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Dying to belong: an in-depth review of street gangs in Britain

This report presents an overview of the landscape of gangs and gang culture in Britain. It attempts to analyse the nature and scale of gang culture in Britain; who is involved and what they are involved in; how Britain has reached this point; and what society can do to tackle it. The report also aims to formulate a clear unifying definition of a gang, distinguishing it from the everyday activity of young people on the street.

Recovery and community connections

This is one of a series of discussion papers designed to help generate debate on how best to promote and support recovery from long-term mental health problems in Scotland. Traditional approaches to supporting people with significant mental health problems have tended to make little use of people's connections with their local communities. Yet communities have strengths and attributes which are an important part of recovery which this paper considers.

Young people, crime and public perceptions: a review of the literature

This research report addresses the perceptions of youth crime portrayed by the media and held by the public at large. It attempts to answer questions such as; has there been a change in levels of youth crime in recent years?; what is the current public perception of youth crime?; where perceptions of crime differ greatly from the reality, what are the underlying reasons for this? It seeks answers from the literature and self-report surveys, in particular, the British Crime Survey (BCS).

Researching recovery from mental health problems

This is one of a series of discussion papers designed to help generate debate on how best to promote and support recovery from long-term mental health problems in Scotland. It discusses some of the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to research and argues that qualitative methods are suitable for the generation of rich, narrative accounts of lived experiences that may aid the identification of factors promoting recovery.

Becoming a carer : a booklet about looking after someone with dementia

This booklet, produced by the Mental Health Foundation, is for anyone who has become, or thinks they may become a carer for someone with dementia. This booklet explains some of the basic facts about dementia, gives ideas on where to get practical and emotional support, offers advice on how to plan for the future, and provides some tips on caring for people with dementia. Importantly, it also suggests some ways carers can look after themselves while they are caring. And finally, it recommends sources of further information and help.

Refuge for young runaways in the UK: a critical overview

This report deals with the concept of 'refuge' for children under the age of sixteen who are away from home or care, as established under section 51 of the Children's Act 1989 and section 38 of The Children's (Scotland) Act 1995. It discusses the factors affecting its provision in the UK and goes on to detail a series of pilot programmes, run between 2004-2006. These were funded by the Department of Health and the Department for Education and Skills, aimed to extend the models of community-based refuge.

Parent power

Report surveying the state of the school education system in Scotland and advocating greater power for parents and autonomy for schools as a means of improving standards in school education.

Learning for Living: Helping to prevent social exclusion among older people

Help the Aged believes that unless far-sighted action is taken now to ensure that people have the opportunities and resources to accumulate further skills and participate in learning as they grow older, and throughout old age, there is a danger that the current inequalities within our society will multiply under the pressure of an ageing population.