The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has chosen IBM as its preferred IT services partner in its modernisation programme aimed at improving the department’s services to the public and to its own staff. The deal will see a number of Defra staff moving to IBM.The decision was made following a competitive tender and Defra will now be working closely with IBM over the coming weeks to finalise the contract and with a view to switching to new service arrangements later this year.

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Council Community wardens in Darlington are the first in the country to use the same communications technology as the local police in a move that it is thought will help the wardens combat crime and anti-social behaviour more effectively.They are connected to Airwave, the communications system adopted by the Durham force late last year. The system uses new handsets that combine the functions of radios, data devices and mobile phones. This will enable the wardens to communicate directly with the police, their colleagues, and local members of the public and with the CCTV control room, all at the touch of a button.

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By Naomi Eisenstadt Reproduced by permission of the Public Management and Policy Association. The Sure Start programme is about nursery education and childcare and it seeks to improve the health, education and emotional development of young children. Naomi Eisenstadt, Director of the Sure Start Unit, sets out a vision of mainstream services joining up to provide for the needs of disadvantaged children and their parents.

By D Wilcox.Development trusts and similar partnerships have been an essential component of urban and rural regeneration programmes and the guide centres on the importance of effective partnership working in the development of a trust. It is intended for anyone interested in how towns, cities and villages may be regenerated through the involvement of those with the greatest stake in their future – the people who live and work there. It includes examples of requirements for levels of community participation, active engagement, board meetings, financial sustainability, project management, checklists for milestones, resources and the competencies of those involved. The guidelines may be used by those in public, private, voluntary and community sectors as a generic tool for considering the development of partnerships and development trusts.

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The interests of all water and sewerage customers need to be considered when the opportunity to benefit from competition in the water industry is opened to large commercial and other non-household customers, according to WaterVoice, which represents customers across England and Wales.In its response to a consultation by Ofwat, DEFRA and the Welsh Assembly Government, WaterVoice said it wanted to see the new competition regime deliver reduced charges and better service packages to the estimated 2,300 non-household customers in the competitive market, but also ultimately to produce more efficient operations, lower charges and improved services for all customers.

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A third of parents of Down’s syndrome children say they have experienced discrimination or prejudice from education professionals and more than half reported a lack of specialist knowledge and skills among professionals. The figures come from research published today to mark next week’s launch of Down’s Syndrome Awareness Week.The report from the Down’s Syndrome Association reveals the discrimination, ignorance and the failings of Local Education Authorities and schools to make appropriate provision and support for children with Down’s syndrome.

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The survey commissioned by the Society of IT Management (Socitm) shows that the gap between Local Authority ICT staff salaries and those in the private sector is closing. The salary gap at senior management level has narrowed substantially. In previous years salaries of ICT Directors in local government were typically only 60% of their private sector equivalents, ICT Directors in London and the South East are now being paid up to 86% of their equivalents in the private sector. Average salaries in the Police and Fire sectors are showing a particular increase over last year, with Police salaries increasing by 6.8%(1.7% in 2003) and Fire Service salaries increasing by 10.2%(4.4% in 2003). Across the whole sample, salaries have increased by an average of 5.9% compared to 5.1% last year.The survey also shows that recruitment and retention problems have been eased. Whereas 25% of organisations reported retention problems in 2003, the figure has reduced to 17% in 2004. Similarly whilst 34% reported recruitment problems last year, the figure this year is 27%. Recruitment difficulties in the London area are less severe with 27% of organisations reporting problems, compared to over 50% in 2003.

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Two new guides have been published to help local councillors and senior local government officers to develop effective performance management. They have been produced jointly by the Audit Commission and the Improvement and Development Agency and draw on the knowledge and experience of both organisations as well as on good practice developed by local authority members and officers.The guides have been shaped by early work carried out under the Performance Management, Measurement and Information project run by the two bodies and aimed at improving performance management in local government.The guide for members outlines the importance of performance management in raising the standards of services and how performance information can be used to scrutinise and challenge services. It includes checklists to help councillors judge their own authority’s progress towards effective performance management. It also points readers to further sources of information.

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A new qualification will be launched in the autumn to support those leading joined-up children’s services. The National Professional Qualification in Integrated Centre Leadership (NPQICL) will be the first national programme designed to meet the needs of leaders in multi-agency, early years settings.The new qualification will be recognised in multi-agency and multi-disciplinary settings across education, health and social services. The NHS Leadership Centre, the Social Care Institute for Excellence and the DfES are acting as advisory partners in the project. It will be launched in September with a 35-place pilot being led by the National College for School Leadership in partnership with Pen Green Leadership Development Centre.

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By Philip Pearson.Every year some 2 million people in Britain are injured or made ill by their work, and each week around 500 people leave work as a result of such problems. All these injuries and illnesses caused by work can be prevented. This fully revised new edition provides advice on the most common health risks at work, and how you can tackle them. It explains how you can use your legal rights and common sense to avoid injury and illness, and how to take action to recover your health and get back to work as soon as possible. There is advice on what to tell your GP and tips on where to get help when returning to work. With plenty of real-life case studies to illustrate the problems that can be encountered. The author offers positive suggestions about preventing ill health and improving wellbeing at work. Every aspect is dealt with in an accessible way, including, tackling stress at work, bullying and muscle aches and strains.

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