By Kay Tisdall, Jennifer Wallace, Evelyn McGregor, Dianne Millen and Andrew Bell, Integrating services is a cornerstone of current policy on children’s services and social exclusion. The authors looked at integration initiatives in family centres and new community schools in Scotland. They describe how integration works in practice and the unexpected outcomes of beneficial relationships and the creation of a new conduit to a wider range of services.

Local authorities in Scotland have welcomed the news that 14 council areas have seen a reduction in persistent youth offending since targets were set at the beginning of the year. The Convention of Scottish Local Authorities said, too, that it shared the Scottish Justice Minister’s commitment to seeing a further reduction in youth offending, and full implementation of the standards by March 2006.COSLA warned, though, that the figures did not fully show the progress councils were making in tackling youth offending and pointed out that new punitive measures had diverted resources away from some other effective schemes.

Read more on SCOTTISH COUNCILS’ WARNING OVER FALL IN YOUTH OFFENDING…

The Standards Board for England has been granted official accreditation by The Law Society for its Annual Assembly of Standards Committees. The assembly, is being recognised as a ‘Continuing Professional Development’ course, which the board believes is a measure of its expertise in issues affecting local government.This year’s conference, which is due to take place in Birmingham in September on the theme “Ethical standards – in your hands”, will now be certified to count towards the credits solicitors require as part of their professional development. The conference was assessed on a range of criteria, such as content, relevance, organisation and suitability.

Read more on STANDARDS BOARD EVENT RECOGNISED AS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT…