Useful Links Directory
Links to useful websites and resources
The Children's Improvement Board (CIB)
The Children's Improvement Board (CIB) leads sector-led improvement in children's services. The Children's Improvement Board is a partnership between the LGA, the Association of Directors of Children's Services (ADCS) and the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives (SOLACE), supported by funding from the Department for Education (DfE). All partners on the Board are committed to supporting local government to take charge of its own performance and improvement in the interests of children and young people.
The Council for Disabled Children
CDC aims to make a difference to the lives of disabled children and children with special educational needs. We do this by influencing Government policy, working with local agencies to translate policy into practice and producing guidance on issues affecting the lives of disabled children.
The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA)
e European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) is an advisory body of the European Union. It was established in 2007 by a legal act of the European Union and is based in Vienna, Austria. The FRA helps to ensure that fundamental rights of people living in the EU are protected. It does this by collecting evidence about the situation of fundamental rights across the European Union and providing advice, based on evidence, about how to improve the situation. The FRA also informs people about their fundamental rights. In doing so, it helps to make fundamental rights a reality for everyone in the European Union
The Fostering Network
The Fostering Network is the leading charity for foster care in the UK.
The Foyer Federation
The Foyer Federation's mission is to turn young people's experiences of disadvantage into solutions that support their transition to adult independence. We develop transformational programmes and campaigns that fill gaps in community services and inspire policy and decision makers to make a more effective investment in young people. The direct experience of vulnerable young people and those working with them helps inform our understanding of the barriers facing young people and develop new approaches to overcome them. Our ambition is to become the organisation best known for leadership and excellence in developing services for vulnerable young people as they make the transition from adolescence to independent adulthood.
The Gold Standards Framework (GSF)
The Gold Standards Framework (GSF) is a systematic evidence based approach to optimising the care for patients nearing the end of life delivered by generalist providers. It is concerned with helping people to live well until the end of life and includes care in the final years of life for people with any end stage illness in any setting. The National GSF Centre CIC is the national training and coordinating centre for all programmes, enabling generalist frontline staff to provide quality care for people nearing the end of life, whatever their illness, wherever the setting. It aims to support best implementation of GSF in all settings, using a common framework and toolkit of resources.
The Home Office
We're the lead government department for policies on immigration, passports, counter-terrorism, policing, equality, drugs and crime.
The Howard League for Penal Reform
The Howard League for Penal Reform is a national charity working for less crime, safer communities and fewer people in prison. Too much money is spent on a penal system which doesn’t work, doesn’t make our communities safer and fails to reduce offending. We work with parliament and the media, with criminal justice professionals, students and members of the public, influencing debate and forcing through meaningful change to create safer communities. We campaign on a wide range of issues including short term prison sentences, real work in prison, children in prison and community sentences.
The Improving Health and Lives Learning Disabilities Observatory
The Learning Disabilities Observatory was set up, in April 2010, as a three year programme following one of the recommendations of the Report of the Independent Inquiry into Access to Healthcare for People with Learning Disabilities, the Michael report. It is a collaboration between the three organisations: the NHS North East Public Health Observatory based at the Wolfson Research Institute at the University of Durham Stockton campus, the Centre for Disability Research at the University of Lancaster and the National Development Team for Inclusion. The name, Improving Health and Lives, was suggested for the Observatory together with its sister project the Confidential Enquiry into the Deaths of People with Learning Disabilities, at a consultation with self-advocates organised for the Department of Health by Mencap.
The Independent Safeguarding Authority
The Independent Safeguarding Authority’s (ISA) role is to help prevent unsuitable people from working with children and vulnerable adults. Referrals are made to the ISA when an employer or an organisation, for example, a regulatory body, has concerns that a person has caused harm or poses a future risk of harm to children or vulnerable adults. In these circumstances the employer or regulatory body must make a referral to the ISA.
The Ministry of Justice
Our work spans criminal, civil and family justice, democracy and rights. The Ministry of Justice works to protect the public and reduce reoffending, and to provide a more effective, transparent and responsive criminal justice system for victims and the public. We also provide fair and simple routes to civil and family justice. The Ministry of Justice has responsibility for different parts of the justice system – the courts, prisons, probation services and attendance centres. We work in partnership with the other government departments and agencies to reform the criminal justice system, to serve the public and support the victims of crime. We are also responsible for making new laws, strengthening democracy, and safeguarding human rights.
The National Association for People Abused in Childhood
We are a registered charity, based in the UK, providing support and information for people abused in childhood.
The National Autistic Society
We are the leading UK charity for people with autism (including Asperger syndrome) and their families. We provide information, support and pioneering services, and campaign for a better world for people with autism.
The National Council for Palliative Care (NCPC)
The National Council for Palliative Care (NCPC) is the umbrella charity for all those involved in palliative, end of life and hospice care in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. We believe that everyone approaching the end of life has the right to the highest quality care and support, wherever they live, and whatever their condition. We work with government, health and social care staff and people with personal experience to improve end of life care for all.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE)
Providing guidance to ensure quality and value for money NICE guidance supports healthcare professionals and others to make sure that the care they provide is of the best possible quality and offers the best value for money. We provide independent, authoritative and evidence-based guidance on the most effective ways to prevent, diagnose and treat disease and ill health, reducing inequalities and variation Our guidance is for the NHS, local authorities, charities, and anyone with a responsibility for commissioning or providing healthcare, public health or social care services. We also support these groups in putting our guidance into practice.
The National Working Group for Sexually Exploited Children
he National Working Group for Sexually Exploited Children and Young People (NWG) has developed as a support group for individuals and service providers working with children and young people who are at risk of or who experience sexual exploitation (CSE). Our membership covers voluntary and statutory services and includes representation from health, police, education, youth work, social care, the voluntary sector and central government. Our principal objective is to offer support and advice to those working with children and young people under eighteen who are affected by sexual exploitation.
The Network of Public Health Observatories
Public Health Observatories (PHOs) produce information, data and intelligence on people's health and health care for practitioners, commissioners, policy makers and the wider community. Our expertise lies in turning information and data into meaningful health intelligence. This website brings together the national work and products developed by the network of nine PHOs in England (formerly the Association of Public Health Observatories - APHO)
The Overseas Development Institute (ODI)
The Overseas Development Institute (ODI) is the UK's leading independent think tank on international development and humanitarian issues. Our mission and values Our mission is to inspire and inform policy and practice which lead to the reduction of poverty, the alleviation of suffering and the achievement of sustainable livelihoods in developing countries. We do this by locking together high quality applied research, practical policy advice, and policy-focused dissemination and debate. We work with partners in the public and private sectors, in both developing and developed countries.
The Peace Alliance
The Peace Alliance is a National Charity working in partnership with local communities and statutory organisations on innovative crime reduction and community cohesion initiatives. Our overarching mission is – to advance the protection and preservation of life through the reduction of crime and the promotion for the public benefit of community safety and crime prevention. What makes us special is – our in-depth knowledge and understanding of issues around underachieving youth having worked extensively with young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET), offenders and ex-offenders, youth offending teams, schools, colleges and the Police.
The Prince's Trust
Around one in five young people in the UK are not in work, education or training. Youth unemployment costs the UK economy £10 million a day in lost productivity, while youth crime costs £1 billion every year. We address this by giving practical and financial support to the young people who need it most. We help develop key skills, confidence and motivation, enabling young people to move into work, education or training.
