Guidance Notes and Best Practice Guides

Newswire – CMOS: In a poll of over 900 separated parents with children aged 18 or below, 93% believe mothers & fathers still have a financial responsibility to their kids even if they don’t live with them.  But 36% say they didn’t know where to go to get impartial information about child maintenance.
 
None of the parents polled were compelled to use the Child Support Agency, yet over a quarter (27%) were unaware they could make maintenance arrangements privately, without involving third parties.  Since October 2008 all parents, including those in receipt of benefits, are free to make their own maintenance arrangements as an alternative to using the statutory service (currently administered by the CSA) or the courts.
 
The YouGov survey coincides with the launch of a national campaign to promote Child Maintenance Options, the free public information & support service which helps separated parents decide which child maintenance arrangement best suits their circumstances.
Press release ~ Child Maintenance Options service
 
WiredGov – EA: Some of the regulations on spreading milk & slurry will be relaxed temporarily to help farmers during the big freeze, the Environment Agency has announced. Milk & slurry are not normally allowed to be spread on frozen ground due to the high risk of water pollution, but the Environment Agency will be taking a more flexible approach to help farmers who have run out of storage options.  Milk can cause more harm than sewage, if it flows into rivers and kills fish & other aquatic wildlife.
 
Snow & icy conditions have prevented tankers in some parts of the country completing their usual milk collections, causing some farmers to have to stockpile milk on farms.  Slurry storage is also under pressure in some places. The guidance also provides advice to reduce the amount of slurry produced daily, such as keeping animals on straw and washing down dairy parlours with low volume hoses.
Press release ~ EA: Cold weather emergency guidance for milk and slurry disposal
 
FSA: The Food Standards Agency has welcomed the publication of voluntary salt targets by the New York City Health Department, which are part of the National Salt Reduction Initiative in the US. NYC is co-ordinating the initiative, which includes 17 national health organisations and 26 cities, states & related bodies.
 
The Agency first published voluntary salt targets in 2006 and, as a result of the salt reduction work over the past few years, we’ve seen a drop in the average daily intake of salt from 9.5g to 8.6g per person.  This reduction saves more than 6,000 lives each year and £1.5bn to the economy.
Press release ~ FSA: Salt ~ US National Salt Reduction Initiative
 
BIS: Guidance has been published to inform employers about the new right for employees to request time for training. The guidance for employers is being made available through Business Link and is being published before the right comes in on 6 April 2010.
 
The right to request time to train was included in the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009. The introduction of the right will be phased and will be made available to employees in organisations with 250 or more employees from April 2010, before being extended to all employees from April 2011.  This will give smaller organisations & businesses more time to prepare for the introduction of the new right.
Press release ~ Business Link Consider Time for Training ~ Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009
 
FSA: Celebrity chef James Martin has launched a 'Sixth Form Survivor Competition', which is a Northern Ireland-wide recipe challenge to find the 'Ultimate Sixth Form Survivor'. The competition, organised by the Food Standards Agency, targets sixth formers before they leave school to encourage them not only to eat healthily, but also to think of new & fun ways to cook.
 
To enter, students simply log on to Survivor Form and upload their recipes for a chance to win a place in the grand final hosted by James Martin at the Ulster Museum, Belfast on Tuesday 23 March 2010. The competition is part of a campaign to promote the 'Survival Guide to Food', a handy guide for sixth form students in Northern Ireland that communicates the skills needed to eat well & stay healthy when preparing to leave home for the first time.
Press release ~ Survival guide to food ~ Enter competition
 
ScotGov: Environment Minister, Roseanna Cunningham, has outlined action to deal with the latest weather situation and urged Scots to play their part in preparing for the thaw. As temperatures are currently forecast to rise gradually, the risk of widespread flooding from the thaw remains low.
 
There are several things people themselves can do to cope with the thaw and prevent flooding, including:
* When moving snow & ice from pavements & paths, be careful to ensure it is not blocking drains.
* If alternatives to grit, such as salt, cat litter and sand, have been used then clear up any residues left behind after the thaw, as this could lead to drain blockages.
* Burst pipes are a potential problem.  If people experience a burst pipe in the home, turn off the stop valve immediately and open all cold taps to drain the system.  Do not turn on the hot taps as the hot water cylinder may collapse if the pipes leading to it are frozen.  If in any doubt call a licensed plumber.
Press release ~ Scottish Water - the big thaw ~ SEPA - floodingWeather Wise ~ Related CCWater press release ~ Related Env. Agency press release
 
FSA: The Food Standards Agency has published guidance on internal monitoring for local authority food services.  ‘Making every inspection count’ draws on experience gained from the Agency's programme of auditing local authority food services.
 
The Agency has identified core service areas critical to maintaining effective service provision and improving food business compliance.  This guidance highlights some simple & practical issues that have featured most frequently in published audit reports as critical areas of strength or areas for improvement.
Press release ~ Making every inspection count ~ About the audit scheme
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