The National Council for Voluntary Organisations has launched a three-year programme to improve recruitment and retention of staff in the voluntary sector. It is aimed at voluntary and community sector human resource professionals and is supported by the Community Fund.The Workforce Project includes a targeted programme of activities. 

Setting targets for the recruitment of volunteers to work with public services could help to tackle crime, health and social problems and reverse the pressure on services, according to CSV - Community Service Volunteers. 

By Peter Newman and Tassilo Herrschel. Reproduced by permission of the Public Management and Policy Association. Much of the debate about Assemblies for the English regions is focused onthe structure and role of the new institutions. The author draws on examples of regional government from Germany and France to show that there are other key issues to consider such as how the institutions get adapted on the ground and the relationships with other tiers of government.

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development is calling for employers and family doctors to work together to help the sick-note system run more efficiently. 

Directgov, the Government’s new online information service is to be extended and is also to be made available to homes with access to digital television. Customer research has shown widespread support for the system, which is designed to improve the way that government information can be accessed electronically. 

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is an integral part of the government’s modernising agenda and a crucial component for delivering better customer service standards and joined-up services. The CRM Academy website is the main portal for disseminating the outputs of the National CRM Programme. It contains support, advice, guidelines and toolkits to help local authorities and other public sector organisations with the CRM implementation. 

By S Markwell, J Watson, V Speller, S Platt, and T Younger.This resource was initially designed as a response to the World Health Organization, Investment for Health initiative. As a benchmarking and assessment tool, it enables partnerships to assess their progress against evidence-based criteria and share good practice. 

The Centre for Public Scrutiny has this week launched the first dedicated interactive resource for non-executive scrutineers and their support officers. 

A report out today says pressure for more police officers on the beat has led to more private patrolling of housing estates using security guards, community support officers, neighbourhood wardens, ‘active citizen’ volunteers and officers provided under contract by police forces. 

Local councils are being asked for their views on the new Planning Advisory Service, due to be in operation from the autumn after being launched by English Partnerships and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. The aim of the service, to be run by the IdeA, is to provide support and advice for English local authorities.