GOV.UK blogs

Telling it how it is

A few months ago, Think Local Act Personal (TLAP)'s Tim Parkin wondered whether their insight group was a foolhardy enterprise or demonstrated remarkable foresight. With the publication of the group’s report into the effects of the pandemic on people who access care and support, as seen through the lens of personalisation, he offers a few observations on the journey and thoughts for the future.

How the inclusive community at Companies House is helping me to bring my whole self to work

The focus of the Companies House inclusive community is to 'support, educate, influence and enjoy'. Here, Gareth tells us how the network has been fulfilling this purpose.

Making space: Why sponsorship matters

Black History Month is an opportunity to acknowledge the rich, expansive culture, accomplishments and contributions of African and Caribbean men and women in British society. Earlier this year, the death of an African American man - George Floyd - sparked …

All you need to know about home-schooling and elective home education (EHE)

What is home-schooling? During the period when schools were closed to all but vulnerable children and children of key workers, most pupils were educated at home. This is known as home-schooling. While being home-schooled, children remained on their school roll …

Government launches call for evidence on remote electronic monitoring on fishing vessels

In today’s blog we look at coverage of the government’s call for evidence which seeks views on expanding the use of monitoring technology on fishing boats in England.

The Disaster Charter at 20

The International Charter: Space and Major Disasters, better known as the Disaster Charter, was formed on 20 October 2000 by the European Space Agency (ESA), French Space Agency (CNES) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), with the UK joining in …

Survey of Local Authorities Compliance with the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012

Earlier this year I sent a survey to LAs in England and Wales to gain a better understanding as to the extent to which they were complying with their statutory responsibilities arising from Section 33(1) of the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 (PoFA) and the Surveillance Camera Code of Practice, in connection with their use of overt surveillance camera systems in public places.

COVID-19 dashboard: a design and feature evolution

We’ve recently launched a refreshed COVID-19 dashboard design with some exciting new features. Read this blog to find out what we have changed and why.

Collaborating on the future of digital land registration

How getting feedback from HM Land Registry Industry Forum members is helping to guide and shape our policy and development plans. 

Five lessons from making DBS services accessible

Leyla Kee-McParlin of the Disclosure and Barring Service talks about the challenges of making services accessible and inclusive, and how that can be applied to other services, by using teams’ existing skills, but getting help from specialists where needed. Accessibility and inclusion is never “done” and learning has to continue.

PE on the national curriculum

There has recently been discussion regarding physical education (PE) in schools. The discussions include former rugby player Jason Robinson calling for PE to be a core part of the school curriculum and saying PE is now more important than ever. …

A Worthy Down update

Under Project Wellesley, we’ve been busy developing the new tri-service facility at the Defence College of Logistics, Policing and Administration. Since 2017, a total of 27 buildings have been handed over.

How local tracing partnerships are supporting NHS Test and Trace

Since July, 100 local authorities have worked in partnership with NHS Test and Trace to provide local tracing partnerships which combine national scale and data with local knowledge. Deborah Harkins, Calderdale’s Director of Public Health, discusses how it is working in her area.

Breaking Down the Taboos: Lifting the Lid off Cancer in BAME Communities

Despite the equal access to the National Health Service, there are more inequalities in cancer morbidity and mortality amongst black women compared to women of other racial and ethnic backgrounds, particularly white women. Below, Zahida Ramzan-Asghar, Senior Lawyer at Government …

Employ Autism awareness and work experience programme is coming to the North West!

Did you know that 84% of autistic people are unemployed? Yet most want and are able to work. As 2020 is the Year of Inclusion, we wanted to introduce a fantastic opportunity for people to get involved and help make the Civil Service a diverse and inclusive place to work.

Black History Month: The work to end modern slavery

Writing for Black History Month, our colleague Jeff Cox reflects on his time as a member of Anti-Slavery International and discusses the ongoing work to end modern slavery.

Questions and answers on free school meals

Here we look at some common questions and answers about Free School Meals (FSM), school meal provision during the Covid-19 pandemic, and what the government is doing to end child poverty and holiday hunger.

Buying digitally, with social purpose

The Government Digital Service worked with organisations across government, alongside multilaterals, to create the Digital Buying Guide. It helps civil servants in governments across the world improve their procurement processes. Read to find out how and why it was created.

Waste carriers: don’t call us, we’ll email you

Andrew Hick and Iris Faraway, from the Ruby Waste Services team, explain the changes they and their team have been making recently to remove the pain from waste carrier renewals.

How COVID-19 is affecting industry innovation in the UK

It’s astonishing the difference nine months can make in business. The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic may well leave its mark on UK industry and innovation in a way no other crisis has before and will continue to do so for many years to come.

From dealing with lockdown conditions in March, to establishing safer ways of working now, different UK industries are adapting and innovating to build a completely new working world.

Setting standards in the autumn series

To be as fair as we can to those students, we are working with exam boards to carry forward the generosity from summer 2020 grades, the majority of which were based on centre assessment grades.

Smarter working creates a better work life balance

Smarter working practices help people perform at their best, be more productive, and generally, be happier. Working from home for much of the year opened many people’s eyes to the advantages of smarter working. Here are some of the ways BPDTS colleagues are utilising flexible working policies to improve their work-life balance. Many colleagues are converting time they might have spent on trains and motorways into activities to support their wellbeing, family, health, and even the NHS.

EA investigates pesticides in rivers

There has been coverage in the Guardian and ENDS Report of ongoing work by the Environment Agency to examine whether more than 50 sites that supply salad and vegetables to supermarkets and other businesses are discharging chemical pollution into rivers and streams.

Aircraft, Algae and Alcohol

Why a new Defence standard for fuel will see a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

UK claims number 2 spot in OECD digital government rankings

The UK has come second in the Digital Government Index (DGI) of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). We share why this is important, and what's next for us.

Data Science at NELSON

Introduction We’ve blogged previously about how NELSON is accelerating the delivery of digital and data services for the Royal Navy (RN). We’ve explained our user-centered approach, and how we’re coordinating our work across multiple teams. These are multi-disciplinary teams formed …

We must re-energise our response to increasing drug-related deaths

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has published its annual drug misuse deaths report, which shows that there were 4,115 deaths last year due to drug poisoning. This blog looks at some of the report's main findings and the actions we're taking to prevent future drug-related deaths.

‘Personal Still …’ - What Black History Month 2020 means to me

‘Working in a highly fast paced environment .… potentially heated interactions in near vicinity .… having to have your wits around you to adapt to constantly changing priorities, issues and risks …. having coping strategies to avoid getting burned out …

Guardian coverage on biodiversity targets

The indicators look at the health of our environment, including protected areas, habitat connectivity, marine pollution, air quality, and wildlife.

My life as an enterprise architect in DWP Digital…

Enterprise architect Colin McDonald talks about his role at DWP Digital and the flexible, family-friendly environment.

World Food Day 2020 - Closing the Digital Gap through International Cooperation

How one of our projects uses satellites to help solve disputes over water in northern Peru.

How Companies House Women’s network is championing gender equality

Read about our Women’s network: an inclusive community that supports, empowers and connects women across Companies House.

2020 Summer Diversity Interns at GDS

Hear what this year's cohort from the Summer Diversity Internship Programme have been getting up to during their time at GDS. 

The Civil Service Environment Network: why and how to develop your environmental policy capability?

Why do we exist? The Civil Service Environment Network (CSEN) was created as a space for all civil servants, regardless of background or role, to share and build knowledge and capability in environmental policy. In one short year, we now …

National NIPE IT system training well received

A final session for system admin users will be held on Friday 23 October.

From Animal Health Officer to Government Vet

Find out why Rob moved from his job as an Animal Health Officer to a role as a government vet

Introducing the new Regulator of Community Interest Companies

Read our latest blog to find out what Louise, our interim Regulator, has in store for CICs within the next 6 months.

Flexible working and self-isolation in lockdown

Smarter working practices help people perform at their best, be more productive, and generally, be happier. To mark National Work Life Week, David Hutchinson, Test Engineer at BPDTS, shares his experience self-isolating during the lockdown. In his story, David shares his experience living in isolation and the challenges he faced; his account showcases how flexible working policies helped him cope.

Confirm Your Identity: a new way to verify online

Confirm Your Identity is a new service that allows Universal Credit applicants to verify their identity online. Senior Product Owner Alison Phelan talks about accelerating the project and the collaboration with other government departments in our latest blog post.

Winning the Rivers Prize 2020: restoring our unique chalk streams for people, wildlife and the environment

Our Test and Itchen Restoration Strategy Project Officer, Heb Leman, looks into the projects work to restore Chalk Streams.