Evaluation of the implementation and impact of Diplomas

The introduction of Diplomas for 14-19 year olds, at three levels and across 14 or more ‘lines’ of learning, represents a major innovation in educational opportunity for young people in England. The Diploma consists of: • ‘generic learning’ (functional skills in English, mathematics and information and communication technology (ICT), a project, and development of personal, learning and thinking skills) • ‘principal learning’ (sector-related knowledge and underpinning skills needed to progress in relevant sectors) • ‘additional/specialist’ learning (a selection of options can be chosen from a range of qualifications). Diplomas also include learning

By NFER, UK.

Family and Children Policy Resource.

Research and data teams and their work for children’s services

This report presents the findings of a survey of local authority research and data teams conducted by EMIE at NFER in March-April 2008. It focuses on the organisation and work of local authority research and data services in the context of integrated children`s services.

By NFER, UK..

Family and Children Policy Resource.

Misguided efficiency focus 'trading' the futures of the UK's most vulnerable children, says nef analyis

nef's research suggests that the Government and some local authorities are claiming to endorse a 'Child-Centred' approach while making cuts that betray a lack of understanding of what young people in care really need and value. And as nef's research shows, this lack of understanding will inevitably lead to long-term social and economic costs. Behind the dramatic headlines about failing care homes and delinquent young people, good providers of residential care services face being pushed out in the drive to cut costs.

By NEFUK.

Family and Children Policy Resource.

This paper evaluates the impact of three major expansions in leave coverage in Germany on the longrun education and labor market outcomes of children. Evaluation of three policy reforms as opposed to a single reform enables us to analyze whether the impact of paid leave differs from that of unpaid leave, and whether an expansion of a relatively short leave period is more beneficial to child development than an expansion of an already long leave period. Our empirical analysis combines two large administrative data sources on wages, unemployment, and school outcomes. We identify the causal impact of the reforms by comparing outcomes of children born shortly before and shortly after a change in maternity leave legislation, and therefore require substantially weaker assumptions for identification than existing studies.

By AGF, UK and Germany..

Family and Children Policy Resource.

Supporting the development of children and young people's plans (CYPPs): the case-study data

As from April 2006 all local authorities were required to prepare and publish a Children and Young People’s Plan (CYPP) that will be reviewed annually. The first phase of this study involved analysis of the 2007 CYPPs, with a particular focus on the commissioning process and the areas of safeguarding and looked-after children (LAC). The first report, published in May 2008, presents the findings from this analysis

By NFER, UK.

Family and children Policy Resource.

The UK Child Trust Fund: A successful launch

The Child Trust Fund is the world’s first universal children’s savings policy and many countries are keen to follow the UK’s lead. This paper, co-authored with the US thinktank the Aspen Institute, sets out some of the early findings from the UK’s experience of CTFs and highlights the key challenges for other countries interested in implementing a similar scheme.

By IPPR, UK.

Family and Children Policy Resource.

Cash budgets for carers to help families through care crunch

Carers should get an individual cash budget to help families cope with a worsening care crunch, according to a new report from the Institute for Public Policy Research (ippr) published today (Sunday). The report comes ahead of the Prime Minister’s Carers Strategy Review expected to be published during next week’s Carers Week (9–15 June).

By IPPR, UK.

Family and children Policy Resource.

Thursday’s Child

It is an exciting time to be thinking about educational reform. The last few years have witnessed important shifts in the political agenda on schools in England. First, there has been a tangible change in how policy has emphasised the different objectives of the school system. Recent reforms have returned to the idea that schools have a wider role to fulfil than simply delivering on narrow measures of attainment – in equipping young people with the skills they need to achieve a version of success more broadly defined.

By IPPR, UK.

Family and children Policy Resource.

Preventing youth crime

This report makes the case for a more therapeutic and family-based approach to youth offending, as opposed to the present, more punitive, system. The arguments for the proposed approach appear persuasive – not only on humanitarian grounds, but also in terms of economics and efficacy.

By IPPR, UK.

Family and children Policy Resource.

For Love or Money: Pay, progression and professionalisation in the ‘early years’ workforce

The first report from ippr’s Working out of Poverty series highlighted the significant and growing problem of poverty among working people and their families. The aim of this report is to investigate how these issues play out in one particular low wage sector – the early years – highlighting both challenges that are common across low wage sectors and those that are distinctive to the early years.

By IPPR, UK.

Family and children Policy Resource.