Phil Porter

In the next few weeks public sector budgets in Wales will start to be set, following the publication of the Welsh Government’s draft budget on 10 December. The headline figures will inevitably be about the NHS and about how much money is allocated to cutting waiting times. That is understandable both politically and for what it means for those who have been waiting a long time for essential treatment. However it will obscure a longer running challenge that Wales has been facing – and largely failing at - for the best part of two decades, namely how we prevent people needing urgent services in the first place. Austerity has led to significant cuts to preventative services in the last few years as priority is given to acute needs and high profile services but often ignoring longer term pressures which are building up bigger problems for further down the line. These choices have partly reflected what must be funded to avoid either chronic service failure or political disaster, but they also reflect two other problems endemic to Welsh policy making; short term thinking (strangely the Future Generations Act isn’t very influential when tough financial decisions need to be made) and the self-interest of budget holders. This self-interest becomes especially pertinent in the distinction between preventative and treatment focused approaches: preventative work (I hesitate to use the word services as it’s often a poor descriptor) is often carried out by organisations in the voluntary and community sectors, in the case of the latter often very cheaply, while treatment focused work is either carried out or directly commissioned by the budget holders. When there are difficult choices to be made only one side is at the table; the other, to adopt a well-honed cliché is on the plate (until things are so desperate that the cheap option is the only one and then they have to deal with all the issues). It is ironic that we have found ourselves in this state in Wales, where of all places, the Government could have focused on long term thinking given its generational electoral strength - but it won’t be happening again this year.   This year however we do have an opportunity to start pulling ourselves out of the cycle of short termism and to start looking further ahead: the budget settlement will be more generous than most in recent years and there is the prospect of multi-year funding settlements (promised by Angela Rayner for England but must surely also apply here). Both those factors provide not just an opportunity but surely also an obligation to think more long term, to have those conversations about longer term thinking and more upstream investment – and they are long overdue and increasingly needed. And if these changes don’t begin now, it’s hard to think when they ever will.

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'The launch of the Centre for Young Lives #RaisingTheNation Play Commission' - Paul Lindley OBE ⤵️ We launch our Commission in the middle of an election campaign and with huge political decisions ahead, first for voters and then for a new Parliament. As those decisions are made, the future of our children must be at the centre of the debate. Politicians should ask how our children can thrive: how they can feel significant, be confident, have life affirming childhoods and become the people that they each have the potential to be. Because thriving childhoods reflect thriving societies, and as play is central to thriving childhoods, it should be central to political decision-making. The way children explore, experiment and build an understanding of the world really matters. That is why, we have created the Raising the Nation Play Commission: to stimulate a conversation, gather evidence, demand barriers to play are broken down and to offer a framework for government to create an environment, facilities, time and a culture for children to do their work – and play. We will deliver our findings, and a plan for the Government to consider, on 11 June 2025 – the second International Day of Play.  As we begin our journey, we invite your contributions, ideas, energy and support! #Play #FreePlay #PlaySufficiency #PhysicalActivity #PhysicalLiteracy #Recreation #ActiveTravel #PlayStreet #StreetPlay #HomeZones #Playces #Splace #FreerangeUrbanNeighbourhoods #FUN #KnowBallGames #Parks #Playgrounds #UNCRC #Article31

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A new growth area for #Sheffield? That could bring in new jobs, cluster development, industry networks, skills training, affordable housing & active travel? This week the new Secretary of State for Culture & Arts, Lisa Nandy MP, spoke at the Royal Television Society, calling on the TV industry to build bases outside of London. She highlighted the work in Birmingham where Peaky Blinders creator, Stephen Knight, has set up a training scheme for people looking to get into the TV industry, in partnership with B'ham Film Academy, the Uni of B'ham, Kudos Production & others. They also plan to recruit 20% of workforce from the most deprived areas & build affordable housing so they can live in walking distance of work. This is underpinned by BBC investment in skills. Lisa said "Our Government is considering what more we can do to help these incredible projects to succeed.” In Sheffield we already have all the ingredients to do something similar, if not better: - The talents & success of Warp Films. - Film making courses at Sheffield Hallam University & The Sheffield College & journalism courses at The University of Sheffield. - A creative hub for all things screen-related at Showroom Cinema. - Their partnership with the British Film Institute (BFI), inc BFI Youth Academy & lots of community & education outreach work. - Film Hub North is also based at the Showroom's Work Station Sheffield next door to the cinema. - A city council led by Tom Hunt, explicit about its programme of growth & keen to work with partners to boost the city's economy. - A nearly finished Cultural Strategy from the council & local stakeholders, which clearly spells out our commitment to growth in this area - not only so local people can benefit, but also to encourage big companies & their staff to base themselves in our city. - A new focus in the council on promoting Sheffield as a great place to film in. See: https://lnkd.in/etr9dBnf - Funding from Homes England & Active Travel England to build the homes & infrastructure we need in our city, inc development of new city centre neighbourhoods in the emerging Sheffield Local Plan. - A regional Mayor Oliver Coppard at South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority committed to supporting the creative industries. We know that South Yorkshire folk are great at telling their stories: Brassed Off, Kes, The Full Monty, Everyone's Talking About Jamie... Yes, we may have missed out on the BBC to Manchester & Channel 4 to Leeds, but surely we can persuade the new Government that Sheffield is the next place they have to invest in for TV and film? Then we can keep more of the talent we grow here & create an even more vibrant & attractive city. Most importantly for me, we could widen access to the film & TV industry to those in our city who undoubtedly have stories to tell but don't have the resources or connections to make it on their own. #SheffieldStories #Sheffieldsontheeyup #Sheffieldfilmandtvindustry

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📍 On the ground in... Plymouth! 🗺 Our CEO, Stephanie Roberts-Bibby and colleagues recently visited Plymouth Youth Justice Service.   The service was clearly led by children’s needs, with a strong commitment to #ChildFirst. The child-centred policing team was particularly impressive, with youth intervention officers working closely with children at risk of serious violence and exploitation across the city, by being visible yet unobtrusive. 👮‍♀️   The service has a new youth centre in one of the city’s most deprived areas, where 21% of children involved with the service live. This centre will be a fantastic resource, offering children a dedicated space to complete schoolwork. The facility also includes a gym, a music and games area, and private rooms for meetings, providing a supportive environment for children to thrive. 📝🤸‍♀️🎼   Strong partnership working was on show at Plymouth, and relationships really stood out, with staff, children & external partners. The service holds daily briefings with multiple agencies to ensure children who are missing or at risk of criminal exploitation are not overlooked. With 41% of children involved with the YJS facing exploitation, this partnership is crucial. 👨🏽‍🤝‍👨🏼   'Impact', Plymouth’s prevention and diversion offer, named by children, has also seen great success, reducing first-time entrants to the system by 34% in its first year. This child-led programme worked with 144 children in 2023-24, far exceeding expectations. ⬆   Steph reflected on an inspiring story from the programme of an 11-year-old boy who accounted for 9% of all offending by children in Plymouth. The team discovered his passion for astronomy and took him stargazing. This simple but thoughtful approach had a profound impact, sparking a deeper interest in astronomy and inspiring him to create art of the night-sky. 💫   Challenges do remain including: 📈 Rising number of girls entering the system 🏠 Lack of accommodation for 17 to 18-year-olds However, innovative projects like a youth justice apprenticeship programme, which the YJB helped to implement, are paving the way for future success; a person from Plymouth is set to be one of the first in the UK to complete this new initiative. 💜 Read about more great examples of practice on our Resource Hub 📚 https://yjresourcehub.uk/ #Prevention #Diversion #YouthJustice #ETE #ChildFirst #YouthCentre #Partnership

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Charites need trustees During #Trusteesweek it is troubling to see a NCVO report https://lnkd.in/d6mV8uuF that #trustee vacancies are a widespread issue. Their survey shows: - 4 out 5 (79%) respondents have a least one vacant board position. - Over half of respondents (62%) had two or more vacancies. - 1 in 10 (8%) reported at least four board positions open. Becoming a trustee of a charity is a rewarding role with many benefits. It is  a great opportunity to make an #impact, develop new skills, and gain leadership experience. As a trustee, you have the chance to guide a charity’s #mission, helping create real, positive change. By overseeing the charity's #strategy and decisions, you can directly contribute to its success and its broader impact. A recent blog https://lnkd.in/ewuGjAbj from David Holdsworth the CEO of the Charity Commission for England and Wales sums it up well. He says: “It’s my belief that charities are at the beating heart of our nations, our communities, providing services that accompany us through our lives, cradle to grave, supporting the most vulnerable, protecting our heritage, environment and animals, strengthening communities and our society as a whole. “And as trustees, you are the ones tasked with ensuring that these charities thrive, rising to meet the great variety of internal and external pressures they might face." There are many organisations and resources that help trustees and charities fulfil their role. These include: CFG : Charity Finance Group ACEVO Directory of Social Change Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) Charity Excellence - a FREE one-stop-shop for everything a non-profit needs. Honorary Treasurers Forum BRITISH OVERSEAS NGOS FOR DEVELOPMENT (BOND), Association of Charitable Foundations Institute of Directors (IoD) Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) ACCA Association of Chairs Charity Tax Group The Chartered Governance Institute UK & Ireland Charities Internal Audit Network @charities @Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) Civil Society Media Ltd Third Sector Charity Times National Council of Nonprofits Charity Intelligence #trustee #charity #nonprofit #boards #leadership #countmein The NCVO report has some useful pointers on what can be done to encourage people to become trustees

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The Skills England report published last month illustrates the difficulty that officials and their advisors have with reconciling early 20th Century Fabian/Haldane planning mindsets with the 21st Century pace of change and the need to harness the full diversity of human talent, not just traditional filtering for memory and logic - "which any properly programmed computer can handle". The challenges of educating for an AI-driven world were identified over 40 years ago. See "Learning for Change", put on-line for me by the Oxford Internet Institute in 2010. Albeit we used the terms "Intelligent systems" and "Machine Learning" and the "systems" often needed air-conditioned mainframes to drive them. BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT Better Hiring Institute (BHI) TechSkills.org Skills England Labour Digital WCIT Financial Services Technology Panel Real Time Club Digital Policy Alliance Digital Leaders https://lnkd.in/efSqwmEZ

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https://lnkd.in/dpCExdCG There are still some important results to come from Thursday's local elections in England and Wales, not least the mayoral election in West Midlands where the Conservatives will be hoping to hold on as they did in Tees Valley. However, here is John Curtice's analysis based on where things stood when counting was suspended last night and it does indeed look grim for the Conservatives who have lost over half the council seats they held (and counting). The Beeb is reporting that there is no sign of a right-wing rebellion against Rishi Sunak yet; but, personally, I would not expect anyone to make a move before the West Midlands result is announced. If the Tories lose there and even more so if the loss of council seats crosses 500 an attempted ouster would come as no surprise even though the commentariat consensus (with which I agree) is that it would probably not succeed. What the threat might do, however, is push Mr Sunak into calling an early election - 20 percent probability only, according to the bookmakers (and, again, I agree) but one which cannot be dismissed.

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‘Children facing a ‘brutal’ loss of time and space for play at state schools’ - The Guardian Shorter playtimes and shrinking outside space in England have serious implications for children’s wellbeing and mental health. New research from the UCL Institute of Education showed a continued downward trend in the amount of time children have for playtime in the wake of the Covid lockdowns, with the youngest losing the most time. The demands of the curriculum have increased, and continue to diminish time outside, while staffing shortages are reducing capacity to oversee playtime. Schools face difficult financial decisions, which are having an impact on the funding to care for grounds. Headteachers in the state sector have said they are in desperate need of funding to improve basic facilities for children. School buildings are crumbling, as many were built with RAAC that was not replaced within its usable lifetime, meaning in some cases playgrounds are being used to host temporary classrooms. This is squeezing out the little space some schools have for children to spend time outside. Damien Jordan, Headteacher said “The curriculum means that from six or seven years old play is gone . . . it’s brutal, children aren’t ready. The classrooms change from a free-flow space to what is more like an office.” Dr Jackie Applebee, a GP said ”Severe cuts to council budgets mean that local councils often don’t prioritise outdoor play spaces and cuts to the education budgets mean that schools, who are heavily inspected and penalised, inevitably prioritise the classroom over the playground.” Dr Helen Dodd said what she saw in schools was part of a worrying wider picture. “Children are losing space and time to play everywhere.” This👆🏼is why Play England are calling on the next Government to introduce #PlaySufficiency legislation in England, which would establish statutory guidance for local authorities to provide and secure sufficient play opportunities ⤵️ https://lnkd.in/eKtJWuBg 🏫🚸🌿🍁🍂🪵 🚲 🛴 🛹🛼 🛝 🏃🏼‍♂️🏃🏼‍♀️🏃🏾👩‍🦽🚴🏿🚏🚶🏻🤸🏾‍♂️🤸🏼‍♂️🌳🏘️ #PlaySufficiency #FreePlay #Play #PhysicalLiteracy #PhysicalActivity #ActiveTravel #PlayStreet #SchoolStreets #StreetPlay #HomeZones #UNCRC #FreerangeUrbanNeighbourhoods #FUN #KnowBallGames #Parks #Playgrounds #PublicRealm #RaisingTheNation

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I have just signed this open letter to the Chancellor, and I urge all leaders of charities and voluntary organisations to do the same. Charities are increasingly struggling to make ends meet. Many have had to reduce services, make job cuts, or even close their doors entirely. At the same time, the expectation from central and local government seems to be that we will continue to take on the heavy burden of providing essential, and often life saving services to vulnerable people, because statutory services are no longer able to do so. It seems incomprehensible, therefore, that the government, would further increase the financial pressure on charities by failing to include an exemption to the increase in employers NIC, as they have done for public sector organisations. This short-sighted approach is going to cost even a smaller charity such as Trauma Breakthrough many thousands of pounds per year, and medium to large charities are facing five and six figure increases to their wage bills. This is something we simply cannot afford. It means that more charities will go under and many more will have to reduce or close services. The government has proclaimed loudly that it wants to form a new covenant with 'civil society'. These are fine words, but the government needs to understand that unless it makes immediate practical changes to its policies, the voluntary and charity organisations that make up civil society may not be around long enough to participate.

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📢 Important Read: "The Effectiveness of Government in Tackling Homelessness" by the UK National Audit Office (NAO) The timing could hardly be better. With a new government in place, it’s crucial to evaluate priorities, and elevating efforts to tackle #homelessness should be high on the list. The NAO’s findings highlight both the challenges and progress made to date, as well as the many opportunities we can focus on to go even further. This report is a valuable resource for anyone committed to making a real difference. Read it here 👇🏽 https://lnkd.in/ehFBGzU3

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𝗣𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄... 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗱! ☑️ Hyndburn Borough Council has recently completed a Local Government Association (LGA) Peer Review, and the experience has been incredibly useful for us. When Labour took control of the council in May, we were all too aware that the council had not been through a valuable peer review for about 20 years, so it's fantastic we've been able to implement one so soon. The LGA Peer Review process provided us with an in-depth look at our services, offering a critical friend’s view of our strengths and opportunities for improvement. This cross-party, constructive challenge, delivered by experienced peers from other councils, has been instrumental in helping us reflect on our current practices and identify areas where we can enhance our performance. 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗚𝗔 𝗣𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄: 🧐 Insightful Feedback: The review offered us detailed insights into our operations, highlighting both our successes and areas for growth. 🕴️Sector Expertise: We benefited from the knowledge and experience of peers who understand the unique challenges and opportunities within local government. 📈 Continuous Improvement: The recommendations provided will guide us in our journey towards continuous improvement, ensuring we deliver the best possible services to the Hyndburn community. 🔍 Enhanced Accountability: The process reinforced our commitment to transparency and accountability, providing assurance to our residents and stakeholders. There will be a lot of work to do, but we are excited to implement the recommendations and continue our work towards excellence in local governance. A big thank you to the LGA Peer Reviewers led by Tricia Gilby and Simon Minas-Bound for their invaluable support and guidance. Together, we are building a stronger, more resilient council for the future. 💪 #LocalGovernment #PeerReview #ContinuousImprovement #CommunityFirst #LGA #Hyndburn #Lancashire

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For National Safeguarding Adults Week 2024 Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government with support from Department of Health and Social Care delivered two webinars on "Working across housing, social care and safeguarding for people experiencing long term rough sleeping". The webinars reached close to 1,000 people from a range of organisations. We were joined by our excellent speakers Gemma Finn from Stoke-on-Trent City Council, Michelle Kaye from Barnsley Council, Ellie Atkins from Manchester City Council, Gill Taylor from Pathway - Homeless and Inclusion Health Museum of Homelessness, and Jess Harris from King's College London. The equally excellent Robert Lewis Mental Health Social Work Lead at DHSC helped to set the scene for this important issue which followed an opening and welcoming by Rushanara Ali, MP for Homelessness and Democracy. We looked at how to realise the Care Act for its intended purpose as to bridge the equity gap for those furthest removed from care, support, health and housing. We explored use of section 11 and section 19 Care Act 2014 as an opportunity to overcome challenges around assessment refusal and non-engagement and the powers that exist to 'act now, assess later'. Harnessing 'legislative creativity' to support partnership working together with compassion and professional curiosity, reflective practice and peer support. We heard about:- - Findings from a national study on Self-neglect and Multiple Exclusion Homelessness. Bringing varied perspectives, including the voice of lived experience, to highlight challenges facing housing and social care practitioners. Alongside examples of local authorities who are using these research recommendations to help shape the design and delivery of service interventions. - 'Richard's' story and the use of Mental Capacity Act to support understand decisions linked to residency, treatment and finances. How embedding the 'executive functioning wheel' in assessments and processes to optimise people's engagement and decision-making. - Developing homelessness mortality reviews panels and processes. How as a system we can learn from tragedies and the importance of working alongside existing Safeguarding Adult Board structures to ensure learning is shared across specialisms and placed on a statutory footing. - We heard from Barnsley Council's Vulnerable Adults Panel (VAP) and Stoke-on-Trent City Council's Multi-agency Resolution Group (MaRG) about how developing purposeful multi-agency meetings with a focus on actions. The importance of dynamic chairing and a willingness to share and hold risk across multiple departments. Ensuring meetings have the right representation with decision-makers, and access to relevant expertise, including legal support. Thank you all for bringing renewed enthusiasm and hope to remind us that it is possible to work with, and find solutions for, those furthest away from having their accommodation, care, support and safety needs met.

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We're over a week after the budget, and the impact is becoming clear for many charities, particularly those delivering statutory or commissioned local authority services. ACEVO and NCVO continue to do a fantastic job highlighting the issues, but there are no signs that things will change. The government is fond of a 'triple lock'. We're currently in our own version of a more than decade-long triple lock: rising costs, escalating demand and budget cuts. In the short term, we also have a budget-driven triple lock of rising NI payments, lower NI employer thresholds, and a living wage increase. We support wholeheartedly the intent to increase living standards for those that need it, but need help to make it happen. As organisations that deliver public services, we need the NI rebate in line with local authorities that deliver public services. Charities like Positive Steps, Mahdlo Youth Zone Northern Roots Urban Farm & Eco-Park and Action Together are essential to our communities. It's time for a new deal for our sector. If you haven't already, please support us and many others by signing the letter below.

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Pleased to be quoted in People Management magazine today on Over half of business leaders report staff absence due to problems accessing public services, TUC reveals. More than half (59 per cent) of business leaders say staff have had to take time off in the last year because they struggled to access public services, a poll by the trade union congress (TUC) revealed. The survey of more than 500 business leaders further explored the specific challenges faced by employees, finding that more than a third (35 per cent) had staff absent from work due to delays in receiving hospital treatment. To read article in full click 🔽 https://lnkd.in/ejJjwUcg 10Eighty #socialcare #business #economy #privatehealthinsurance #staffabsences #affordablechildcare #workingparents #privatehealthcare #flexibleworking CIPD

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Charities and Government Excellent Research from Pro Bono Economics who have published a very useful free resource for charities https://lnkd.in/e_a8ybFN . This says "The 2024 General Election brought 335 new MPs into the House of Commons. For the many charities that seek to influence parliamentarians, this creates a significant challenge. That’s 335 new MPs to research and sift through to try and understand if they might be inclined to support a charity’s cause. "Many small charities cannot afford parliamentary monitoring systems or expensive agencies to do that sifting for them. If hundreds of organisations all undertake the same research into those MPs’ backgrounds, it means massive amounts of duplication and wasted time for already time-starved organisations. Also see https://lnkd.in/ebSvCG_Y which explains that "Experience in the charity sector has accelerated the most dramatically of all with this new Cabinet. #Starmer has appointed eight #Cabinet members who have previously worked within the charity sector. That is a quadrupling of charity experience at the top of government." CFG : Charity Finance Group Charity News Association of Charitable Foundations Association of Chairs The Resource Alliance Charity Excellence - a FREE one-stop-shop for everything a non-profit needs.

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This is an important and insightful read for anyone interested in the arguments for and complexities surrounding reparations.... https://lnkd.in/eWm7_Cy4

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Good governance is the essential foundation to running your charity successfully. 👍 Take time this #TrusteesWeek to brush up on core topics with our recently updated guides: https://lnkd.in/esCe7z-e ✅ Charity finances ✅ Decision-making ✅ Charity meetings

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Two weeks into the tenure of a new Government sitting in the establishment overseeing big chair. Two weeks of hand waving and needy gesticulating to be noticed from establishment charities and those who were already eating at the previous regimes top table. Governments come and Governments go but the establishment that runs our broken systems by and large stays the same. It’s called the status quo for good reason. It operates the monarchy as well as Government departments and has it’s tentacles everywhere across national and regional Government departments and statutory authorities.. Been some very positive announcements from the new PM and his cabinet team which I hope can lead to the beginning of the new social covenant needed if we are to be able to move to the promised land of a fairer more equitable society! Finding myself increasingly tired and cynical though and also fed up to the back teeth of those that ask a lot then go into hiding when the opportunity arises to repay the trust and support given.. Politics can be dirty and lazy and the most vulnerable whose vulnerability by and large comes from bad political decision making deserve much better! Anyways - Our latest Hope Hack demonstrated the power civil society can bring to the party yet again.. Safer neighbourhood community policing is the absolute out and out single biggest immediate solution to reduce the generational problem of kids carrying knives that’s plaguing society You can hold all the talking shop events you like around knife crime but if your serious about wanting to see solutions then until we have establishment willingness to tackle poverty & inequalities that would level up our poorest communities Community policing co-designed by police, communities and young people is the number one solution! This has been what young people have been telling us at Hope hacks all over the UK and this one put all the community policing eggs in the one basket! This overview from Lancashire VRU summarises the event and the outcomes perfectly .. https://lnkd.in/e42Vqy2V Latest Government announcement on education and its desire to see alternative education provision replaced by keeping all pupils in their allocated school is absolutely mind blowingly brilliant. Unworkable of course unless massive reinvestment in schools and teaching in general Of course I welcome radical thinking what kind of radical thinker would I be if I didn’t? I think the immediate way forward with changing dynamic of pupils failing in education is to create a cohesive national partnership programme between the youth work sector and schools. A national charter that sees trauma informed youth workers in schools working with those at risk of exclusion to help them heal! TBC 😊 Adam Muirhead Alex Atherton Gary Phillips Winston Goode Abbee McLatchie Kayleigh Wainwright Yahye Abdi Kenya Lamb George Fielding BEM #Reimagined

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