Children’s social care cost pressures and variations in unit costs The Children’s social care cost pressures and variations in unit costs report of a project commissioned from Oxford University’s Rees Centre by the DfE, to support and supplement internal analysis by the Department as part of the preparations for the spending round in summer 2019…
Oireachtas affairs at a glance 2nd February – Physical inspections of goods coming from the UK into Northern Ireland were suspended following reports of threats to staff as tensions increased in relation to the Northern Ireland protocol particularly in the context of the EU’s ill-fated decision to invoke Article 16 of the protocol to prevent…
The CCN’s Future of Adult Social Care report is another addition to the discussion on how social care is delivered and how it fits into the wider healthcare system. It highlights the critical need for reform and proposes a system of ‘optimised local delivery’ with local government at its heart.
When the waves hit the town of Benifaió Benifaió is a modest town of about 12,000 inhabitants located 20 minutes South of the city of Valencia, in the comarca (a cultural and administrative unit like UK shires) of the Rivera Alta. As for most towns in the Rivera Alta, the local population has remarkably close…
The report by the Women and Equalities Select Committee on the impact of Covid-19 on people living with disabilities is sobering reading. It assesses the difficulties many people experienced and includes important recommendations to improve the wellbeing of disabled people as we go into transition and recovery.
Overview The Northern Power-Sharing Executive had only just been re-established in January 2020 after three years in suspension when the new regime, jointly headed by First Minister Arlene Foster (DUP) and Deputy First Minister Michelle O’Neill (Sinn Féin), were faced with the crisis of the Covid-19 pandemic. The first case reported in Northern Ireland came…
Background – The Swedish Model The ‘Swedish Model’ is a term that has been used in a variety of contexts ranging from industrial relations to foreign policy. It has re-emerged as a label for Sweden’s approach to Covid-19. In contrast to most European countries, Sweden chose not to impose a lockdown and has kept society…
Key dates at a glance 29th February 2020 – First reported case of Covid-19 in the Republic; 11th March 2020 – First fatality from Covid-19; 12th March 2020 – An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar announces closure of all schools; 29th March 2020 – An Taoiseach announces Stay-at-Home Order (Lockdown 1); 17th May 2020 – There have…
An Independent Review of Adult Social Care in Scotland was published in February 2021, chaired by Derek Feeley, Chief Executive of the Institute for Health Improvement. This briefing outlines the review’s main recommendations, how they will be financed and responses to the review. This briefing will be of interest to elected members and officers working…
The pandemic has highlighted various faults in the UK’s food systems, from the quality of free school meals and their provision over holidays to soaring food bank numbers. This briefing outlines some of the most recent issues and policies regarding food and poverty in Scotland, where food insecurity is more prevalent than in the rest…
