Guidance Notes and Best Practice Guides

BIS: Colleges are doing a great job keeping young people safe from guns, gangs and knives, Higher Education Minister David Lammy claimed as he launched ‘Safe Colleges’ guidance. The Safe Colleges website launched last week features guidance drawn up by colleges and the Learning & Skills Improvement Service (LSIS), working with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, the Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Home Office.
Press release ~ Guidance ~ Safe Colleges Website ~ Learning & Skills Improvement Service (LSIS) ~ Cross Government Tackling Knives and Serious Youth Violence Programme (TKAP)
 
LRBO: New research shows that the way local councils enforce regulations can have wide ranging effects on your community – anything from boosting the price of your house, to health benefits. A report published from Local Better Regulation Office (LBRO), the public body responsible for simplifying local regulation, looks at 48 potential benefits to communities and to business, including issues that have a direct impact on quality of life, including anti-social behaviour, crime and violence.
 
Entitled Impacts and Outcomes, the report shows regulators’ actions do have demonstrable results for the quality of life in communities and provides a toolkit for identifying, measuring & managing them.
Press release ~ Impacts and Outcomes report ~ Toolkit ~ Corporate Plan 2009 - 2012 ~ LRBO ~ LBRO Conference - ‘Working together for better local regulation’ - 19 November 2009.
 
FSA: The Food Standards Agency’s Chief Executive, Tim Smith, has written to the Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Sir Liam Donaldson, with updated information on themandatory fortification of bread or flour with folic acid.
Press release ~ Letter to Sir Liam Donaldson about mandatory folic acid fortification ~ Update on folic acid fortification ~ SACN: Summary of report on folic acid and colorectal cancer risk ~ Folic acid ~ Folate and Disease Prevention
 
MLA: The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) has published guidance to help library services meet wider local priorities and maintain a comprehensive & efficient service.  The website guidance highlights case studies from across the country illustrating how libraries have improved their services by redefining strategic priorities, restructuring the workforce, community consultation and co-location with other services.  The pages also show how the MLA field teams can assist in this process.
Press release ~ Library support ~ Wirral inquiry
 
Monitor: NHS foundation trust governors have access to new guidanceto support them in delivering statutory duties on behalf of their local communities. The new guide is the culmination of research initiated by Monitor (the independent regulator of NHS foundation trusts) and was produced following a public consultation.
 
A board of governors has significant power at its disposal through the statutory duties that it is required to discharge.  The new guidance addresses each of these statutory duties, describing the processes involved and suggesting points for consideration.
Press release ~ Your Statutory Duties: A Reference Guide for NHS Foundation Trust Governors ~ Guide to Monitor for NHS foundation trust governors ~ Monitor – Information for governors
 
FSA: The Food Standards Agency is reviewing its natural mineral water, spring water and bottled drinking water guidance.  It is seeking suggested amendments, clarifications & additional topics to be included in the updated guidance – See ‘Consultations’ section for more information.
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