Cook it! An evaluation of a community nutrition education programme in Northern Ireland

Cook it! was originally introduced to Northern Ireland in 1995 by the Health Promotion Agency for Northern Ireland (HPA) in a collaborative project with the Eastern Health and Social Services Board, the Northern Health and Social Services Board and the North and West Belfast Health and Social Services Trust. Having run for five years, this initial phase of the programme was evaluated in 2000. Cook it! was found to be a valuable approach to community based nutrition education. However, a number of recommendations were made as to how it could be improved. In conjunction with a number of community dietitians the HPA therefore revised and updated the programme, which included a redesigned resource manual with improved session outlines and recipe sheets. The Public Health Agency was established in 2009 under a major reform ofhealth structuresin Northern Ireland. The four key functions of the PHA are: health and social wellbeing improvement; health protection; public health support to commissioning and policy development; HSC research and development.

ASIST suicide prevention training - all-island evaluation report

The findings of a Public Health Agency evaluation report on a suicide prevention training programme were today presented at the North South Ministerial Council Health Sector meeting.ASIST, The Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training programme, has to date been delivered to more than 20,000 people in the Republic of Ireland and more than 11,000 people in Northern Ireland. This two day course, delivered by a wide range of organisations including those from the voluntary/community sector, for professionals and the public helps individuals provide emergency help to people at risk of suicidal behaviour. It also develops a cooperative network among participants, since often many people have to work together to prevent suicide.Talking about the findings of this work, Dr Eddie Rooney, Chief Executive, PHA, said: "Both the PHA and the National Office for Suicide Prevention (NOSP), based in the Republic of Ireland, are concerned for any loss of life through suicide and we send our condolences to all families who have been bereaved. We know ASIST training brings a positive element to suicide prevention. Those who have been trained said that the two biggest advantages are that they know when, how and have the confidence to help people who are under pressure and that it helps to build positive links between community and voluntary organisations and the health service. I am pleased that this has been borne out in the evaluation and we hope ASIST will continue to be of enormous benefit and will contribute to a reduction in suicidal behaviour and the tragedy that this brings to our community".This evaluation found that within organisations where staff had participated in ASIST training, there were improvements in service development; staff attitudes, confidence and skills in relation to suicide and suicide intervention and in policies and procedures. At a community level, ASIST was found to have contributed to a sense of empowerment through an increased confidence in being able to deal with suicide and suicidal behaviour.The report also shows that the ASIST model offers a common language, helping communication between the community or voluntary organisations and those from a health background. In fact this training helped to cancel out any differences between those with mental health qualifications and those without, in terms of knowledge, skills, attitude and willingness to intervene. The study also confirmed that ASIST training was most relevant to those who were likely to be in contact with a person 'at risk'.In welcoming the publication of the report Geoff Day, Director of the NOSP, said: "This report is an independent evaluation of the ASIST programme, it has allowed us to demonstrate the effectiveness of the programme in increasing community participants confidence and ability to respond to individuals in suicidal crisis.He added: "The fact the evaluation was completed on an all-island basis allows the NOSP and the PHA to avoid duplication of resources, improve coordination of suicide prevention training programmes across both jurisdictions and allows us to learn from different approaches used in suicide prevention across the island of Ireland."He reiterated the Health Service Executive commitment to the continued implementation of quality assured training programmes as part of Reach out: the National Strategy for Action on Suicide Prevention.ASIST training is being rolled out in Northern Ireland as part of the implementation of the 'Protect Life' suicide prevention strategy, which was published by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety in 2006.A copy of the evaluation report can be found below and in the publications section of this website, by clicking here

Evaluation of the Birmingham My Choice Adult Weight Management Programme

The aims of this intervention are: To reduce adult obesity levels To improve access to weight management services in primary care. To improve access to weight management services for areas with high BME populations or poor access to commercial weight loss providers To improve diet and nutrition, promote healthy weight and increase levels of physical activity in overweight or obese patients. To support patients to make lifestyle changes to enable them to lose weight

A Step in the Right Direction: An Evaluation of the Fáiltiú Information and Advise Service

The Fáiltiú service provides information and advice on rights, entitlements and options to homeless people, or those at risk of homelessness. The objectives of this evaluation were to assess the information needs of users of the service, how effectively they were being met, and how they could be improved. Two focus groups of staff members and service users gave their views on the design and implementation of the research at the outset of the project. A screening questionnaire identified 78 people who used the Fáiltiú service in a specified time period, of whom 40 participated in the evaluation by giving their views on the service. The study reviewed the literature on homelessness, attempted to define the term, and examined the characteristics of homeless people and relevant Irish social policy. The conclusions reached were: users of the Fáiltiú service are marginalized in a number of ways and share characteristics related to poverty and social exclusion, such as poor educational qualifications, high levels of unemployment and experience of prison; their needs are multi-dimensional and include accommodation, financial, social and medical support, and access to employment and training services: the service needs to respond to these needs in a holistic way.This resource was contributed by The National Documentation Centre on Drug Use.

Effective services for substance misuse & homelessness in Scotland: The recommendations of the Advisory Group on Homelessness and Substance Misuse

The Group makes 12 recommendations for actions covering the two key themes of strategic and organisational responses, and service design and delivery. It calls for: * A joint strategic response at national level to be developed * A joint strategic response at a local level to be developed (responsibility sitting with Alcohol and Drug Partnerships (ADPs) * Recognition of the importance of investing to save over the long term * A joint operational response at local level to be developed * More flexible approaches in rural and island areas * Service development and commissioning to be based on evidence of good practice * An individual’s priorities to be the starting point for the design and delivery of services and support * Ongoing evaluation of services in this field to be managed through the ADP planning and monitoring processes * Targeted service user participation and involvement to be supported * Training across homelessness, housing, alcohol and drug fields to be supported in statutory and commissioned services * The stigmatisation of these populations to be addressed at a local and national level.This resource was contributed by The National Documentation Centre on Drug Use.