Bulletin: April 2007

Welcome to the April GSR bulletin.

Please use the links below to navigate to sections of interest to you.

GSR News

HMRC procurement seminar, 19 March - report

Acas seminar at Tate Modern - over 100 delegates attended to learn the findings from Acas' programme of research into sexual orientation and religion or belief (SORB) discrimination at work. For further information, contact Ben Savage on 020 7210 3685

Summaries of the Acas programme of research into sexual orientation and religion or belief (SORB) discrimination at work research findings

Welsh Assembly Government are developing a quality assurance framework for WAG social research, to set out the key stages of the research process and who is required to provide “input” at each stage. Crucially, it will also highlight where “sign-off” is required and who is responsible for quality assuring specific outputs. Details: Beverley.morgan@wales.gsi.gov.uk

Continuing Professional Development

Government Social Research Masters degree - "... essential that researchers understand both the policy context and how current analytical thinking and techniques can be applied. This qualification is expressly designed to help them to do that, whilst adding to government’s collective expertise” Sue Duncan. Deadline for applications is Tuesday 31 July.

GSR's latest course programme - there are new course dates for the GSR Recruitment and Objective Assessment training course: 30-31 May and 3-4 July.

GSR Fast Stream Assessor briefing on 1 May - candidate volunteers needed - contact Jen Weedon (jennifer.weedon@hm-treasury.x.gsi.gov.uk) as soon as possible if you are interested.

Academy of Social Sciences: Jo Campling Memorial Prize: deadline 31 July 2007 - to mark the contribution of the late Jo Campling to the furthering of the social sciences, the prize is aimed at capacity building for the social science community through inviting scholars who are still developing their careers to contribute an 8000 word essay on a topic of their choice fitting to the scope of the journal 21st Century Society. Papers should be emailed to acssjournal@ioe.ac.uk.

GSR research outputs

Office for National Statistics (ONS) publish Social Trends 2007 - annual survey which draws together social and economic data from a wide range of government departments and other organisations to provide a comprehensive guide to British society today and how it has been changing. The underlying theme in this year's edition is children and young people.

Welsh Assembly Government publish:

Social Justice and Regeneration (SJ&R) - project involved identifying data from organisations in Wales who offer housing related services, advice and goods to older people in their own homes. The aim was to establish what is provided, by whom, with what access criteria, in what area and to review how these services are interconnected.
The provision in Wales of housing-related goods, services and advice to older people in their homes (SJR 0407) - determines the housing-related support services available to older people in Wales. The research investigates the services provided by different organisations, the criteria to access these services and links between the organisations.

Home Office (HO) publish:

A rapid evidence assessment of the impact of mentoring on reoffending: a summary (PDF, 100KB) - results provide some promising evidence on the effectiveness of mentoring on reducing re-offending; however this was largely driven by the studies of lower methodological quality. Mentoring was found to be more effective in smaller scale studies in reducing re-offending when mentors met with their mentee frequently, and had a greater effect the more time was spent during each meeting, as well as when mentoring was combined with other interventions.
Trafficking for the purposes of labour exploitation: a literature review (PDF, 215KB) - reveals there is very little factual and robust evidence concerning trafficking to the UK for the purposes of labour exploitation for either adults or children. Some areas of knowledge are more extensively addressed than others, for example, victim nationality, employment sectors and the nature of exploitation. The findings are split into two parts, the first on adult victims and the second on children.

Scottish Executive publish:

Building a bridge: communicating Europe to its citizens - draws conclusions about the way in which devolution ... has led to new and different patterns of consultation and engagement with people in Scotland and reflects on how this might contribute to EU efforts to communicate better with citizens on European issues. Draws on 3 evidence papers, prepared by government social researchers which looked at the existing research evidence base around participation and engagement in politics and policy-making, as well as attitudes toward Europe and the European Union.
Early years and childcare workforce consultation - results from consultation on review of the early years and childcare workforce, announced in 2004, which looked at key issues for the workforce including: the role and responsibilities of staff, workforce planning, qualifications, career pathways and pay and conditions. Findings were broadly positive, including: support for both the proposed roles and responsibilities framework and the proposed single qualifications framework.
Child protection reform programme [CPRP] process review - investigates how the CPRP was planned and implemented; the aims in planning the programme in this particular way; and whether or not the process was successful. Findings include that: the Professional Advisors were key to the effectiveness of the CPRP but their role could be better clarified; the success of the CPRP has been due to the extensive work by all key agencies and that the CPRP has built on sound principles.
Evaluation of Foolsspeed campaign final phase (Transport Research: Research Findings No.3/2007) - Major campaign to reduce inappropriate and excessive speed in an urban setting. Its main element was a series of television advertisements each designed to address a psychological determinant of speeding according to the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB). This report summarises findings from a qualitative evaluation of the final ad, 'Doppelganger' (2004-2005). The evaluation also examined reactions to the campaign as a whole.
Exploring the social impacts of flood risk and flooding in Scotland - finds that intangible impacts upon people from flooding (stress, anxiety, loss of personal irreplaceable items and discomfort at living in temporary accommodation) are greater than the tangible impacts (e.g. financial losses and reduction in house value) It is the elderly and most vulnerable that feel intangible impacts to the greatest extent. Vulnerable households on low incomes seemed to have lower social resilience, reporting higher immediate and lasting intangible impacts.
Valuing the water environment - investigated public values assigned to the water environment, to inform implementation of the EC Water Framework Directive (WFD), which applies to all water in the natural environment. Project comprises:

Legal Services Research Centre publish:

A helping hand: the impact of debt advice on people's lives (PDF, 526KB) - provides clear evidence of the positive impact debt advice can have. It also confirms that debt problems can bring about ill-health, relationship breakdown, loss of employment, as well as a distressing impact on parents' relationships with their children. One of the four studies was a randomised control trial.
Putting money advice where the need is: evaluating the potential for advice provision in different outreach locations (PDF, 768KB) - highlights the potential benefits of outreach advice to those who would not normally seek help from mainstream advice services. The locations included prisons, family and children centres, credit unions, housing offices and community centres. Also gives wider insight into the people who use locations such as SureStart centres, community centres and housing offices - of interest to other parts of the community and bodies that deliver public services.

Department for Communities and Local Government publish:

Regenerating the English Coalfields - interim evaluation of the coalfield regeneration programmes (PDF, 108KB) - explores regeneration policy and progress in the coalfields since the late 1990s, and evaluates the impact of the programmes and remaining problems.
- Regenerating the English Coalfields - summary
The Single Regeneration Budget: [SRB] final evaluation summary - suggests that SRB had a significant impact, contributing to improving the well-being of residents across a number of social, economic and physical indicators. The most successful activities were improvements to the physical fabric of the area, improvements to the economic base, building the community and enhancing social cohesion.

Forthcoming Research

Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) is funding a scoping study for a Housing and Neighbourhoods Monitor for Wales. Work has also begun on updating the JRF-funded Monitoring Poverty and Social Exclusion in Wales 2005 report. Reporting will be via JRF Findings and through the Wales data on the Poverty website.

ESRC launch major research programme: The Non-Governmental Public Action Research Programme (NGPA) - aims to better understand the impact the activities of non-governmental agencies have on reducing poverty and exclusion, and in bringing about social change.

Research methods

House of Commons Science and Technology Committee publish Fourth Report: Research Council Institutes - concludes that Office of Science and Innovation (OSI) needs to monitor the state of national research facilities and the skills base within the Research Council Institutes (RCI) sector and that it examine mechanisms for identifying and providing guaranteed funding for nationally important datasets and long-term monitoring activities. Also proposes that the OSI should be given formal responsibility for improving dialogue between Government departments and the RCI sector and the Research Councils and for intervening where departments are not fulfilling their responsibilities under Research Council Institute and Public Sector Research Establishment Sustainability Study (RIPSS).

ESRC publishes findings of "The World Wide Web of science: emerging global sources of expertise" - finds that key science sites are failing to register in the top 30 Google search results. Anyone using the Web to make their information available must now pay attention not only to the quality of their sites but also how easy they are to find. Search engines such as Google can shape "winners and losers" in the information that is found, by means that are not always apparent. This will be an issue not just for policymakers, but for educators, organisations involved in science and research communication and others. The research findings were arrived at by means of webmetric analysis (crawling the Web and identifying links), validation by experts and focus groups, and interviews with researchers.

Cabinet Office publish new guidance on Impact Assessment (IA) - process to ensure that all new regulation is necessary and carried out with minimum burdens. The new IAs will have a more prominent role in policy-making. Key features include a revised template to improve clarity and transparency, including new requirements to summarise both the rationale for government intervention and evidence supporting the final proposal; and an online database of all Impact Assessments to allow greater public scrutiny.

Other research outputs

ESRC launch the Public Services Zone - online resource which showcases the work of leading UK academics from a wide range of disciplines, from economics to social psychology, exploring issues from how performance ratings are calculated to the impact of reforms on public trust. Every piece of public services-focused research funded by the ESRC is summarised and organised within the four themes underpinning current public service reform.

Canadian Council on Social Development publishes Perception. This issue focuses on crime prevention and social development

Mathematica semimonthly update

Contents include:

Using Propensity Scoring to estimate program-related subgroup impacts;
Moving research into practice: lessons from AHRQ

Medical Journal of Australia publish Australian school-based prevention and early intervention programs for anxiety and depression: a systematic review - aims to establish the nature and efficacy of Australian school-based prevention and early intervention programs for anxiety and depression. Twenty-four efficacy or effectiveness trials of nine intervention programs were identified. Most were based on cognitive behaviour therapy, interpersonal therapy or psychoeducation. Six were universal interventions, two were indicated programs and one was a treatment program. Most were associated with short-term improvements or symptom reduction at follow-up. Conclusion: A number of schools' programs produced positive outcomes.

Mathematica semimonthly update

Contents include:

Three new What Works Clearinghouse Reviews released;
Prescription drug policy and outcomes studies

Mathematica semimonthly update

Contents include:

Impact on work and family of Special Care for Special Kids;
Working with disability

Website of the Month

International Longevity Centre - UK - new website from "think-tank impacting policy on longevity, ageing and population change" [website]. Has new features including RSS feeds and new search facilities.

Visit the Bulletin Archive to view the contents of previous Bulletins.

Copy deadline for next Bulletin is noon 15 May 2007

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