John McLaren’s Post

Another thought-provoking blog from James in The Kowledge Exchange team. Our service has recently celebrated its 50th birthday and it remains the most trusted and comprehensive repository of public policy and research available in the UK. Please do reach out to find out how it can support your decision-making and policy and strategy development. #policy #evidence #research #strategy

Absolutely! Young, fresh enthusiasm should be nurtured, but the more mature worker can bring so much value in experience and wisdom.

“With an ageing population, there is a growing demand for social care. However, in 2021-22 only 1.62 million social care jobs were filled out of a potential total of 1.79 million, resulting in 165,000 vacancies, an increase of 55,000 on the previous year.” In our latest Election 24 blog, Dr Jane Lethbridge, University of Greenwich, discusses three solutions for addressing the UK’s social care crisis. ➡ Professionalise care work, making social care work a profession with standards, good pay and terms and conditions. ➡ Make care a public service which is free at the point of access. ➡ Introduce planning for care. Read now ➡ https://lnkd.in/eXfChc9U #SocialCare #Election24 “Election 24: Ideas for change based on social science evidence” is an ongoing project from the Campaign for Social Science which draws on a range of social science research and evidence to suggest policy directions ahead of a UK General Election in 2024. Drawing on the expertise of Academy Fellows and other distinguished social scientists, Election 24 features events, blogs and comment pieces covering many key policy areas including the cost-of-living crisis; climate change and living standards; health and social care; immigration; and higher education, amongst others. Find out more ➡ https://lnkd.in/eeKSHGwe

Chart of the week 📊 Over three quarters of employees in health and education services in the U.S. are women! We see health, wealth and education as the three pillars of social wellbeing. Therefore, ignoring labor issues in these female-dominated industries can have far-reaching consequences. To learn more about our social theme, subscribe to Future Positive Investor on Substack (link in comments).

How to hang on to your youth: a 3-step guide for SMEs https://lnkd.in/esfZwDes

The calendar has officially ticked over into February! A full month of 2024 is behind us, but there is so much more in store for the Locale Learning team this year. We are busy working away at developing a suite of brand new resources for candidates. We know that the better prepared candidates are before they are elected, the faster they can start to make a difference. Our diaries are also filling up to deliver candidate information sessions before the elections and for induction support for newly elected councils following the elections. In the pipeline, we have a two-part webinar series where will be sharing our expertise and insights on: 🔶 the latest research on the mental health of politicians and what council staff can do to support councillors in this space 🔶 why it is critical that councillors have a solid understanding of community engagement models and practice Plus we are continuing to offer our one to one coaching and mentoring services. #localgovernment #webinars #leadershipdevelopment

International organizations often aim to equip public officials with information – provide data and insights - which if taken by public officials could lead to better decision-making and raise the efficiency of policy. At least it’s a hypothesis. But what does the empirical evidence tell us ❓ In their paper and blog, Daniel Rogger and Ravi Somani demonstrate that since information in the public sector requires efforts to acquire, information is better in organizations that (i) ⭐ give officials the power to make decisions (de facto authority) and (ii) ⭐ reward the collection and use of accurate information. So, while the traditional response to struggles to inform public officials by producing a briefing that is both informative and easy to digest worked (it reduced the cost of obtaining information), it worked best 💡 where incentives for information acquisition were in place already. Meaning that ‘if we could get public service incentives right in the first place, civic servants would actively search for information, making the life of a researcher interested in policy impacts easier'. If we want informed public officials, they need the right organizational incentives to read our policy briefs! https://lnkd.in/dDvMtBvp

There are many projects being undertaken to enhance employment services in Australia. Here’s an example that is focused on reimagining employment system designed to everyone's needs—an inclusive space where job opportunities are accessible, and support is abundant. System 2, with the support from the Paul Ramsay Foundation, has been working to understand the challenges young people and parents face when seeking employment. 🔑Key learnings include: ✅Wellbeing is priority: Addressing wellbeing challenges can lead our system toward stable, quality employment. ✅Breaking cycles: By focusing on young people and families, we're not just helping them now, but also preventing future cycles of disadvantage. ✅Inclusive solutions: Although they began with specific groups, the solutions that they’re developing could benefit all job seekers with complex needs. 🔗Read more about the project here: https://lnkd.in/gZVB3jEJ

#Ontariobudget2024 Are you tuned in to see where Ontario is going over 2024-2025? Developing Young Leaders of Tomorrow, Today (DYLOTT) is watching for investments in: ✴️Affordability measures for vulnerable populations, especially low income and racialized youth. ✅Commitment to increasing upskilling training programs for workforce development for young workers across Ontario. ✴️Advancing infrastructure for access to mental health support and services for children and youth. What are you watching for in this year’s budget? Ontario Government | Gouvernement de l’Ontario Andrew Dowie

Our Head of Policy and Research, Ben Gadsby, gave evidence at the House of Commons Work and Pensions Committee session on the devolution of employment support last week. Key Takeaways ⬇️ 1️⃣ Addressing the youth jobs gap Disparities in employment outcomes persist among youth from disadvantaged backgrounds. 26% of them were Not in Education, Employment or Training, compared with 13% of their peers in 2019. Further, geographical variations persist - while differences between UK regions are minimal, variations within them are substantial. To tackle youth unemployment, we need to target interventions at a more granular, local level. 2️⃣ Navigating devolution challenges Contracts between local authorities and the third sector, fixed at a certain size and for a certain time, can be a barrier for growth.  To overcome this, long-term contracts need to “have space in them to grow the things that are working and shrink the things that are not.” But how can this be done effectively and accurately? 3️⃣ Leveraging quality data “A lot of these questions about what should be devolved and what should not, and how we pay for it, would be much simpler to answer if we had better data on that.” High-quality data on outcomes are essential for informed devolution decisions and key to driving impactful strategies. 4️⃣ Fostering professional networks Sharing best practices among local authorities fosters evidence-based decision-making are important. Forums where decision-makers can collaborate, learn, and enhance their impact collectively can foster this. What do you think? We’d love to hear your experiences or tips on how you’ve leveraged data to tailor support and drive meaningful change for young people NEET – comment down below! #EmploymentSupport #Devolution #PolicyInsights #YouthEmployment