A Scottish Government report examined community council activity and support. Community councils were created to ascertain and express the views of the community to the local authority and other public bodies. The report said that 84 per cent of possible community councils were active and there was a potential relationship between a lack of activity and the level of deprivation in the area. The report noted some differences between councils, such as in the method and level of funding and the levels of activity, and proposed further work to examine the differences.
Source: Survey of Local Authority Community Councils, Scottish Government
Date: 2013-Dec
A think-tank report examined the system of appointments to public bodies. It said that, in broad terms, the public appointments system was working satisfactorily. However, the report said that the existing measure of diversity (based around gender, ethnicity and disability) was too narrow and ignored aspects such as occupational and socio-economic diversity. It called for the scope of monitoring to be expanded, for an inquiry into special initiatives to encourage more people from 'routine and manual' occupations into public appointments, and for examination of the selection process.
Source: Michael Pinto-Duschinsky and Lynne Middleton, Reforming Public Appointments, Policy Exchange
Links: Report | Policy Exchange press release
Date: 2013-Dec
A report provided a summary of findings from a seminar series that considered some of the main challenges facing London's Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) children and young people. It said that some progress had been made in addressing racial inequality, but BAME children and young people still faced unequal outcomes in many key areas, such as: education; training; employment; criminal justice; mental health and well-being; and the lack of voice in the development of policy and practice. The report made a range of recommendations in these areas to government and other stakeholders.
Source: Eleanor Stokes and Barbara Nea, Shaping the Future: Getting the best for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic children and young people – seminar series report, Race on the Agenda (ROTA)
Links: Report | ROTA press release
Date: 2013-Dec
An article examined young people's participation in decisions that affected them, drawing on three research and evaluation projects that were undertaken in partnership with young people as researchers.
Source: Jennie Fleming, 'Young people's participation – where next?', Children & Society, Volume 27 Number 6
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Dec
The Scottish government began consultation on proposals to be included in the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Bill. Proposals included: establishing new ways for communities to take on public sector land and buildings; greater community involvement in shaping and delivering local services; measures to extend the rural community right to buy; new community planning measures; and new powers for local authorities to create local business rate relief schemes. The consultation would close on 24 January 2014.
Source: Consultation on the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Bill, Scottish Government
Links: Consultation document | Summary | Scottish Government press release
Date: 2013-Nov
An article examined the operationalization of co-production through the application of service blueprinting. It presented an example from within higher education, where staff were brought together with students to produce a blueprint for the design of student enrolment.
Source: Zoe Radnor, Stephen Osborne, Tony Kinder, and Jean Mutton, 'Operationalizing co-production in public services delivery: the contribution of service blueprinting', Public Management Review, Online first
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Nov
A report by a committee of peers examined the revision of the government's principles governing consultation. It raised concerns about the minimum consultation period, the timing of consultations, and the timing of the publication of consultation responses. The report concluded that too little progress had been made, and that the committee would continue to monitor the issue alongside its scrutiny of secondary legislation.
Source: The Government s Review of Consultation Principles, 17th Report (Session 2013–14), HL 75, House of Lords Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee, TSO
Links: Report
Date: 2013-Nov
A think-tank report proposed that 'patient-led commissioning groups' be allowed to set up alongside existing clinical commissioning groups.
Source: Anton Howes, A National Health Service for Patients, Civitas
Links: Report
Date: 2013-Oct
An article said that new relationships between service users and the welfare state had emerged as a result of governmental strategies of public service reform in which participation had appeared as the cure for a putative welfare dependency. The author investigated the ability of welfare service users to resist, or amend, the disciplinary intentions of these discourses, to constitute 'counter-publics', and to formulate their own visions of public services – drawing on research with English social housing tenants.
Source: Quintin Bradley, '"Putting our mark on things": the identity work of user participation in public services', Critical Social Policy, Volume 33 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Jul
A report examined why some groups tended to be left out of schemes designed to promote greater user, or public/patient, involvement in public services. It sought to find out how to ensure that all those who used long-term health and social care services could have a more equal chance of having a say and involvement in their lives and society.
Source: Peter Beresford, Beyond the Usual Suspects: Towards inclusive user involvement, Shaping Our Lives
Date: 2013-Apr