One Plus One

Comments

Research And Policy News

Current research and policy news from Government departments, research centres, publishers, and relationships and family organisations, along with links to further information.

Subscribe to our RSS news feed

October 2006

31 October 2006

Three million carers have wanted to walk away

The Duty to Care campaign by The Princess Royal Trust for Carers has revealed that over half of carers across the UK have felt like walking away from their caring responsibilities. With three quarters of carers caring for a partner, parent or child with a disability, nearly half said they felt they never had a choice to take up the caring role.

30 October 2006

Families, fathers and demographic change

According to the Population Reference Bureau two important demographic changes have reshaped the typical person's life dramatically over the past century; increasing longevity and the shrinking number of children. The Bureau suggests that this has profound implications for families and particularly for fathers and relationships between work and family. The rise in divorce also makes parenthood very different for men, as the presumption of female custody forces many men to become absent fathers.

30 October 2006

New guidance for parental compensation orders

New guidance to enable local authorities to ensure parents take responsibility for the damage their children cause has been issued by the Department for Education and Skills. According to Home Office Minister Tom McNulty, since parents play a key role in children becoming responsible citizens, the aim is to address the problems underlying bad behaviour.

30 October 2006

Children's voices should be heard in court

Consitutional Affiars Minister Harriet Harman has announced that children should be able to have a greater say in family court decisions. She outlined the importance of children being able to talk to the judge or magistrate if they want to. The Minister also stressed that children should be able to gain access to their cases once they become adults.

30 October 2006

Family disruption can cause early puberty onset

New research shows that the stress young people face through divorcing parents and absentee fathers can speed up the onset of puberty. Researchers suggest that failure to address this issue could leave children in danger of sexually transmitted diseases, teenage pregnancy and drug and alcohol abuse. The article entitled Adults at 12? Trends in Puberty and their Public Health Consequences has been published in The Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

30 October 2006

Rise in marriage and divorce rates in Ireland

The Statistical Year Book of Ireland 2006 presents a comprehensive picture of Ireland. It shows that despite having fewer births and fewer deaths more couples are getting married and divorced, and that men are still taking home a greater pay packet than women.

27 October 2006

Pay gap translates into loss of £330,000 for women

The Office of National Statistics has released figures showing that the pay gap remains at 17.2%. The Equal Opportunities Commission has used these figures to estimate that the average woman working full-time will lose out on around £330,000 over the course of her working life.

26 October 2006

Businesses offered funding for nurseries

Children, Young People and Families Minister Beverley Hughes has announced that a £16.8 million package of investment will be used to help small and medium sized businesses provide childcare for their employees. The Workplace Nurseries Capital Programme will be delivered by Regional Development Agencies, led by the London Development Agency. The scheme aims to make it easier for parents to balance their work and home lives by helping employers provide childcare close to the workplace.

24 October 2006

Child Support Agency quarterly summary of statistics

The quarterly report from the Child Support Agency shows, among other things, that the average new scheme maintenance calculation was £23 per week. For old scheme, the calculation was £22 per week. The report also indicates that at the end of the financial year 2005/2006, the amount of total outstanding money owed by non-resident parents to parents with care stood at £3.5 billion.

23 October 2006

Parenting support guidance launched

The Department for Education and Skills has published guidance to support local authorities and children's trusts in their development of parenting support. The publication, entitled Parenting Support: Guidance for Local Authorities in England, coincides with the launch of an online database of parenting programmes. Commissioners of parenting support in local authorities and other similar roles across England will be able to access an online toolkit to search a database of proven, effective parenting programmes which can be replicated in their local area.

23 October 2006

Primary school sex education to cut teenage preganacy

Children should be taught about the importance of contraception in their last year of primary school according to new research from the Institute for Public Policy Research. The report, Freedom's Orphans: Raising Youth in a Changing World, shows that British teenagers are the most sexually active in Europe and the third least likely to use a condom during underage sex. Despite concerted efforts from the Government and a target to halve teenage pregnancy rates between 1999 and 2010, progress remains slow, there were 41.1 conceptions per thousand women under the age of 18 in 2005 just 2.9 per thousand lower that in 1991. As a result the report recommends, among other things, the introduction of sex and relationship education in all primary and secondary schools in England and Wales.

20 October 2006

Together for Children will support delivery of Sure Start

Children, Young People and Families Minister Beverley Hughes has announced that Together for Children will support the delivery of Sure Start Children's Centres. Together for Children demonstrated through an open tendering process that it has the necessary expertise and skills in capacity building, change and project management to ensure those most in need are reached by the planning and commissioning of high quality children's centres.

20 October 2006

WHO launches guide to prevent violence against children

According to the recently released UN Secretary-General's Study on Violence Against Children, much of the violence endured by children aged 0-14 years occurs in the home at the hands of parents, caregivers, and family members. As a result, the WHO and the International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse (IPSCAN) have produced a guide demonstrating that violence against children can and must be prevented. The guide is entitled Preventing child maltreatment: a guide to taking action and generating evidence.

18 October 2006

Second earners key to reducing child poverty

The annual cross-Governmental report Opportunity for All, published yesterday, indicated that the number of children living in poverty has dropped by 700,000 compared to 1997. However, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, John Hutton, stated that because there are still 2.4 million children in Britain living in poverty, almost half of which live in couple families where only one parent works, the Government will continue to encourage people, including parents, into work.

18 October 2006

Allegations process unfair according to fostering survey

A report published by the charity Fostering Network has concluded that only one in five foster carers (22%) who has had an allegation made against them in the UK describes the investigation process as "fair". The report, based on a survey of 1,002 foster carers, found that one in three (35%) had faced an allegation during their fostering careers, including more than half of those who had fostered for more than 10 years. The Fostering Network suggests that because investigations can have a devastating impact on foster carers and their children, fostering services need to make fostering families feel able to continue fostering after an investigation has been completed offering them proper financial and practical support and speeding up the investigations process.

17 October 2006

Family support can reduce anti-social behaviour

A report entitled Anti-social Behaviour Intensive Family Support Projects commissioned by the Department for Communities and Legal Government found that family support can reduce anti-social behaviour (ASB). The study evaluating six services based at the National Children's Home Dundee Families Project, found that levels of ASB amongst 85% of the families involved in the family support projects were reduced to a degree where tenancy agreements were no longer under threat or that ASB ceased altogether.

16 October 2006

Link between football matches and domestic violence

A Home Office report, Lessons Learned from the Domestic Violence Enforcement Campaign 2006, has found strong links between major football matches, alcohol consumption and domestic violence. The study found that reports of domestic abuse increased by nearly a third (30%) on England match days and that nearly half (40%) of all suspects in domestic abuse cases were drunk at the time of the crime. As a result the report recommends that police need to be more aware of the connection between sport and domestic abuse when they make their plans before events such as the World Cup and Championship matches. The government has invited football and sporting groups to join with it and 70 corporations in tackling domestic abuse as part of the UK Corporate Alliance Against Domestic Violence.

16 October 2006

Poll shows influence of TV parenting programmes

A poll by Ipsos MORI for the National Family and Parenting Institute reveals that most parents with children aged under 16 have watched at least one television parenting programme and 83% of these parents said they found a parenting technique helpful to them personally. However, a large proportion of those who view such programmes (37%) believe that they can sensationalise family problems for public entertainment.

12 October 2006

Extra £20 a week for lone parents claiming benefits

Minister for Employment and Welfare-Reform, Jim Murphy MP announced today that lone parents will get an extra £20 on top of their benefits if they take active steps towards work under a pilot scheme being rolled out next year. As part of the next stage of welfare to work, lone parents with children aged 11 and over will be eligible for a Work Related Activity Premium (WRAP), worth £20 a week if they agree to take the necessary steps to prepare themselves for entering and competing in the workplace. The new schemes will be introduced from April 2007 in the New Deal Plus for Lone Parents Pilot areas.

10 October 2006

Separating cohabitees can end up disadvantaged financially

New findings published by the National Centre for Social Research reveal that people who separate after living together can end up badly disadvantaged financially - worse off than when they lived together; worse off than their ex; and worse off than if they had been married. These people - typically women - are particularly disadvantaged if they are the main carers for any children; if they lived in a house owned by their partner; and if they have children from a previous relationship.

09 October 2006

Green paper proposals for children and young people in care

The government has published green paper proposals entitled Care Matters: Transforming the lives of children and young people in care. The proposals include raising the quality of foster care and children's homes and asking Ofsted to regularly assess how each local authority is meeting the education needs of children in care. A major consultation process has been launched and will run until January 2007.

09 October 2006

Cameron confirms his support for marriage

In his closing speech at the Tory Party Conference, David Cameron confirmed his support for marriage and civil partnerships. He said: All families do a vital job, and they all need our support. But I also believe that marriage is a great institution, and we should support it…There's something special about marriage. It's not about religion. It's not about morality. It's about commitment. When you stand up there, in front of your friends and your family, in front of the world, whether it's in a church or anywhere else, what you're doing really means something.…Supporting marriage is not just about money, or tax breaks.

09 October 2006

Assessing government policies towards lone parents

The Policy Studies Institute has published two reports examining government initiatives to encourage lone parents who claim benefits into work. The reports, commissioned by the Department for Work and Pensions, look at take-up rates for these schemes and examine what effects they have had on employment rates and benefit claims.The initiatives examined include In Work Benefit Calculation (or Better Off Calculation), New Deal for Lone Parents and Lone Parent Work-Focused Interviews.

05 October 2006

The Changing Face of Parenting Report

The Changing Face of Parenting Report examines several trends that influence parenting today: the changing nature of the family; how anxiety and time constraints have led to a professionalisation of parenting; how the need for trust combines with necessity to form childcare and health care choices; and what parents (and potential parents) understand to be of benefit to them in parenting.

05 October 2006

Government to provide practical support for couples

Family Justice Minister Harriet Harman has announced that the task of the government is not to lecture about the nature of marriage, but to give practical support. That is the message of a speech delivered by Family Justice Minister Rt. Hon. Harriet Harman QC MP to a meeting of representatives from the voluntary sector organised by the National Family and Parenting Institute. The NFPI meeting is part of the consultation process on Government proposals to make the family court system more open and accountable to the public.

05 October 2006

1,000 Sure Start Children's Centres

Children’s Minister Beverley Hughes today announced that the Government’s roll out of Sure Start Children’s Centre had reached the 1,000 milestone early giving 800,000 small children the opportunity for a better start in life.

03 October 2006

Births and marriages in Ireland

The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency has released its quarterly review for April to June 2006. The review reveals an increase in marriages relative to the same quarter in 2005, and an increase in civil partnerships over first quarter of 2006.

02 October 2006

New measures to improve life chances

The Education Secretary Alan Johnson has announced new measures to improve the life chances of all including an extra £100 annually for every child spending a full year in care and a £2000 bursary to help children in care go to university.

02 October 2006

Campaign launched to ensure live-together couples understand their rights and responsibilities

Campaigning family law group is urging the government to pass new laws and launch an effective information campaign to make sure Coventry & Warwickshire’s live-together couples understand their rights and responsibilities.

02 October 2006

Increase in births and civil partnerships in Scotland

The number of civil partnerships in Scotland during the second quarter of 2006 was more than 20 per cent higher than during the previous quarter. There has also been an increase of 3.5 per cent in the number of births during the second quarter compared to the same period in 2005.

02 October 2006

Email and text advice service for dads

The work-life balance charity Working Families has introduced an email and text service for fathers. The service will allow dads to text questions about paternity and maternity leave and flexible working to the charity. The project will focus on providing fathers with the information they need in order to apply for flexible working hours.

News for all months

2010

January	February	March	April
May	June	July	August
September

2009

January	February	March	April
May	June	July	August
September	October	November	December

2008

January	February	March	April
May	June	July	August
September	October	November	December

2007

January	February	March	April
May	June	July	August
September	October	November	December

2006

January	February	March	April
May	June	July	August
September	October	November	December

2005

July	August	September	October
November	December