Guidance Notes and Best Practice Guides

BHF: The British Heart Foundation has launched a new booklet specifically for the 2m Polish community currently living in the UK. ‘Dbaj o zdrowe serce – Informacje dla Polaków’ is a practical resource to help Polish people look after their heart health and reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD).  
Press release & links ~ Dbaj o zdrowe serce – Informacje dla Polaków
 
WAG: New guidance setting out the best ways to tackle bullying in schools has yesterday been published by the Welsh Government. The guidance focuses on five distinct forms of bullying: bullying around race, religion and culture; bullying around special educational needs & disabilities; homophobic bullying; sexist, sexual & transphobic bullying and cyber-bullying.
 
Building on guidance published in 2003, Respecting Others provides detailed advice to schools on preventing, responding to & recording bullying, including examples of good practice, case studies and scenarios.
Press release & links
 
NICE: NHS Trusts are being urged to follow NICE recommendations to improve care for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), following the results of a national audit. The audit, conducted by the RoyalCollege of Physicians and the MS Trust, found that there has been little or no improvement in care for MS patients in the last 5 years, and NICE guidelines for the management of patients with MS are no closer to being met today than when they were first launched in 2003.
 
None of the 6 key recommendations made by NICE have been implemented widely or fully, such as ensuring that a rapid diagnosis is offered to all patients once they have experienced symptoms suggestive of MS, and making sure specialist services are in place.
Press release & links
 
WAG: The Welsh Government has launched the first 2 parts (of 5) of ‘Preparing for a changing climate', guidance which aims to help Welsh organisations adapt to the impacts of climate change. They focus on understanding adaptation and investigating the potential issues and will be followed in early 2012 by 3 further sections focussed on planning, implementation, monitoring & review.
Press release & links
 
BIS: Skills Minister John Hayes has unveiled an upgraded & improved standard to underpin the new National Careers Service. The Matrix Standard will promote effective delivery of information, advice & guidance to millions of people through the new National Careers Service, which launches in April 2012.
Press release ~ Matrix Standard
 
SFEStudent Finance England has unveiled its new range of resources for education professionals. The company is urging teachers & advisors to access the easy to use online resources to help prospective students with their university and finance choices in 2012/13.

It contains a wide range of support materials, from videos & presentations to information sheets and a downloadable key dates guide for students.  Information is also available for students with children, part-time students or students with disabilities.
Press release ~ www.direct.gov.uk/studentfinance
 
NE: A joint project by Natural England and the Church of England, researching how to deal with the serious heritage & conservation issues around bats in churches has set off to a flying start. Most churches have resident bats, which often go un-noticed, but serious problems do occur in some churches - and can be exceptionally difficult to resolve.
 
Natural England and the Church of England have joined forces to create the Bats in Churches Working Group to raise awareness of the issues.  The project aims to provide those responsible for church buildings with guidance & advice on how best to manage resident bats, including how to deal with legal obligations.
Press release & links
 
HL: As homelessness rises in the UK, 7 out of 10 people who are homeless report having one or more mental health need. Homeless Link have launched their Homelessness, Mental Health and Wellbeing Guide – See ‘In the News’ section for more information.
 Press release & links
Spotlight on women at Serco – Anita’s story