government policy

Supporting young people's health and wellbeing. A summary of Scottish Government policy

This document has been prepared for the Youth Health Improvement and Health Inequalities Strategic Leads Group. It sets out the key government policies that aim to support young people's health and wellbeing. It is a broad overview and does not attempt to describe every policy or initiative that will have an impact on the health of young people in Scotland.

The Social Fund: a review of selected literature

Review with the objective to examine what the Social Fund currently consists of and explore how it operates; and consider whether the Fund could be made more responsive to Scottish Government priorities and look at the possible consequences of devolving responsibility for it.

The review was completed in May 2010 and presents evidence relating to the Social Fund and discusses the Scottish and UK Government policy context which was operational at the time of writing. There have been significant developments in UK Government policy since then which are not covered in this report.

The Scottish Human Rights Commission

This document sets out the Scottish Executive’s detailed proposals for a Scottish Human Rights Commission. The Scottish Executive believes that this new body will be a key means to ensure that human rights are protected in Scotland and will also help to develop a ‘culture’ of human rights. By promoting human rights, the Commission will work to ensure that you are more aware of your rights in the future and that you understand how they apply to you and to your family. This consultation paper focuses on the remit, functions and structure of the Commission.

Targeted youth support pathfinders evaluation: final report

This report presents the findings from the evaluation of the Targeted Youth Support Pathfinders (TYSPs). The policy was developed by the Department for Children, Schools and Families to ensure that young people in need of support receive a genuinely personalised package of support, at the earliest possible opportunity. The evaluation was designed to capture the impact of the service reforms at the level of infrastructure, professional working practices, individual young people and overall outcomes.

Poverty, inequality and policy since 1997

This research shows what effect policies introduced since 1997 have had on reducing poverty and inequality. It offers a considered assessment of impacts over a decade. The study covers a range of subjects, including public attitudes to poverty and inequality, children and early years, education, health, employment, pensions, and migrants. It measures the extent of progress and also considers future direction and pressures, particularly in the light of recession and an ageing society.

You're hired! : encouraging the employment of ex-offenders (Research note)

Paper highlighting the difficulties and barriers faced by ex-offenders when seeking employment and documenting the social and economic consequences of this situation, both for the offender and wider society. To help remove these barriers it argues for measures such as a network for employers to share their experiences of employing ex-offenders.