Autism bill due for second reading

From the Intute Social Sciences Blog:
An Autism Bill will be taken forward by MP Cheryl Gillan this Friday 27 February.  If successful, this could eventually bring about the first ever autism law. The bill aims to provide better information about numbers of people with autism in each local authority area, to enable good planning of local services.  If it becomes law, it could require local authorities to collect data on numbers of people with autism, place a duty on the Secretary of State to promote provision of autism services, and introduce a requirement for better transition from children’s to adult sevices.

Intute has many good resources on autism and other learning disabilities in its Social Welfare section, including The National Autistic Society, TreeHouse, Autism Speaks and various research centres.

DocuTicker – a useful resource for reports from government agencies, NGOs …

DocuTicker offers a hand-picked selection of resources, reports and publications from government agencies, NGOs, think tanks and other public interest organizations.

It is updated daily and you can also subscribe to an RSS feed. DocuTicker also publishes a free weekly e-mail newsletter highlighting recent posts. Please take a moment to subscribe:

Also check out ResourceShelf, an online resource with a hand-picked selection of high-quality, free web-based resources.

Climbing higher – Welsh Assembly Government’s strategy for sport and physical activity in Wales

This report was published in January 2009 and is available on the Sports Council of Wales’ website at http://www.sports-council-wales.org.uk/13593.file.dld

Welsh Assembly Government reveals its priorities in meeting the housing needs of the nation

Tackling poverty, promoting sustainability and ensuring affordability will be central to Wales’ new National Housing Strategy, the priorities for the Assembly Government revealed on 29 Jan.

Deputy Minister for Housing, Jocelyn Davies AM launched the National Housing Strategy for Wales for consultation at the Alway Regeneration Project in Newport.  The Strategy sets out the Government’s long term vision for housing in Wales.

The Alway Community Centre forms an integral part of the regeneration of Alway that is being delivered by Newport City Council in partnership with Seren Group and Bellway Homes. The regeneration also includes 54 affordable homes for sale and rent, a multi-use games area, shops and police station.

http://wales.gov.uk/topics/housingandcommunity/?lang=en

 

Grey power recognised by politicians

Older people are to have a bigger say in developing central, regional and local Government policies announced Rosie Winterton, Minister for Pensions and the Ageing Society, in response to John Elbourne’s review of older people’s engagement with Government.

A new national UK Advisory Forum on Ageing will give older people a direct line to Government to comment on new policy ideas, services, legislation and what areas they feel the Government needs to address.  A designated lead regional coordinator will support local older people’s forums, who will work with them to set up Regional Forums play a vital role in addressing regional issues and provide a channel of communication between local and national Government.

Tell us what you think of LIS and win a signed Oasis CD

LIS is running its annual satisfaction survey so let us know what you think of the services LIS offers. Click on this link to take the survey http://www.priority-research.com/survey.php?sid=55BC8E2A52A056C9BFA0009E41F720F1 By taking part in the survey you can also enter the prize draw to win a signed copy of the Oasis “Dig out your soul” CD

A Good Childhood

The Good Childhood Inquiry was commissioned by The Children’s Society and launched in September 2006 as the UK’s first independent national inquiry into childhood.

With the launch of the report A Good Childhood: Searching for Values in a Competitive Age on 5 February 2009, they have collected together the evidence used to inform the report, the recommendations and summaries of the themes discussed in the report.

Find out more here

Chief Inspector of Prisons – Annual Report

Annual report for 2007 to 2008 by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons can be found here