NCVYS STRATEGIC INFORMATION SERVICE BULLETIN NO. 455
04 September 2009
OTS Call for Evidence
The Cabinet Office Advisor on Third Sector Innovation, the Rt Hon Anne McGuire MP, is considering the role of the third sector in the personalisation of public services. Anne McGuire MP is currently looking at this for health and social care services to reduce crime and re-offending. Deadline for submissions is 25 September 2009.
http://haveyoursay.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/third_sector/topic.aspx?topic=role
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/third_sector/innovation/innovation_advisor.aspx
Skills for Justice NOS consultation
Skills for Justice is consulting on new draft National Occupational Standards (NOS) for the justice sector's children and young people's workforce. Skills for Justice has developed 14 new NOS to address gap areas which were identified in a previous Skills for Justice project. A survey has been published and Skills for Justice will be hosting events around the country during October. Deadline for written responses is 30 October 2009.
http://www.skillsforjustice.com/template01.asp?pageid=696
Validation of higher education programmes
On behalf of the Education Training Standards Committee, the National Youth Agency (NYA) is facilitating the revision of the requirements of professional validation of higher education programmes which are recognised by the Joint Negotiating Committee as conferring professionally qualified status for Youth Workers in England. The NYA is hosting two events to inform the revision process: Professional focus and the curriculum, 1 October 2009; and Field practice and the role of the supervisor, 8 October 2009. Both events will be held in Leicester. For further information contact Amanda Fearn at the NYA.
amandaf@nya.org.uk
Mobile youth facilities survey
The National Children's Bureau and Business in the Community, with NCVYS, are working with a range of private, public and voluntary sector partners to find out more about where there are/or have been mobile youth facilities offering ‘things to do' with young people, particularly those who do not usually rush to the doors of fixed youth facilities. This is not about buses that simply take young people somewhere, but about mobile facilities on which young people engage in activities. If you have something to share, please answer this quick click, seven-question survey or pass it on to someone who can.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=CrY0YtusuHL7uu2QYhZpaA_3d_3d
Backing Young Britain
The Department for Work and Pensions has announced that over 150 top British employers are supporting Backing Young Britain, a national campaign to create new opportunities for thousands of young people during the recession. Government and employers are pledging an extra 85,000 opportunities for young people, ranging from Morrisons pledging new training for every one of its 36,000 employees under the age of 25, to Government providing help to get 45,000 young people into jobs in retail, tourism, leisure and hospitality.
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/newsroom/press-releases/2009/september-2009/dwp030-09-020909.shtml
http://interactive.bis.gov.uk/backingyoungbritain/
Jobs of the future
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has published Jobs of the Future. The report outlines where new jobs could be created in the UK economy of the future as a result of expected growth and emerging global trends. It gives information on current Government support packages, including those for young people, and suggests how the UK's labour market is set to change, and the potential employment opportunities that key sectors of the economy could generate.
http://www.hmg.gov.uk/media/41730/jobs_of_the_future.pdf
Social work recruitment campaign
The Department of Children, Schools and Families, has launched a television campaign, Help Give Them a Voice, to recruit more than 5,000 social workers for vulnerable children, adults and families. The campaign features six TV and film actors, each playing the role of a child or adult in need of the support of a social worker and highlights the invaluable work social workers do every day. The new campaign comes on the back of £58m Government investment to help transform the social work profession.
http://www.helpgivethemavoice.com/
Violence in teenage relationships
Research by the NSPCC and the University of Bristol has found that a third of teenage girls in a relationship suffer unwanted sexual acts and a quarter physical violence. The survey of 13 to 17 year olds shows nearly 9 out of 10 girls had been in an intimate relationship. Of these, 1 in 6 said they had been pressured into sexual intercourse and 1 in 16 said they had been raped. Nearly 9 out of 10 boys also said they had been in a relationship. A smaller number reported pressure or violence from girls.
http://www.nspcc.org.uk/Inform/research/Findings/partner_exploitation_and_violence_wda68092.html
Young people and communities
The Prince's Trust has published a report based on findings of focus groups held with young people on issues facing their communities and what could be done to change things. Young people from Birmingham, Dewsbury, Burnley, Northern Ireland, London and Glasgow took part. The report offers case studies and recommendations to Government and the European Commission on how to get young people involved in their community, including make one-off projects run by young people more sustainable through localised funding. A video is available on the Prince's Trust website and copies of the report are available from Emma Nicholson.
Emma.Nicholson@princes-trust.org.uk
www.princes-trust.org.uk/communities
Care leavers
The National Care Advisory Service (NCAS), part of Catch 22, has published Journeys to Home: Care Leavers' Successful Transition to Independent Accommodation. The report states that care leavers need to be given greater support to help them live independently and offers guidance for local authorities on how to provide the ‘intensive support' necessary to help care leavers find a place to live, furnish it, pay bills and gain employment.
http://www.leavingcare.org/professionals/whoarewe/projects/accommodation
Demonisation of young people
Research commissioned by Catch 22, on behalf of The Philip Lawrence Awards, found that two thirds (64%) of adults in Britain overestimate the number of young people involved in crime. The research also found that 40% of British adults thought teenagers had a predominantly negative impact on their community and only 7% associated young people with volunteering. The research was launched with a call on the British public to buck the negative trend and nominate young people in their community for The Philip Lawrence Awards.
http://www.catch-22.org.uk/index.asp?m=241&s=276&month=8&year=2009&c=2321
Safeguarding young people on the internet
Research by Ofcom has found that more than half (54%) of 11-16 year olds say young people need more advice about online privacy. The research also shows that 22% want more information on how to avoid inappropriate content online and 20% want more advice on how to deal with cyberbullying. 28% believe that information is needed on how to keep security information such as passwords and PIN numbers safe.
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consumer/2009/09/young-people-want-advice-about-online-privacy/
Race equality
The Black Training and Enterprise Group (BTEG) has published Race Equality & Schools: A Guide for Parents and Carers. The Guide aims to help parents and carers to understand the responsibility that schools have to address race equality and suggests what parents can do to support schools to raise educational attainment.
http://www.bteg.co.uk/race_equality__schools:_a_guide_for_parents_and_ca.html
Public spending on children and young people
The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has published Doing Better for Children, which states that high public spending in the UK on child welfare and education is failing to deliver results. The report shows that Britain, although moderately well placed in the rankings, has relatively high rates of teenage pregnancy, drunkenness and young people not in education, employment or training. It also says money is more effective if spent on younger children, who are more susceptible to positive change, rather than teenagers.
http://www.oecd.org/document/12/0,3343,en_2649_34819_43545036_1_1_1_37419,00.html
Young people and alcohol
Drinkaware is part of a £100 million social marketing campaign, with the theme, ‘why let good times go bad?' The campaign will run for at least five years with over 45 companies from the drinks industry coming together to work with Government and Drinkaware to tackle binge drinking among 18-24 year olds. The Drinkaware website offers young people advice on what to do when a good night goes bad and stresses the importance of looking after friends.
http://www.drinkaware.co.uk/campaigns/why-let-good-times-go-bad
Ofsted
Ofsted has published a leaflet explaining what it does and how the organisation aims to make a difference to the lives of children, young people and adult learners.
http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/Ofsted-home/Publications-and-research/Browse-all-by/Documents-by-type/Miscellaneous/Ofsted-who-we-are-and-what-we-do
CRB Annual Report
The Criminals Record Bureau (CRB) has published its Annual Report & Accounts 2008/9. The report states that CRB is processing the highest volume of applications, an increase of 13% on last year, preventing a further 18,000 unsuitable people from gaining access to children and vulnerable adults, bringing the total to around 98,000 in the past five years.
http://www.crb.gov.uk/resource_library/business_publications.aspx
Community Allowance pilot programme
The CREATE Consortium is looking for three community organisations to become partners in a Community Allowance pilot programme that is due to start in April 2010. The idea behind the Community Allowance is that community organisations can pay people on any benefit to do part-time or sessional work that strengthens their community and their benefits would remain unaffected. Deadline for applications is 17:00 on 1 October 2009.
http://www.communityallowance.org/Pilot_Programme/
Citizenship through photography
The Post-16 Citizenship Support Programme has launched a photography competition for young people posing the question ‘The Real Picture: strong communities or broken society?'. The competition aims to encourage young people to explore the citizenship issue of community cohesion and is open to young people aged 16-19. Deadline to complete an expression of interest form is 1 October 2009.
http://www.post16citizenship.org/news/index.aspx?ID=8233&back=/News/
THIS WEEK IN PARLIAMENT
Parliament is currently in recess. The House will next sit on Monday 12 October 2009 |
