery of Diploma learning, the QCA have developed guidance for the first ten lines of learning, at levels one, two and three.
HA: The Highways Agency has published a new policy for the operation & provision of service areas on motorways and major ‘A’ roads, aimed at giving drivers greater choice and raising standards. In the policy, the Agency sets out a range of things it expects operators to provide from parking to toilets, as well as giving them more freedom to innovate & improve services to customers.
The policy will also introduce a new independently-operated ‘quality scheme’, which will review service areas with a means to maintaining or raising standards - similar to the rating of hotels. Some sites offering a smaller range of facilities may also be permitted in certain circumstances between existing service areas. Operators will also be encouraged to provide or up-grade picnic areas at existing sites.
The Highways Agency will also investigate how service areas can become more sustainable by considering a number of new ideas which could lead to sites being used for conference facilities, coach interchanges or to provide a base for park and ride or park and share.
Press release ~ Policy on service areas and other roadside facilities on motorways and all-purpose trunk roads in England ~ Highways Agency - Roadside Facilities Policy Review ~ Highways Agency - Service Station Information Points ~ 5minutesaway ~ Motorway Services Online
ScotGov: New guidance is being made available in Scotland to enhance community health and social care services for people with autism. The publication of the guidance, which coincided with World Autism Awareness Day (2 April), offers best practice examples, as well as recommendations including awareness training for all staff and involving people with autism in the planning of services.
An Autism Toolkit is also being developed (launching later in 2008) to offer guidance to education authorities and schools in identifying and supporting children and young people with autism.
Press release ~ Commissioning Services for People on the Autism Spectrum: Policy and Practice Guidance ~ World Autism Awareness Day ~ The Scottish Society for Autism ~ The National Autistic Society ~ Scottish Autism Service Network ~ Educational Provision for Children with Autism in Scotland ~ NAS - make school make sense in Scotland ~ NES - Autism Learning Resource ~ Autism Alliance UK
Home Office: Displaying reporting links to agencies including the police, NSPCC and the Samaritans on social networking websites is one of a range of recommendations for industry & users in new guidance - UK Social Networking Guidance - launched by Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, alongside new proposals to make it harder for child sex offenders to meet children online.
In addition, the email addresses of registered child sex offenders will be passed by police to social networking websites, enabling these websites to stop offenders using their sites. Sex offenders would face up to five years in prison if they fail to give police their email addresses or provide a false email address.
The Home Secretary also launched a new Kitemarkto set a standard for filtering software for home computers and strengthen protection of children online, which will hopefully ensure that parents have confidence that the filtering product they use meets an independent standard.
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