NCVYS STRATEGIC INFORMATION SERVICE BULLETIN NO. 450

31 July 2009

DCSF Third sector strategy and action plan: Intentions into action

The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) has published its new third sector strategy and action plan. The strategy sets out Government's principles, pledges and commitments for continued working with the third sector to help deliver the Every Child Matters agenda. In particular, it describes plans to achieve better engagement and partnership working, to improve commissioning, and help to develop a healthy third sector. NCVYS has produced a briefing for the sector.

http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/everychildmatters/thirdsector

http://www.ncvys.org.uk/index.php?page=361

Backing Young Britain - campaign for youth employment

The Government has launched the national Backing Young Britain campaign, which aims to encourage all employers to do what they can to help young people find a job, training or work skills and experience. Two new websites have been launched - ‘What's next?' - offering advice to school and college leavers, Graduates and finding your first job, and ‘Backing Young Britain' bringing organisations across the country together to make a commitment to back young Britain. NCVYS is urging all voluntary organisations to get involved. Help is on offer to publicise volunteer, internship and apprenticeship opportunities. The Government has also announced that 117 bidders have been given the green light to create up to 47,000 innovative jobs for young people through the Future Jobs Fund.

http://interactive.bis.gov.uk/backingyoungbritain/

http://whatsnext.direct.gov.uk/index.html

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/newsroom/press-releases/2009/july-2009/dwp022-09-290709.shtml

Social Work Task Force Interim Report

The Government has published a report setting out the interim findings and recommendations of the Social Work Taskforce, which is looking into reforming social work. Recommendations in the report include: the creation of a national college for social work; clearer career and progression structure; and securing the resources social workers need to be effective. This work builds on Government announcements in May which included a £58m Social Work Transformation package to reform the recruitment, retention and development of the social work profession.

http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/swtf

http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/pns/DisplayPN.cgi?pn_id=2009_0143

New research highlights the importance of high quality early childcare

The DCSF has published several reports highlighting the need for high quality childcare for every child. An evaluation of the free childcare for two year olds pilot found that less adequate settings had no impact on a child's development, while good quality settings left a significant impression on the child and their family, improving the relationship between the parents and the child and having a substantial impact on the child's development.

http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/pns/DisplayPN.cgi?pn_id=2009_0144

Gifted and Talented pupils to receive more targeted support

Schools Minister Vernon Coaker has announced further support for the most disadvantaged gifted learners aged 14 to 19 to help them develop the knowledge and skills during their school careers to win a place at a competitive university. This will include a new £250 annual scholarship for up to four years from 2010; a new online catalogue of learning opportunities provided at local authority, regional and national level; and a new network of High Performing Specialist schools that will receive £10,000 per year to work alongside local authorities to improve the quality of support.

http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/pns/DisplayPN.cgi?pn_id=2009_0142

Statistics on school exclusions

The DCSF has published information about exclusions from schools and exclusion appeals in England during 2007/08. It reports national trends in the number of permanent and fixed period exclusions together with information on the characteristics of excluded pupils such as age, gender, ethnicity, free school meal eligibility, and special educational needs as well as the reasons for exclusion. There remains a clear link between deprivation and exclusion: figures show that children entitled to free school meals are three times more likely to be excluded.

http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000860/index.shtml

Tackling Race Inequality Fund projects announced

Communities Secretary John Denham has announced the projects to be funded to support communities in promoting race equality through the £9million Tackling Race Inequality Fund (TRIF). Projects will give targeted help to disadvantaged groups, tackle inequalities of access to services, help to increase civic participation and tackle racially motivated crime. Recipients include Clinks, Black Training and Enterprise Group (BTEG) and Race on the Agenda (ROTA).

http://nds.coi.gov.uk/Content/Detail.aspx?NewsAreaId=2&ReleaseID=405116&SubjectId=2

New Horizons consultation - making mental health everyone's business

The Department of Health has announced a new approach to public mental health through New Horizons, aiming to create a powerful alliance that can target the root causes of poor mental health, which is now open for consultation. Key themes being consulted on include prevention and public mental health; stigma; early intervention; and strengthening transitions from child and adolescent to adult mental health services. The consultation ends on to15 October 2009.

http://nds.coi.gov.uk/Content/Detail.aspx?NewsAreaId=2&ReleaseID=405085&SubjectId=2

Government and charities - a civil partnership? A national conference on joint working

This one day national conference by Speaking Out on 9 December 2009 in London, aims to bring together key players working to improve outcomes for children and young people across England. This free event is aimed at strategic managers and decision-makers in cross-government agendas affecting children and young people, such as community empowerment, health, housing and homelessness, and education, employment and training. It will link up policy and practice, and provide an opportunity for local, regional and national policymakers to meet colleagues from the statutory, independent and voluntary and community sectors to exchange ideas about key issues affecting children and young people.

http://speakingout.eventbrite.com/

Winning intergenerational volunteering project allocations

Twelve projects across England have been awarded grants as part of a £5.5 million cross-Government scheme to promote intergenerational volunteering and encourage meaningful interaction between young and old generations. This is part of the ‘Generations Together' campaign, aimed at breaking down barriers between young people and older people by engaging them through mutually beneficial voluntary projects.

http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/pns/DisplayPN.cgi?pn_id=2009_0140

National Identity Service - Calling on voluntary sector representatives to join the Public Panel

The Identity and Passport Service (IPS), part of the Home Office, is responsible for issuing UK passports and identity cards. Over the next few years as people are issued with the new biometric passports or apply for the identity card, their details will become part of the National Identity Register (NIR). The IPS is setting up a Public Panel to allow members of the public, including those working in the voluntary sector, to have their voices heard. The recruitment for the first two regional panels will start on 12 August 2009. More information is available online.

http://www.ips.gov.uk/cps/rde/xchg/ips_live/hs.xsl/1189.htm%20

Equality Bill - call for evidence of multiple discrimination

NCVYS sits on the steering group for the Young Equals campaign, which is led by the Children's Rights Alliance for England. To influence the development of the Equality Bill, Young Equals is calling for evidence of cases of multiple discrimination against under-18s that include age. For example, a young black man who is refused access to a shop because of unfounded assumptions that he will shoplift.

If you have a case study, please send a short paragraph to equality@crae.org.uk as soon as possible by the end of August 2009.

Preparing for and responding to Swine Flu

Has swine flu already affected your work with young people? If not, have you made any preparations around this? NCVYS would be keen to learn of the impact on the ground of Swine Flu to help us steer the right support for the sector in delivering activities to young people and preparing contingency plans for organizations who feel this may impact on their staff and operations. Please do contact Faiza Chaudary on 020 7843 6467 or faiza@ncvys.org.uk to offer your experiences and requests for support.

Local Compact Champions

The Compact Commission has published new research entitled They are Champions: the role and impact of Local Compact Champions, the research has been published by the Commission for the Compact and Compact Voice, the independent body which represents the voluntary and community sector on taking forward the Compact.  The research was undertaken by the Institute for Voluntary Action Research and involved local authorities in Calderdale, Derby, Devon, Rotherham, Southend, Sunderland, Surrey, Warwickshire, Wirral and Wolverhampton.

http://www.thecompact.org.uk/information/100016/139880/championing_the_compact/

Consultation launched on serious case review guidance

Children's Minister Delyth Morgan has launched a consultation on guidance on serious case reviews (SCR) in order to improve their quality, consistency and impact. The guidance is aimed at Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCB) who, by law, undertake an SCR whenever a child dies or is seriously injured and abuse or neglect is known or suspected to be a factor.

http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/pns/DisplayPN.cgi?pn_id=2009_0146

Regional funding for ‘School Leavers Guarantee'

The Government has announced the regional allocations for 16-18 education and training and 16-18 participation in school sixth forms and colleges by local authorities in England for 2009/10. Ministers are calling on school leavers to stay in learning during the recession, as they set out how investment of over £6.9billion in the education and training of 16-18 year olds will be distributed across the country. To fulfil the Government's ‘September Guarantee', £655m of extra funding was announced in April 2009 to provide an extra 55,000 places in sixth forms, colleges and training for 16-18 year olds this year and next year.

http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/pns/DisplayPN.cgi?pn_id=2009_0141

THIS WEEK IN PARLIAMENT

Parliament is currently in recess. The House will next sit on Monday 12 October 2009.