Most people do not discover what they are good at until they are 22 years old on average, according to research by the independent education foundation, Edge. Almost half of adults in the study said they were regarded as average or poor students at school and Edge says 2.8 million people were made to feel like failures.
Read more on STUDY SHOWS TRADITIONAL TEACHING ‘WRITES OFF’ STUDENTS…
This guide for frontline staff and community activists offers advice on promoting community cohesion.
Groups have a significant impact on community cohesion, whether they are formed along ethnic, faith, religion or gender lines. In addition there are less formal groups such as family, friends, or a local estate. Bringing people in groups together is one way of developing strong and positive relationships between people of different backgrounds. A group feels less anxious and threatened by the existence of the other group when there is meaningful and sustained interaction between them.
A local government think tank says the education of children in care in the UK is “a national disgrace”. The Local Government Information Unit is calling for ‘game-changing solutions’ to tackle the problem.
Read more on EDUCATION OF LOOKED AFTER CHILDREN ‘A NATIONAL DISGRACE’…
The Government is being urged to make better use of the money it spends on adult training. The National Institute of Adult Continuing Education says the focus should be on individual needs rather than the needs of business. It was responding to Skills Strategy outlined by Lord Mandelson.
Business intelligence is about making better use of information that is already stored away. Some 95 per cent of councils have made it a strategic priority, but few have quality data to support effective business intelligence. The author analyses why this is so and describes the barriers to developing business intelligence to give insights into how organisations are performing. He outlines a path to better business intelligence.
Read more on BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE BRINGS BENEFITS TO THE PUBLIC SECTOR…
A new framework for the way social housing is regulated is being set out today and will see greater emphasis being placed on the relationship between landlords and their tenants at local level. The Tenant Services Authority says it is setting the scene for a new world of regulation where tenants are at the heart of decisions about their homes and how services are delivered by landlords.
The TSA is launching ‘A new regulatory framework for social housing’. The statutory consultation details the standards for landlords which will be central to how the Authority regulates social housing in England. They focus on six areas, tenant involvement and empowerment; the home, including repairs and maintenance; tenancy, including allocations and rent; neighbourhood and community; value for money, and governance and financial viability.
The authority says that for tenants this will mean greater focus on issues that matter most them, such as repairs, affordable rents and anti-social behaviour. The plans will mean more opportunities for tenants to have their say and to hold their landlords to account. They will; also get more information from their landlords, including an annual report setting out how well they are doing against local standards. For landlords the regulations will mean a greater responsibility to work closely with tenants to drive improvements and more flexibility in how they deliver their services and more accountability to tenants and partner organisations.
Peter Marsh, Chief Executive of the TSA, said: “We are proposing a significant reduction in red tape with the withdrawal of around 50 circulars and all good practice notes. In return we will expect landlords to be more transparent in their performance and make themselves more accountable to their tenants.”
A charity is planning to help people with a disability or long-term health problem to develop their leadership skills. Radar, a disability campaigning network, is looking for 100 people to take part in a mentoring programme.
Read more on PROGRAMME WILL DEVELOP LEADERSHIP SKILLS OF DISABLED PEOPLE…
Productivity across the UK is being significantly undermined by people coming to work with poor mental health as a result of stress and conditions such as anxiety and depression. This is the conclusion of a report from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.
Closing the gap between the richest and poorest people in developed countries could prevent a million and a half deaths researchers say. Some previous studies of the relationship between wealth and health have reached different conclusions but two British academics say that controversy may be due to the political implications involved.
Read more on CLOSING WEALTH GAP WOULD SAVE LIVES SAY RESEARCHERS…
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