Archive: Learning Exchange Library Gems
CitySafe: the self-help plan to make streets safer A look at the innovative self-policing community project developed by London Citizens that is catching on further afield. (Also in News section under: Big Society)
Turning the Corner - Beyond incarceration A report from the Young Foundation which argues for innovation in the justice sector in regards to policy, strategic and implementation levels, both locally and nationally. (Also in Library section: Youth...)
Are public services listening to young people? Apparently not. Over 1,000 young people recently polled by the National Participation Forum say they aren't being listened to about what they want from public services
Oldham school merger: racial cohesion? A Newsnight film about a bold attempt to combine two deeply segregated schools in the town that saw race riots nine years ago. Watch the complete film on iplayer until 12 August (from 2 minutes onwards).
Community cohesion in an era of super diversity A video of Ted Cantle from the Institute of Community Cohesion giving a lecture on how cohesion has emerged as a widely adopted policy and the key challenges ahead. (Also in Library section: Community cohesion)
Why looking back could be the best way of looking forward If you are considering different ways of sustaining your extended services - through a social enterprise, or a mutal, for example - this may interest you. Julian Dobson thinks we need a bill of rights for the community sector so it can thrive in the 21st century. Here's a quote from his piece dated 15 July: 'As Stephen Thake, adviser to the [Joseph Rowntree Foundation's] community assets programme, pointed out, the current urgency in considering different forms of ownership follows a 30-year renaissance of community action. Such action needs time to succeed – and protection from the caprices of policy-making. As Dr Thake put it: "History tells us that those in power have not protected the interests of co-ops and mutuals. We cannot take the ability of the community sector to thrive for granted."' (Julian is editorial director of New Start magazine a consultant specialising in placemaking and sustainable communities.)
Community and mutual ownership: a historical review There's lots of talk about 'mutuals' these days. This July 2010 research paper argues for systematic and values-based approaches to be the basis of community and mutual ownership if these are to adequately respond to current social problems. It notes that developing democracy, membership and belongig takes time, and looks at five models of community ownership over the past 2,000 years. (By Tom Woodin, David Crook and Vincent Carpentier of the Institute of Education, University of London and produced by The Joseph Rowntree Foundation.)
Joseph Rowntree blogs Budget cuts, Beveridge and devolution (Jim McCormick); Homes for life - let's shift the debate and innovate (Kathleen Kelly); State funding is vital for Big Society to thrive (Nancy Kelley) - and others.
Hurdles for Big Society aspirations? People can do things for themselves - though there are still challenges. Read the Joseph Rowntree report about this 2002-2004 Hull project, which aimed to see how much low-intensity community care could be delivered by people in the community themselves. It successfully addressed broad community development issues, with communities prioritising issues such as community facilities and provision for young people. But the challenges remain familiar. While it achieved some low-level health and social care benefits, it was more difficult to develop specific care and support initiatives; also, too few volunteers meant some activities couldn't be set up or sustained; new community spaces were sometimes contested, and community politics meant networks didn't always represent all parts of the community; community groups generally found it difficult to reach more vulnerable groups in the population (sound familiar?); and, agencies and the community often had different approaches that needed careful negotiation.
'Don't cut the grass, it's dangerous' says council that stopped cutting grass A council that stopped cutting grass banks to save money has told residents they should not do it themselves in case they get hurt. (Also in News section: Big Society)
The economics of value and localism Many people believe that standardising services cuts costs, when in fact it prevents systems from absorbing variety. So here’s a counter-intuitive idea: it cuts costs when citizens are ‘re-coupled’ with the services they want and when these are delivered to people ‘at the point of transaction’ – that is, when and where they need them. Read what Professor John Seddon, an occupational psychologist, researcher and leading authority on change in the public sector, has to say. (Also in Library section: Locality working)
The thin red? blue? yellow? line... here does the role of government end and the role of ‘society’ begin? And where does charitable giving fit in? Read Hannah Pavey's Blog on New Philanthropy Capital. (Also in News section: Big Society)
Remember what went around? Well, it's come around again - sort of... Read Mike Baker's article Gove's academies: 1980s idea rebranded? (1 August 2010) about the origins of the academy schools idea. (Also in News section: Academies, free schools, charter schools, chain schools)
Extended Services Evaluation: End of Year One Report A third of schools still struggle to engage disadvantaged pupils in extended services; at least seven in ten schools agree that extended services have led to greater pupil enjoyment of school, greater pupil engagement in learning and greater parental engagement in children's learning. Fewer, however, report reduced behaviour or discipline problems and improved attendance, and the report also says it's much less common for schools to have observed a reduced number of exclusions. (Hannah Carpenter, Mark Peters and Daniel Oseman, TNS-BMRB; Dr Ivy Papps, TECIS; Alan Dyson and Lisa Jones, University of Manchester Colleen Cummings, Karen Laing and Liz Todd, Newcastle University. (Also in Library section: Sustainability)
Making extended services sustainable: the 'Cluster' is key This is a PowerPoint presentation created to help extended services cluster managers assess the conditions for sustainability within their clusters. It's a tool that resulted from work done with 30 ESRAs and cluster managers from 20 local authorities and is designed to be used by cluster managers in meetings with headteachers or other school leaders – rather like a ‘moderated self-assessment’. By comparing the results across the cluster, it could serve as a useful developmental tool for both individual schools and clusters as a whole. (Also in Library section: Sustainability)
Sustainability: Identifying and responding to need Sustainability is not just about fundraising for maintenance. A key to it is continual assessment of need. You also need to be able to demonstrate the impact of the services that meet that need. And, it's also about providing services that families and young people want. This sheet demonstrates the SWEEP method for assessing what people in schools and local authorities already know about their services, which can help to reach a clear baseline from which to start planning more services or new services. (Also in Library section: Sustainability)
Can charities build a big society? Hear what people in the charity sector think about the Big Society. (Also in News section: Big society)
Democratic control in the Big Society? And what about quality assurance? Stephen Brooks, information and development officer at Mind, a charity helping people with mental health issues wonders who will be responsible. (Also in News & Events section: Big society)
Two and a half cheers for the Big Society Dr Rowan Williams says, in the Telegraph (22 July) that the Big Society represents a 'watershed moment' in British politics if it's pursued with imagination. But only if it isn't turned into a 'buck-passing exercise'. (Also in News & Events section: Big society)
Can Britain face up to gangs of cider-drinking teenagers? Asbos are in the news again - this time, they're on their way out. Read Julia Margo's Guardian comment. She and co-author Sonia Sodha pointed out in their co-authored research report, Ex Curricula, undertaken for think tank Demos, that Asbos have 'helped make Britain look broken' and 'somehow in decline', that 'parents are no longer able to parent and we are powerless in the face of a group of teenagers drinking cider'.
Ex Curricula A report written this year by Julia Margo and Sonia Sodha for DEMOS, which claims: 'Asbos focused public attention on low-level yobbery and youthful misdemeanour, and criminalised a generation of young people'. The report drew on an analysis of the Millennium Cohort Study, survey of over 15,000 five year olds and makes recommendations about parenting and early years provision for 0-5 years, behaviour and exclusion, special educational needs and spreading evidence-based, preventative practice in schools.
Britain's most unusual Asbos Read about some of the more bizarre behaviours that have been addressed through the much-hated Asbo.
The value of children's trusts Sir Paul Ennals' view is: Children's trusts' time has come. Most people are aware there is a need to pool resources - it makes financial sense'. Read a range of views about the success or otherwise of children's trusts. The Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009 updated the list of partners in children's trusts to include maintained schools, non-maintained schools, academies, further education colleges and pupil referral units. (Also in Library section: Articles)