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Latest News
New toolkit to help councils fight child poverty
09/07/08 Speakers from a recent CSN seminar, Addressing child poverty: The local authority role, have been involved in developing a child poverty toolkit.
The Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG), and Islington and Knowsley Councils all took part in the April seminar. And all three organisations have been involved in developing a child poverty toolkit for local authorities, in collaboration with several government departments and other organisations.
The toolkit has now been made available on-line by CPAG and Inclusion. It is primarily aimed at members of local strategic partnerships, particularly those that have chosen to include the new Child Poverty indicator (N116) within their Local or Multi-Area Agreement to target child poverty in their areas. It includes data tools to help authorities understand their local context, engage partners and develop their policies; good practice guides with examples from local partnerships; and strategy development tools aimed at maximising the impact of Local Area or Multi-Area agreements.
Phil Jones, Policy Analyst with CSN, commented: "Local authorities are increasingly working with their partners to develop strategies to address child poverty, given its correlation with poor outcomes for children and young people, and their longer term prospects as adults. The toolkit should prove to be a valuable resource, and will be adapted to future local authority needs".
A CSN policy briefing on the government document Ending child poverty - everybody's business, is available to subscribers.
This Month's Events
Participatory budgeting in practice
31/7/2008
Latest Analysis
Tellus more
14/07/08 The pressure on schools to support pupil consultations has never been greater. For this reason the Tellus online survey conducted by OFSTED must prove its relevance to schools and avoid duplication with the myriad of other surveys if it is to retain meaningful participation from schools and local authorities. Andrew Crompton, Research and Analysis Manager at Sheffield City Council, looks at the challenges and opportunities for Tellus.
Flagship policy rocked by launch
26/06/08 The National Challenge programme - set up to help raise GCSE results in all schools - got off to a very shaky start. The media largely ignored the core support package of the programme. Instead they branded schools where fewer than 30 per cent of pupils gain 5 A*-C GCSEs as ‘failing' and threatened with closure - damaging the very schools and pupils that the programme is intended to help. Martin Rogers, CSN policy consultant, looks at what happened.
Role of governors - CSN conference presentations to download
05/06/08 The Department for Children, Schools and Families is conducting a review of school governance but already the Children's Plan, launched in December, revealed that the government is keen to promote smaller, strategically-focused governing bodies. CSN's conference at the beginning of June looked at Refocusing the role of governors. Presentations and the key note speech made by Jim Knight MP, Minister of State for Schools and Learners are available to download.
Narrowing the Gap - evidence collection
14/05/08 CSN is one of the organisations contributing to the Narrowing the Gap project, funded by the Department for Children Schools and Families. CSN policy consultant Martin Rogers looks at the evidence presented to the project panel by CSN subscribers.
Latest Publications
Fundamental Health: children's mental health a guide (CSN)
19/9/2007
Mental health has been making its way up the children's agenda for a number of years. This timely guide from LGIU/CSN provides an overview of the main issues and is essential reading for councillors, those working in local authorities and partner organisations and school staff and governors.
Youth Justice and Schools in Wales / Cyfiawnder ieuenctid ac ysgolion yng Nghymru (CSN)
5/10/2006
Every year some 150,000 children and young people enter the youth justice system in the UK. Almost half of them are below the statutory school leaving age. This new booklet looks at how those working in children's services and youth justice in Wales can work together to prevent offending and reoffending.