General News
FDA: The FDA, the union representing top public service managers & professionals, is calling for the government to abolish fixed retirement ages in the civil service in the wake of a survey showing that more than one in four of its members want the right to work beyond age 65.
While some government departments have no set age when workers must retire, employees at most departments – and all senior civil servants – are required to retire at 65 whether they wish to continue working or not.
The survey results also raised the difficulties of getting promoted to senior posts after the age of 50. Comments given showed that while their work had generally been praised, those in this age category have, as one person put it, ‘missed the boat’ when it came to becoming a member of the Senior Civil Service.
Press release ~ FDA ~ Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006 ~ TAEN retirement guide ~ Age Positive – Flexible retirement
ScotGov: The Perth Families Project, run by the leading children's charity NCH Scotland in partnership with Perth and Kinross Council, has been officially opened by Community Safety Minister Fergus Ewing.
It is modelled on the successful Dundee Families Project, established by NCH Scotland 10 years ago, which has since been expanded across Britain to help hundreds of families put their previously shattered lives back together again.
Funding of £2m is being provided over two years for these projects that bring together health, housing and social work professionals to provide intensive supervision & intervention for individuals & families involved in antisocial behaviour.
Press release ~ NCH - Anti-social behaviour - Intensive family support ~ Antisocial Behaviour ~ NCH Dundee Families Project ~ Guide to the Antisocial Behaviour etc. (Scotland) Act 2004 ~ Putting our communities first: A Strategy for tackling Anti-social Behaviour ~ Evaluation of the Impact and Implementation of Community Wardens
MPA: The way in which the Metropolitan Police Service responds to the specific needs of London's deaf and disabled communities in the event of a major emergency in the capital has been examined by the Metropolitan Police Authority.
The MPA's Equal Opportunities & Diversity Board looked at how the Met has implemented 16 key recommendations made to it by deaf & disabled people at a conference held last year jointly by the MPA and Transport for London.
Press release ~ Focus item report - Disabled people and the police – a new relationship? ~ Concurrent report by the MPA on Disabled people and the police – a new relationship? ~ MPS response to recommendations arising from the ‘Disability Resilience’ conference ~ Concurrent report by the MPA on MPS response to recommendations arising from the ‘Disability Resilience’ conference ~ MPA ~ Metropolitan Police Service
BSA: Involving Asian Families in Learning is a programme about Pakistani & Bangladeshi parents getting involved in Family Literacy, Language and Numeracy (FLNN) programmes. It was filmed in Rochdale, Derby & Croydon and the programme will be broadcast on Tuesday 9 October at 4:30pm and 8:30pmand available online shortly after.
Copies of the programme are included in a case study guide & toolkit, to be published in late October. Teachers TV can be watched online at www.teachers.tv, or on channels Sky:880, Virgin:240, Tiscali:845 and Freeview:88 (4-5pm)
