Local authority leaders are trying to identify the extent of the impact on councils of the 50 billion dollar fraud by Bernard Madoff, but the Local Government Association says it does not expect that council funds invested in Madoff schemes will affect services or council tax bills. Mr. Madoff has been charged with fraud in what is thought to be the biggest ever case of its kind.
Read more on COUNCIL LEADERS ASSESS IMPACT OF MADOFF LOSSES…
This survey report from Becta, the government’s agency for technology in learning, reveals that achieving fair access to technology for parents, young people and adult learners is likely to be a continuing challenge and will require concerted effort and a high level of support at local level.
The Minister for the Third Sector has challenged the sector to show the way in transforming public services. The challenge comes with a number of new developments demonstrating the Government’s commitment to working in partnership with charities, voluntary groups and social enterprise.
Read more on THIRD SECTOR CHALLENGED TO SHOW THE WAY IN TRANSFORMING PUBLIC SERVICES…
OGCbuying.solutions, an executive agency of HM Treasury, has negotiated a range of new deals with suppliers. All public sector organisations procuring through the framework agreements will benefit by some 170 m pounds in total. This is in addition to the savings from the earlier framework agreements which are now expiring.
Research by charity Turn2us shows that people are six times more likely to increase their borrowing from banks than seek help from charities, if they were to face financial difficulties.
If they lost their income or were unable to pay their bills, 25 per cent of respondents said they would borrow from banks and 14 per cent would use credit cards. By comparison, only 4 per cent said they would think to seek help from a charitable source, despite the existence of over 3,300 charities that give grants to people in financial need. Less than half of those surveyed would access welfare benefits and around one in eight said there wasn’t anywhere they would be able to get money from.
The Change4Life campaign, due to launch next month, aims to bring about a lifestyle revolution involving thousands of local organisations and charities which will help mums, dads and families eat well, move more and live longer. Just how dire the situation has become is revealed in new figures which show that almost one in four 4-5 year olds and one in three 10-11 year olds are overweight or obese.
Children in Scotland, the national agency for voluntary, statutory and professional organisations has called on the UK and Scottish Governments to invest more in a universal system of early years services and family support. The call comes after a damming report from UNICEF which shows the UK lagging behind other countries.
Read more on CALL FOR MORE INVESTMENT IN EARLY YEARS SUPPORT…
The Government target that at least 85 per cent of children and young people spend a minimum of two hours a week in high-quality PE and sport by 2008 has been achieved. This is up from 25 per cent in 2002. But more needs to be done. Thinking outside the box has shown that it is possible to promote physical activity to all students by introducing alternative opportunities for physical activities which run separately from PE lessons.
Social Networking Sites have become a global phenomenon, with communities such as MySpace, Facebook and Bebo reporting user figures in the hundreds of millions. Through networks it is possible to identify people who share common interests, professions and pastimes. The public sector is increasingly recognizing the value of social networking sites to provide easy and accessible information about policies and services. A new service launch in Scotland means that 2009 is likely to be a watershed year in local and central government communications.
The investment boom that has seen independent sector mental health hospital capacity leap by 35 per cent in the last 5 years is set to come to an end as a result of the credit crunch according to a report from health care market intelligence specialists Laing & Buisson.
Read more on CREDIT CRUNCH SLOWS EXPANSION OF INDEPENDENT MENTAL HEALTH SECTOR…
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