Indus Delta Welfare to Work Newswire- 1 June 2012
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Latest News
New interim Chief Executive of Skills Funding Agency announced
Kim Thorneywork has been appointed as the interim Chief Executive of the Skills Funding Agency, Skills Minister, John Hayes announced on 30 May.
Read more here.
NAS releases 'Statement on Apprenticeship Quality'
The Apprenticeship Quality Statement has been released, which sets out the standards that the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) expects for the delivery of a high quality Apprenticeship.
Read more here.
Rowan Foster joins Inclusion as Director of Research
Rowan Foster has been appointed as Director of Research at the Centre for Economic & Social Inclusion.
Read more here.
Tax breaks for wealthy donors to charities continued
In responding to pressure from MPs and the charitable sector, the Chancellor, George Osborne, has exempted charities from previous plans to limit tax reliefs on large donations to £50,000 per year, the Guardian reported on 31 May. These changes were supposed to take affect from April 2013.
Read more here.
Localising Council Tax Benefit travels in opposite direction of major welfare reform, says JRF
Localising Council Tax Benefit will reduce transparency and increase bureaucracy, and this undermines the simplification and rationalised work incentives seen as central to welfare reform, argues the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
Read more here.
Effectiveness of providing English for speakers of other languages for jobseekers in London
There is currently a perverse incentive for learning providers to keep a job seeking customer on their English for speakers of other languages provision instead of encouraging them to enter into employment, argues a new report by Inclusion.
Read more here.
UNICEF warns that government cuts will increase child poverty
The UK did better than many other rich countries in reducing child poverty and deprivation during the early years of the financial crisis, says UNICEF. But the UNICEF Report Card 10, Measuring child poverty, argues that the current government's policies to reduce spending will reverse this, and more children will grow up in poverty.
Read more here.
Mandatory Work Activity scheme expanded by government
Iain Duncan Smith, Work and Pensions Secretary, will announce that thousands more will work for free, undertaking Mandatory Work Activity or face losing their benefits, reports the Observer. The Mandatory Work Activity scheme will be expanded within the next two weeks, according to official Whitehall sources.
Read more here.
New ambassadors for the strengthening DPULOs programme
The Office for Disability Issues is recruiting additional ambassadors to work with community organisations, in order to enable disabled people to play an active role and have a stronger voice in their local communities.
Read more here.
Listings of the week
Local authorities and potential partners: Have your say on the localisation of the Social Fund
The Department for Work and Pensions is localising elements of the Social Fund from April 2013. The Centre for Responsible Credit is offering local authorities and their potential partners the opportunity to share their views and experiences on the changes.
We would really appreciate it if you could complete our 10 minute survey to share experiences of barriers to implementation and any emerging ideas for local schemes. All answers to the survey will be anonymous.
We understand that many authorities and their potential partners will be at the early stages of developing plans but we would still really like to hear from you.
We hope that the survey will:
- Uncover the diversity of approaches currently being taken
- Reveal the extent of relevant partnership working taking place around the issue
- Help us to identify a small sample of authorities and potential partners with which we can talk to in more detail about their perspectives and plans.
The survey is part of a Centre for Responsible Credit research project funded by the Friends Provident Foundation. If you have any queries about the research, please contact Damon Gibbons on or by e-mail at .
Capturing Talent Mentoring Initiative
Inclusion is delighted to announce that Alderwood Education is sponsoring the 'Capturing Talent' mentoring initiative.
Forty discounted places will be available for employability professionals to attend the Welfare to Work 2012 Convention in Birmingham on 10-11 July. Mentors attending the Convention can claim a one day ticket for just £50 plus VAT for a colleague that they are mentoring.
Inclusion and Alderwood Education think attending the Convention is a great way to nurture the talent within the industry at a crucial time in the development of our sector, as we see the first graduates of our accreditation framework and the launch our industry institute, the Institute of Employability Professionals.
The Welfare to Work Convention is a superb environment in which to learn about, contribute to and debate issues of fundamental importance to our sector and to network with fellow professionals.
To claim your place please follow these steps:
1. The mentor must download and complete a Capturing Talent Convention booking form.
2. Email your completed form to
If you have any further queries please contact James Barrett at the Inclusion event office + 44 (0) 20 7840 8328.
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