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Welcome to August's issue of the Family and Parenting Institute's newsletter – Family Focus. To subscribe to this newsletter click here

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1. News
2. Family Policy Digest
3. Horizon scan
4. Forward look
5. Notice board
6. Consultations

1. News

Youth crime action plan published

Measures include: targeting the families of up to 20,000 children seen to be at risk of becoming prolific offenders and families of unruly teenagers threatened with eviction from council houses, and adding parenting orders to more Asbos, to oblige parents to become more involved in their child's behaviour.
More

Making work work for everyone

The Government believes that citizens should meet certain conditions in return for state support and that this will help people to find work and escape poverty. This is known as conditionality. The report, "More support, higher expectations: the role of conditionality in improving employment outcomes", is published together with a new consultation on welfare reform.
DWP

Working families

International review of leave policies and related research 2008
This updated edition, produced by an international network on leave policies, and published by Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, compares leave entitlements for workers with dependent children across 25 countries. Entitlements and conditions of use vary widely between countries.
More

Public opinion changing
New research from Cambridge University revealed that in 1994 51% of women and 52% of men in Britain said they believed family life would not suffer if the mother went back to work, but in 2002 only 46% of women and 42% of men agreed with this same statement.
guardian

Maternity leave 'damages' careers
The extension of maternity leave to up to a year may be sabotaging women's careers, the head of the new equality watchdog has warned.
BBC

Looking after our children

New publications
Four new reports published:
Improving the mental health and psychological well-being of children and young people: National CAMHS Review Interim Report; Safeguarding Children, Ofsted; Children's and young people's experiences of domestic violence involving adults in a parenting role, A Worrall, J Boylan and D Roberts, SCIE; and Anti-social and other problem behaviours among young children: findings from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, E Bowen, J Heron and C Steer, Home Office.
More

Online risks
MPs have urged online companies to do more to protect children from the "dark side" of the internet. The Commons culture, media and sport committee has called on companies to police websites to ensure children are not exposed to abusive or violent content.
e-politix

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Family Policy Digest

This month's digest includes evaluation reports of several pilot projects: Family Intervention Projects, Parenting Early Intervention Pathfinders, the Family Nurse Partnership projects and Transition Information Sessions in schools.
More

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Horizon Scan

Early Years Foundation Stage

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is a comprehensive framework which sets the standards for development, learning and care of all children from birth to five. All registered early years providers and schools will be required to use the EYFS from September 2008.
Training and Development Agency for Schools

Child health strategy

The child health strategy announced in the Children's Plan will be published in September.
Parliament

Obesity

From September this year, parents of children who have been weighed and measured at school could automatically receive their child's results in a bid to get parents to be more aware about healthy lifestyles, and help their children achieve a healthy weight.
COI

Child maintenance is changing

From 27 October 2008, the law on child maintenance is changing. Because of this, the way child maintenance is handled will change for parents who are on benefits.
Child Support Agency

8 weeks until Keep the Promise event

End Child Poverty - Keep The Promise Event, Saturday 4 October 2008
endchildpoverty

Domestic Violence and Abuse

Relate is releasing the full findings from its Domestic Violence and Abuse (DVA) initiative which was backed by the Home Office and Big Lottery Fund.
relate

Exam results

A level results day- 14 August
GCSE results day – 21 August

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Forward look

Check here for upcoming events in the family and parenting world. Please let us know of your forthcoming events so we can include them.
More

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Notice board

Parent Child 2008 - Getting it right for families?

The Family and Parenting Institute's international conference
What every family and parenting practitioner, researcher and policy maker needs to know about family wellbeing and the dynamics of family relationships
Thursday 13 and Friday 14 November 2008
Church House, Dean's Yard, Westminster, London SW1P 3NZ
NOW BOOKING
More

Parents' Week 2008 - free guide for practitioners

This will be the second guide produced in the Parents' Week series.
More

Home Front: what do mums and dads need to make life work?

Home Front is an online national debate about the needs of mothers and fathers balancing paid work and caring in the early years of a child's life and what can be done to make that balance work for everyone.
Equality and Human Rights Commission

Families with disabled children

Contact a Family is calling on parents to tell their story of raising a disabled child in a national competition which aims to highlight the many issues they face.
Contact a family

Kids in the Middle

The national debate, Kids in the Middle, backed by Relate, Families Need Fathers, One Parent Families|Gingerbread, and the Fatherhood Institute will take testimonies and evidence from parents, young people from separated families, professionals and politicians before reporting their findings and recommendations to government in the autumn.
Relate

Online maternity guide

The NHS has launched an online maternity guide, offering information on pregnancy and birth. The new Pregnancy Care Planner gives the latest and most comprehensive advice on all aspects of pregnancy, from getting pregnant, early pregnancy, the scans, to the birth, and the most up to date comparative guides to what is on offer at local maternity units.
NHS

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Consultations

Tax credits: improving delivery and choice - a discussion paper

This paper sets out options for reforming the tax credit system, in particular to avoid problems associated with overpayments.
Deadline: 5 September 2008
HM Treasury

Draft Charter for Bereaved People

The Charter for Bereaved People brings together many of the services bereaved people will receive from coroners in a reformed system. This is a final opportunity to give views before the draft charter is again put before Parliament alongside the Coroners Bill.
Deadline: 10 September 2008
Ministry of Justice

Schools' role in promoting pupil well-being - draft guidance for consultation

Draft guidance on schools' role in promoting well-being and on the support they can expect from their local authority and other partners in the Children's Trust.
Deadline: 25 September 2008
DCSF

Delivering the Children's Plan - Strengthening Children's Trusts: legislative options

This consultation proposes a number of changes to the current framework for Children's Trusts.
Deadline: 25 September 2008
DCSF

Forced marriage statutory guidance: Consultation paper

The Forced Marriage (Civil Protection) Act 2007 provides for the government to issue statutory guidance setting out the responsibilities of all agencies dealing with forced marriage issues.
Deadline: 15 October 2008
Foreign Office

No one written off: reforming welfare to reward responsibility

This latest Green Paper on welfare reform proposes abolishing Income Support and creating a system based around Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) and the new Employment and Support Allowance (the replacement for Incapacity Benefit).
Deadline: 22 October 2008
DWP

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Suzie Peleg Information and Website Manager
www.familyandparenting.org
August 2008
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Family Focus is published monthly.
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