The Office of Fair Trading is calling for a ‘one-stop-shop’ for information on care homes to help older people to make the right choices about their care. It also wants local authorities to publish detailed directories of available care and information on pricing and funding.The recommendation follows a ten-month study that was prompted by a complaint from ‘Which?’ – formerly the Consumers’ Association – on behalf of Social Policy Ageing Information Network, an umbrella body including Age Concern, Help the Aged, The Association of Charity Officers, and the Alzheimer’s Society.

Read more on OFT WANTS COUNCILS TO HELP MAKE CARE HOME INFORMATION AVAILABLE…

By Martyn SlomanThe aim of the book is to help readers to develop a framework in which training can be effectively managed and delivered. The author poses the question: ‘What should training managers be doing to ensure that training in their organization is as good as it can be?’ He stresses the need to keep training aligned with business objectives, and to encourage line managers to work alongside the human resource professionals. The final Part considers the trainer as a strategic facilitator and examines the skills required. Martyn Sloman writes as an experienced training manager and his book is concerned, above all, with implementation. Thus the text is supported by questionnaires, survey instruments and specimen documents. With its combination of thought-provoking argument and practical guidance, the Handbook will continue to serve all those with an interest in organizational training.

Read more on A HANDBOOK FOR TRAINING STRATEGY…

Only half of public sector workers feel they are valued at work and two out of three of them believe they are not being given the chance to live up to their potential in the workplace according to a new survey of 3,000 employees by the online learning specialists, SkillSoft.The study found that only 54 per cent of public sector workers feel they are valued compared with six out of ten in the private sector. Two thirds think that they could be doing better in their career.

Read more on NEW SURVEY SHOWS PUBLIC SECTOR STAFF FEEL UNDERVALUED…

Health services in London could face a staffing crisis in the future according to a study which has found that more than four out of every ten overseas nurses working in the capital are considering taking up posts in other countries. The worrying finding comes from the biggest ever survey of internationally recruited nurses working in London, published today by the King’s Fund and the Royal College of Nursing.One major concern of the survey is that among Filipino nurses, one of the largest groups of overseas recruits to the NHS, two thirds are considering leaving Britain to work in America.

Read more on WARNING TO NHS ON RECRUITING OVERSEAS NURSES…

This Education Survey by Dell found that ICT facilities in schools could be better utilised to help bridge the digital divide and benefit the wider community. Nearly every school, 99%, has PCs and printers and three quarters have broadband access, yet only half, 54%, provide after school access to computers for pupils, and just three out of ten make technology resources available to the local community in the form of community classes and training. Because children only spending about 15% of their time in the classroom, many pupils may be missing out on opportunities that access to technology gives them. The average investment in ICT in a school is over 20,000 pounds per annum and by widening out access to these resources to pupils and the community as a whole, schools could play a vital role in breaking down the digital divide.The survey also found that whilst nearly every teacher has access to a computer at home, 98%, only a third, 35% of them are provided by schools. This is despite the fact, that for many, computers are fundamental to their role, with the majority using computers for lesson planning, 83%, lesson creation, 68%, and assessment 64% respectively.

Read more on OPENING UP TO THE COMMUNITY…

A special training scheme has begun in Bristol to ensure that all council home care workers can provide for people with a range of mental health problems including depression or dementia. The training is unique in targeting the city council’s Social Services and Health’s whole home care work force to build expertise across the service rather than creating a specialist team.The new Home Care Mental Health Support scheme trains staff to modify their work to respond to people’s mental health needs and to recognise when those needs are changing. Care Workers also get training in responding to challenging behaviour and in how to assess any risks involved in providing help as well as gaining understanding of some of the laws controlling mental health work.

Read more on UNIQUE TRAINING SCHEME FOR BRISTOL CARE WORKERS…

A new office has been set up to co-ordinate policy standards on the re-use of public sector information, including providing consistent and transparent processes for potential re-users to gain access to the information. The Office of Public Sector Information will be attached to the Cabinet Office and will be under the ministerial control of the Parliamentary Secretary there.The establishment of OPSI comes just two months after the close of a public consultation on the introduction of regulations to implement a European Directive on the re-use of public sector information. The new body has been formed from the resources of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office and will have an extended remit to advise on and regulate the operation of the re-use of public sector information. HMSO will continue with its core activities, including responsibility for the publication of legislation and the management of Crown copyright.

Read more on NEW BODY TO REGULATE RE-USE OF PUBLIC SECTOR INFORMATION…

By Gerald J. Miller, Samuel J. Yeager, W. Bartley Hildreth and Jack RabinThis article explores the way public-sector financial managers cope with ethical challenges created by undue political pressure and demands for special treatment. A nationwide survey of financial managers revealed that fiscal stress exacerbates ethical pressure for most financial managers, including chief financial officers (CFOs) and those who report to CFOs. Financial managers do not work in an ethical vacuum; they respond to supervisors who encourage ethical action and to co-workers who demonstrate high standards of personal integrity. Supervisors of CFOs who emphasize political responsiveness in employee evaluations can threaten the ethical behavior of CFOs, while timely feedback can mitigate ethical pressure. In turn, CFOs as supervisors can temper the harsh work environment in fiscally stressed times by encouraging ethical action and by giving adequate feedback to those who report to them.

Read more on HOW PUBLIC-SECTOR FINANCIAL MANAGERS DEAL WITH ETHICAL STRESS…

A new benchmarking service that will enable public service organisations to measure and track the performance of their partnerships and outsourced ICT is due to be launched next week by the Society of IT Management. Users of the service will be able to assess how well they are performing both individually and in comparison with similar organisations. Because benchmarking is an on-going process it will also be possible to measure the difference resulting from improvements made.The new service will be available to public sector organisations which have developed partnerships and outsourced their ICT service, which includes at least 20% of local authorities which are known to have gone down this route. Benchmarks will be based on Key Performance Indicators covering the main areas of performance such as user satisfaction, resolution of operational problems, project management and cost-efficiency.

Read more on NEW BENCHMARKING SERVICE TO MEASURE ICT DELIVERY…

Councils want a new role that will allow them to take the lead in supporting prisoners after their release. During their time in prison, a significant proportion of inmates lose their house, their job and contact with their family, whilst many face associated financial problems. When the release day comes they are faced with a bewildering range of voluntary, public and private bodies that provide numerous different services. Too many former inmates simply slip through the net and back into old habits. This results in more crime, another conviction and another term of imprisonment. Re-offending not only ruins lives, but it blights communities and costs the taxpayer 11bn pounds every year.The call to re-think re-offending comes from the Local Government Association ahead of the bill to be presented in the Queen’s speech tomorrow. The LGA wants the bill to give councils a statutory duty to help those leaving prison to get back on the straight and narrow.

Read more on COUNCILS BID FOR LEAD ROLE IN TACKLING RE-OFFENDING…