7699posts
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How communities have helped public houses and bars in the UK
Pubs are so commonplace in the UK, they often seem part of the landscape itself. We discover how people and the art of being together are helping to keep pubs going in the UK.
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Analysing the age demographics of business sectors in the UK
We look at the various ages of directors to reveal interesting business trends in the UK.
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A history of ice cream manufacturing for the general public
In recent years, the number of ice cream manufacturers has exploded. We look at the history of ice cream manufacturers in the UK, and how companies like Ruby Violet are adding to the nation’s love for ice cream.
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Scottish distilleries: standing the test of time
For such an old and distinguished industry, Scottish distilleries have had quite an uncertain decade. Here we examine how distilleries in Scotland are making an innovative comeback, with the spotlight on Isle of Arran Whisky.
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Analysing data to identify risks at the UK border
As part of the 2024 DDaT Strategy we have committed to becoming a more data-driven organisation. In this post we discuss how we’re achieving this at the UK border.
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Why I moved from clinical practice to government veterinary surveillance
Veterinary Investigation Officer Leanne Forde wanted to be a vet since she was a little girl. Find out how she went from living the James Herriot lifestyle in farm animal practice to starting an interesting career as a government vet.
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Managing staff shortages in a SEND school
Matt Rooney is the Principal of St Giles School in Retford. In this blog, he shares how his staff are working together and with parents/carers, local authorities and agencies to keep supporting their students in the face of increased staff absences.
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Come and co-create Services Week 2022
Services Week is returning from 7–11 March 2022 for its fourth year. Again, it will be a week of events to increase service literacy and create an exchange about good service transformation.
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2022-2023 Student Loan repayment Thresholds Confirmed
The repayment threshold for Plan 2 student loans – the income level above which post-2012 student loan borrowers are required to make repayments - will remain at its current level of £27,295 per year for the next financial year. The …
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FACTSHEET: Extradition
Extradition process Extradition is an important tool in our fight against transnational crime. Once the UK has received an extradition request and it has been certified, it is sent to court, where the judge must decide whether to issue an …
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CS Awards: PM's Award for Exceptional Public Service
Rizwan Ahmad paved the way to help more than 5,500 young East Londoners join the Kickstart scheme. Rizwan Ahmad was “proud, privileged and humbled” to scoop the inaugural Prime Minister's Award for Exceptional Public Service. Rizwan saw off stiff competition …
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How accessibility issues led to 'authentically-voiced' content on the Hub
In the previous blog about how a focus on accessibility moulded the Content Hub, we talked about how a simple misunderstanding of rules and protocol in prison establishments can lead to increased frustration, anger, and violence. In this blog, we …
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Civil Service Awards 2021: Is AI helping you go on holiday?
Whether it’s augmented reality, NFTs, or the impending arrival of the Metaverse, we’d be forgiven for getting lost in this modern digital age. But for a team in HM Passport Office, the power of technology is being harnessed to help …
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Revisiting safeguarding practice
Continuous professional development in safeguarding practice is essential if we are to serve individuals, families, and communities well. The recently published Revisiting safeguarding practice will support local authority social workers to refresh their knowledge and understanding of their roles and responsibilities in responding to enquiries and concerns.
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Civil Service Awards: Vaccines rollout, call to arms
The primary call to action for the last two years has been to roll up your sleeves and get jabbed, but how much do you know about the team behind the needles? On the whole, the public has responded with …
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Tree Production Innovation Fund - Second spotlight on successful applicants
The Tree Production Innovation Fund aims to support innovative projects to increase and diversify domestic tree production. In our second blog post on the successful projects recieving funding, read about three more.
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Civil Service Awards: Data modelling isn't a crystal ball
The government has often talked about “following the science” - but how? One way is by utilising the Scientific Pandemic Influenza group on Modelling (SPI-M), all made possible by a small team of brilliant civil servants. The SPI-M Secretariat is …
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Natural England's Climate Change Adaptation Plan
Today we have published our Climate Change Risk Assessment and Adaptation Plan. The plan has been produced, along with many other organisations, to report under the third round of the Adaptation Reporting Power of the Climate Change Act 2008. As …
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We’re winners: tackling economic crime
We are responsible for collecting money that pays for the UK’s public services and giving financial support to people who need it and that includes tackling economic crime. We recently spoke to Alex whose team won the Outstanding Team award …
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Dragons' Den, Episode 4, Series 19
Eco-friendly disinfectant for those keen to erase viruses, a potential remedy to the fast-fashion crisis and non-alcoholic beer – great for those undertaking Dry January. This week’s Dragons’ Den certainly reflects current times.
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Get involved with the Policy Design Community in 2022
Read about the opportunities to meet and work with other policy design people in our cross-government community.
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Civil Service Awards: Helping Welsh businesses survive the pandemic
During the pandemic, one team in the Welsh Government freed up £2bn plus to help support businesses, communities and families. To help revitalise the Welsh economy, a cross Welsh Government team of civil servants formed the Economic Resilience Fund (ERF) …
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Introducing the UK Agriculture Partnership
The UK's devolved administrations already work closely to ensure their policies are aligned. However, to share scientific ideas, solutions and innovations, Defra set up the UK Agriculture Partnership. It launched today and we'd like to share a little more about it in this post.
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Trialling telephone requisitions
We are exploring reintroducing calls to resolve requisitions.
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Should your genes push up the price of your car insurance?
New report from the Government Office for Science investigates the future uses and considerations of genomic science How would you feel if your genomic information made your car insurance more expensive? Would you want to find out whether your child was …
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An important step for England’s landscapes: welcoming the new Natural England Landscape Advisory Panel
I am delighted to announce that the new Natural England Landscape Advisory Panel meets for the first time today, which is an important step in our work to deliver more for and from England’s landscapes. Landscape is one of Natural …
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Coverage of Natural England’s three new LIFE projects
There has been widespread coverage of our announcement launching three vital nature recovery projects aimed at tackling the climate and biodiversity crisis. The Independent, Evening Standard, ITV News Online, Express and Star & others covered the news positively. The projects – …
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Sleep-in shifts in social care
In March 2021, the Supreme Court issued the final judgement on a case of great significance for care providers and low-paid care workers. The case in question, Royal Mencap Society v Tomlinson-Blake, was first brought to an Employment Tribunal in …
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Put Down Roots with woodland creation
We look at the recent coverage of our new ‘Put Down Roots’ woodland creation campaign.
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Our new report on care leavers’ experiences of preparing to leave care
Yvette Stanley discusses our new research, published last week. Last week, we were pleased to launch our report, ‘Ready or not’, on the views and experiences of children in care aged 16 and 17 and care leavers on their preparation …
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Lead the way towards a combined CT/CI assessment by joining our pilot
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency is playing a fundamental role helping to ensure that the UK remains one of the best places in the world to deliver safe, cutting-edge research. Part of this work is the recently-launched combined …
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Civil Service Awards 2021: Winds of change
The 2021 Awards saw six individuals win a Lifetime Achievement category. From the seventies, eighties, nineties, noughties, teenies and twenties, our winners share their memories of how the workplace has changed over time. Thirty years ago, the Civil Service was …
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Tree-mendous news - Local Authority Treescapes Fund and Urban Tree Challenge Fund to launch again!
2022 ready to see urban and non-woodland treescapes turn a new leaf, with the re-launch of two major tree planting grants from the Forestry Commission and Defra.
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Civil Service Awards 2021: Vaccines victorious
The Vaccine Taskforce, from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, the hub of vaccine supply to the UK and beyond is home to the AstraZeneca and Pfizer Project Teams. They have recently been crowned the winner of the …
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Private sector collaboration helps Local Land Charges Programme delivery
We are working with a range of private sector delivery partners to quicken the pace of delivery of our Local Land Charges Programme and the benefits it brings to the property market.
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Genomics beyond health: preparing for a genomic future
If you could find out whether your child was likely to excel at sports or academic pursuits in the future, would you? Could it ever be ethical to adjust criminal sentencing to account for someone’s genetic predisposition? How would …
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Rediscovering teaching: my experience of returning to the classroom
Loic Menzies is the former Chief Executive of the Centre for Education and Youth, who has answered the call for teachers to return to the classroom to support schools with staffing pressures. We’re inviting qualified ex-teachers to step in and …
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Annual Consultant Awards – a new name, and a new scheme
Following a consultation on reform, the NHS reward scheme for top-performing doctors is being renamed and redesigned, making it fairer and more accessible, writes ACCEA Medical Director, Professor Kevin Davies.
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Changes to The Highway Code: how they affect driving tests
Chief Driving Examiner Mark Winn introduces the latest changes to the Highway Code and explains what they mean for those coming to a practical test.
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Technology takes off
The Social Care White Paper asserts ‘When technology is embedded into care and support services, it can be transformative, helping people to live happy, fulfilled lives in their homes and communities.’ It sets out several promising initiatives, including a new scheme to test new care technology. SCIE and Channel 3 Consulting explore what the future could hold.