Policy Statements and Initiatives
CLG: The government is taking on the role of protecting the traditional market in the face of increasing pressures threatening its long term survival. Markets are a national tradition, but the growth of out of town supermarkets, discount stores, internet shopping and the current economic climate have caused a prolonged decline in many places.
To ensure that the traditional market survives, the Government will champion the interests of all markets with a new body that will bring together key government departments, representatives from the retail markets industry and the Local Government Association.
WAG: Clinicians to lead new teams to care for people living with eating disorders are being sought, Health Minister Edwina Hart announced recently. Mrs Hart has approved proposals by Health Boards to utilise WAG funding to develop 2 teams, one for North Wales and one for South Wales, to improve diagnosis, care and support for those with eating disorders.
The South Wales team will be spilt to focus on individual health organisations across the area but working together to share expertise. The teams will include specialists, working with existing GP surgeries, social services and mental health services. Funding of £0.5m is available in 2009/10 to begin the development of the service and provide extra training. This will rise to £1m every year to develop sustained services.
Press release ~ WAG: Health and social care ~ Eating Disorders: A Framework for Wales ~ NHS Direct wales – Eating Disorders
ScotGov: A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) and its Scottish equivalent, Universities Scotland, to promote co-operation between Indian & Scottish higher education institutions.
This MoU was facilitated by Scotland's international development agency Scottish Development International (SDI). To further develop the relationship between Scotland & India, SDI will lead its first education mission to India in November where Scottish university principals & professors will attend the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry's Higher Education Summit and where Scotland will feature prominently as an event partner.
Press release ~ Universities Scotland ~ Association of Indian Universities (AIU) ~ Scottish Development International (SDI) ~ Scotland's Saltire Scholarships
DH: More than 100,000 people will benefit from a new wave of talking therapy services that started going live across the country on, World Mental Health Day. The 52 new sites will help people with depression & anxiety disorders access NICE approved treatments, including cognitive behavioural therapies, counselling and guided self-help.
One in four people suffer from a mental health problem at any one time and mental ill health costs the economy over £77bn a year, according to estimates. The Government is developing a new strategy for mental health for the coming years called New Horizons, currently out for consultation.
Press release ~ World Mental Health Day 2009 ~
CLG: There has been an alarming increase in the number of young people losing their lives in domestic fires. Latest Fire Statistics reveal that the number of people aged 17 to 24 killed in accidental house fires, in England, increased by 14% from 2006 to 2007. These figures come despite a 15% drop in the total number of fatal fires in England in the same period.
That's why a Fire Kills campaign is urging students to stay safe from fire, as they move into homes outside the security of halls of residence. The Government is supporting the campaign by funding 24 fire safety ambassadors students in universities across England to raise awareness of fire safety among their fellow students. The student ambassadors will also work closely with their local F&R services to help spread fire safety messages.
DCSF: Schools Minister Diana Johnson recently announced new proposals for home educated children with special educational needs (SEN), signalling the ‘start of a new relationship between local authorities and families who choose to educate at home’.
The commitment came as Secretary of State for CSF, Ed Balls sent the Government’s full response to Graham Badman’s Review of Elective Home Education to the Chair of the Children, Schools and Families Select Committee.
The response sets out a new support package for home educated children, which includes better access to GCSEs, vocational qualifications & further education. The proposed changes to monitoring arrangements will also make sure that the right checks & balances are in place so all children receive a suitable education, in a safe environment.
Press release ~ Graham Badman’s Review of Elective Home Education ~ Government response ~ Home Education - registration and monitoring proposals (consultation closed 19 October 2009)
DH: The Department of Health's 'Dance Champions' Group, will embark on a nationwide tour to get the country dancing, as part of a campaign (Dance4Life) to get 100,000 people more active through dance in the run up to the 2012 Olympic Games.
Press release ~ Dance4Life ~ Dance Champions ~ Aldridge Foundation – Essentially Dance ~ Dance UK ~ Essentially Dance ~ MD Showgroup ~ Medau Movement
HO: Extra help for victims of anti-social behaviour, a crackdown on those that breach ASBOs and new local minimum service standards agreed with the public (that outline what they should expect from councils, police & social landlords to deal with intimidation), has been pledged by Home Secretary Alan Johnson.
The new measures introduced include better support for victims of ASB and driving up prosecutions when ASBOs are breached. Acknowledging good work in some areas, the Home Secretary also announced that by March 2010 he expects to see all local areas delivering a minimum set of standards. In addition, victim & witness champions will be established in 85 priority areas backed by almost £2.8m of funding between now & 2011.
Press release ~ CDRP: Reducing Crime and Anti -Social Behaviour: Next Steps ~ Use of ASBOs ~ ASB Action Website ~ Perceptions of ASB ~ Directgov – Antisocial behaviour
WAG: The Deputy First Minister Ieuan Wyn Jones has announced that he will lead a new Economic Renewal Programme for Walesto ensure that the right policies & structures are in place to build a more sustainable economy following the recession.
The new programme has been announced in light of the changing international economic outlook and following the publication of the independent benchmarking exercise on International Business Wales by Glen Massey, which pointed to the need for fundamental changes in the way the WAG secures & retains inward investment.
WAG: A new initiative called ‘CânSing’ aimed at helping school children in Wales find their voice and take up singing has been launched by Education Minister Jane Hutt, backed up with almost £476,000 of Welsh Assembly Government funding over a 3 year period.
‘CânSing’ is about giving young children more opportunities to sing at school, both as part of activities within the curriculum, as well as out of lesson time. The programme, delivered in partnership the charity ContinYou and local authorities will be aimed at pupils in Years 5, 6 and 7. Its key element lies in providing schools with a training programme and curriculum-linked resources to support the teaching of singing.
DCSF: Acoustic testing will be a contractual requirement for all Building Schools for the Future projects in England and no future funding will be signed off for a BSF secondary school building project without a commitment to having the £6,000 acoustic test.
The requirement is part of a package of measures to improve acoustics in schools and ensure that all children, particularly those with hearing difficulties, have access to a learning environment which enables them to reach their full potential. It comes on top of the Minimum Design Standard being brought into the BSF programme to strengthen the design quality which ministers announced in May 2009.
Press release ~ Partnerships For Schools (PFS) ~ Building Schools for the Future (BSF) ~ BSF - Minimum Design Standard ~ Spaces for Personalised Learning project ~ Building Bulletin 93: Acoustic design of Schools: A Design Guide
WAG: Health Minister Edwina Hart has launched an innovative pilot project which will support older people who are admitted to hospital to return home as soon as they are well enough to do so. The project will start in November 2009 and will be trialled for 6 months at Wrexham Maelor Hospital.
The ‘Frailty Fast Track Project’ has been developed in response to concerns that older people who need hospital treatment for relatively minor conditions, sometimes experience unnecessary delays so that their ability to care for themselves declines. It will allow older patients to recuperate and be looked after at home, rather than the need to be transferred to a care home.
WAG: Education Minister Jane Hutt has announced changes in initial teacher training (ITT) incentives for postgraduate courses for the 2010/11 academic year. Each of the postgraduate ITT incentive bands will be increased by £1,800 from September 2010. This change is aimed at maintaining the Welsh Assembly Government’s support for those on postgraduate ITT courses in the light of the phasing out of the Tuition Fee Grant, which will not be available for new students from the 2010/11 academic year.
The priority incentives (£9,000 for new eligible students from 2010/11) will be specifically focussed on recruitment to secondary postgraduate courses in mathematics; chemistry; physics; information and communications technology (ICT); and design & technology. Welsh, both first & second language, will also be a priority incentive.
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