financing

Local authorities : a change in the cultural climate?

Paper arguing that some local authorities in England need to reconsider their attitudes to culture. It contends that culture is a public good in its own right as it contributes to important social goals such as encouraging a creative younger generation and keeping older people mentally and physically fit. However, research has shown that some local authorities fail to recognise this and treat culture as a marginal area.

Welfare that works : beyond the New Deal

Paper offering a critique of the New Deal scheme for the unemployed in the UK. It argues that the policy can be made more effective if the structure of the welfare-to-work system is changed to more closely reflect economic realities. It recommends aligning the institutions of the welfare-to-work system with the needs of employers and the disadvantaged which should have the effect of providing better jobs for the low-skilled and better workers for the private sector.

Practical guide to preparing for mental health payment by results

Mental health payment by results is a funding methodology which aims to predict mental health need and cost more accurately. The methodology involves identifying service users with similar characteristics (they are to be grouped into 21 "clusters") and will be allocated to groups using an assessment tool.

This practical guide contains 10 actions to help local areas prepare for mental health payment by results policy. The guide also contains a glossary of common terminology and a check-list to help commissioners of services.

Adult skills and higher education: separation or union?

Paper assessing and discussing the position of adult skills training in England in the context of the creation of the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) and the continuation of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). It argues that giving responsibility for funding adult skills training to the DIUS risks adult skills being left behind by higher education.