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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.

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November 2006

30 November 2006

Family and affordable housing

Housing Minister Yvette Cooper has set out reforms to the planning system which will help local authorities deliver more and better homes - including more affordable family homes. Local authorities will need to make sure they are getting the mix of homes right and meeting the needs of all their community. Specifically, councils will need to ensure there are enough family homes and, for the first time, ensure that the housing needs of children are being met, with an emphasis being placed on family-friendly developments including access to gardens, play areas and parks.

30 November 2006

Sure Start Children's Centres and local needs

Children's Minister Beverley Hughes has today set out the expectations she has of Sure Start Children's Centres to tackle child poverty by improving the lives and prospects of under-fives and their families. New guidance published today for local authorities and their partners brings together evidence and best practice in reaching families most in need. Also published today by the Department for Education and Skills is a new framework for planning and management of children's centres that makes clear the need to ensure they are using evidence based practice to improve outcomes for children and provide high quality support to all families.

30 November 2006

South Africa to legalise gay marriage

The BBC has reported that South Africa is to legalise gay marriage.

29 November 2006

The activities and experiences of 18 year olds

The statistical first release on the summary findings from the 18 year old sweep of the 12th Youth Cohort Study for England and Wales have been published.

29 November 2006

Some stress could help developing babies

Mums who experience a mild to moderate amount of stress during pregnancy could be helping their developing babies according to Dr Melanie Gunning of Queen Margaret University College, Edinburgh. Much evidence now points towards the effects of maternal stress and anxiety in pregnancy and adverse long-term effects because the foetus responds to changes in the intra-uterine environment by programming cells and tissues in the body to respond in a certain way. However, Dr Gunning will report new evidence in the literature which offers an alternative view suggesting instead that a moderate amount of stress in pregnancy can have beneficial effects for the long-term development of the foetus into infancy.

29 November 2006

Justice for victims of domestic violence

More cases of domestic violence are being reported and successfully prosecuted since the introduction of domestic violence courts in 2002. In the domestic violence courts over the past few years there has been as increase in guilty pleas from 21% to 61%, a rise in successful prosecutions from 46% to 59% and an increase of assault charges brought from 51% to 27%.

27 November 2006

Healthy Start rolls out nationwide

Families from low-income households will benefit from a new scheme giving free milk and fresh fruit and vegetables to children and mums-to-be. Healthy Start is replacing the Welfare Food Scheme and will provide people who qualify with vouchers to buy milk and infant formula. The new scheme will also have greater flexibility allowing parents to buy fresh fruit and vegetables as well. Free vitamin supplements will also be part of the scheme.

24 November 2006

Support centres for victims of sexual violence

Victims of sexual violence will have greater access to immediate medical assistance and support due to £600,000 funding for new specialist support centres. Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs) are a one-stop location where victims can access support and health services, and undergo a forensic examination to contribute to a police investigation.

24 November 2006

Survey on rights for children and young people

The Government has launched an online survey for children and young people about their rights. The survey asks children and young people about their views and experiences of children's rights. The results will be included in the Government's next report to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, to be submitted by July 2007.

23 November 2006

Impact of marriage on post-graduate study

A study from Cornell University shows that married men do better than single men, not only in finishing their Ph.D.'s but in publishing and landing a first tenure-track job. The study, based on information from 11,000 students over a 20 year period, showed both the advantage of being married and also the advantage of being a married man. The study showed some advantages for married women, but not as many as men. Married men, for example, were found to be 75% more likely than single men to have completed a doctoral degree by the end of their fourth year of graduate school.

22 November 2006

Tips for parents this Christmas

Separated parents facing the prospect of Christmas without their children or arguments with their ex are being offered support by the charity Parentline Plus. Support includes tips for families who have undergone change this Christmas.

22 November 2006

Pensions system could fail women says EOC

Women are less able to save then men and are likely to face a shortfall in their retirement income, according to new research by Scottish Widows and the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC). The EOC is calling for changes to the Government's proposals to address the crisis in women's pensions as a result.

21 November 2006

Supporting parents, strengthening communities

The Government today announced it will set up a network of parenting experts as part of a wider drive to promote respect in all communities. Dedicated parenting experts will be established in 77 areas across England to ensure those parents who are worried about their children's behaviour can get the help they need.

20 November 2006

My Mum And Dad Argue A Lot

In an article in the Times 2 today, Scene and heard, Jane Wheatley reports on One Plus One's new training resource, My Mum And Dad Argue A Lot.

20 November 2006

Some children go without the basics at Christmas

A new survey published on Universal Children's Day reveals that parents living below the poverty line struggle desperately to make ends meet at Christmas and their children are missing out on basic items this winter. The survey of 1500 parents on low incomes reveals that parents find the costs associated with winter, such as increasing fuel bills and the need for winter clothing, put their already stretched budgets under immense financial pressure. The majority of parents say that they go into debt to make ends meets. 1 in 5 said that financial pressures put their own relationships with their children under stress.

17 November 2006

Harriet Harman to discuss infidelity homicide

On a visit to Edinburgh Women's Aid Harriet Harman will discuss infidelity homicide with Lord Advocate Elish Angiolini QC. She has said "Domestic violence is never excusable. We must protect victims of domestic violence - yet the infidelity defence allows the accused to blame the victim".

16 November 2006

Improve domestic violence strategy says Metropolitan Police Authority

New impetus is needed if a multi-agency initiative to develop a domestic violence strategy for London's criminal justice agencies is to be successful says the Metropolitan Police Authority.

16 November 2006

The Queen's Speech

The Government's plans to reform pensions, child support and welfare have been announced in the Queen's Speech

16 November 2006

Swift justice for anti-social behaviour

The Home Secretary John Reid has announced further new powers to crack down on anti-social behaviour including a deferred Penalty Notice for Disorder and a new power to close premises causing persistent anti-social beviours.

15 November 2006

Number claiming lone parent benefits down

New Labour Market figures show that the number of people claiming lone parent benefits is down by 14,000 on the year to 774,000

15 November 2006

Extended schools and children's centres discussion paper

A paper has been launched for discussion about the governance and management of extended schools and Sure Start children's centres. The paper considers the key issues, principles and practice, which have merged during the first phase of the roll-out of children's centres and extended schools.

14 November 2006

Minister calls for distincitive thinking about fathers

Minister for Children Young People and Families Beverley Hughes told a conference organised by Fathers Direct, Community Care Magazine and the men's studies unit at Nottingham Trent University that designing services specifically around fathers as well as mothers should now be a part of mainstream public policy.

13 November 2006

Poll shows ages of majority should increase

The minimum ages for doing everything from marrying, to buying cigaretts, or standing for Parliament should be higher than now, according to a poll for The Times. The Populus poll shows remarkable unanimity between genders, across social and political groups and even across generations, that the various ages of majority should be increased.

13 November 2006

New sexual health campaign

A new sexual health campaign has been launched by the Department of Health. It will urge sexually active young adults to make condoms essential wear when they go out on the 'pull'. Sexually transmitted infections such as chlamydia are spreading fast among 18-24 year olds. As a result the adverts will specifically target young men and women who are most at risk of infection.

13 November 2006

Seven steps to successful parenting

The Director of Development at the Family and Parenting Institute, Honor Rhodes, has provided a guide to successful parenting in The Observer. The tips include 'listen carefully' and 'remember what teenage years are like'.

09 November 2006

Good parenting and school choice for looked after children

In an essay published by the Social Market Foundation, a Corporate Parent Premium is proposed for looked after children. According to the essay, the current school choice system in the UK often works against looked after children who lack the 'pushy parent' that is central to the policy. Only 11% of looked after children gain 5 A-C GCSE grades compared to 59% of all children.

09 November 2006

Health led parenting support demonstration site

The Department for Education and Skills and the Department of Health are inviting local authorities and primary care trusts (PCTs) to make joint applications to become demonstration sites to test an intensive home visiting parenting support programme. The programme is for socially excluded families and will be delivered by midwives and health visitors.

09 November 2006

Carers to benefit from right to request flexible working

Carers across the UK are set to benefit from the right to request flexible working. The definition of carer will be an employee who is or expects to be caring for an adult who is married to, or the partner or civil partner of the employee, is a near relative of the employee or falls into neither category but lives at the same address as the employee.

08 November 2006

Young people's top ten worries

Research by the Samaritans has revealed the top ten worries amongst young people. The biggest worries include study pressures, money problems and family issues. The research also showed that for young people being emotionally healthy involved having a close circle of friends with whom they can talk to. However, many young people still find it difficult to confide in their friends about, among other issues, family problems including divorce, violence, abuse and alcoholism.

06 November 2006

Stable parenting more important than marriage says study

Stable and consistent parenting is more important than whether parents are married when predicting whether children will succeed in life according to new research from the Institute for Public Policy Research (ippr). The study says that children who spend less quality time with their parents are more likely to commit anti-social behaviours than others.

06 November 2006

Boarding provision for vulnerable children and young people

Children, Young People and Families Minister Beverley Hughes has welcomed the next stage of the Pathfinder project that will look at how boarding provision might be used to improve the life chances of some vulnerable children and young people. Some children and young people who have multiple needs and those living in families with a high risk of breakdown or of being moved in to care may benefit from boarding school.

02 November 2006

ASBOs may become 'badge of honour'

The Youth Justice Board (YJB) has published a major study into how Anti-social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) are used. The YJB has called for police and local authorities to involve youth offending teams every time ASBOs are considered for children and young people in an attempt to prevent ASBOs becoming a 'badge of honour' status symbol.

01 November 2006

Family focused employment to reduce child poverty

According to a report by an independent advisor to The Department for Work and Pensions entitled Delivering on child poverty: What would it take?, more family focused employment services are needed to help parents into work and therefore boost progress towards the target of eradicating child poverty by 2020.

01 November 2006

New research on global sexual behaviour

The Lancet has launched a series of articles on global sexual and reproductive health and behaviour. Research in one of the articles in the series entitled Sexual behaviour in context: a global perspective shows that although there has been no trend towards earlier sexual intercourse, there has been a shift towards later marriage which has led to an increase in premarital sex particularly in developed countries.

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