Establishing a whole school food policy

This guide has been written to help your school develop, write and implement a whole school food policy. It is designed to be easy to follow and based firmly in the context of real school life. This resource was originally developed and produced by the Health Promotion Agency for Northern Ireland as part of the School food: top marks programme and is now the responsibility of the Public Health Agency. It was jointly funded by the Department of Education and the Department of Heath, Social Services and Public Safety.

Public Health England Obesity

The Public Health England Obesity website provides a single point of contact for wide-ranging authoritative information on data, evaluation, evidence and research related to weight status and its determinants. They work closely with a wide range of organisations and provide support to policy makers and practitioners involved in obesity and related issues.

Social inequalities in health. New evidence and policy implications

Health inequalities according to people's social standing are persisting, or even growing, in modern societies. Recent decades have revealed evidence of strong variations in life expectancy, both between countries and within them. This widening of social inequalities has developed despite considerable progress in medical science and an increase in health care spending. The reasons behind this are complex, and the implications considerable.   This book provides a summary of the major achievements of a five-year European Science Foundation (ESF) Programme on 'Social Variations in Health Expectancy in Europe'. The contributors are major figures in their subjects, and combine state of the art reviews with the latest results from interdisciplinary research in epidemiology, sociology, psychology and biomedicine.   Three conceptual frameworks of life course influences, health effects of stressful environments, and macro social determinants of health, are unified, while each chapter addresses the policy implications and recommendations derived from currently available evidence. The major topics covered include the role of family in early life, social integration and health, work stress and job security, successful ways of facing adversity, and the impact of the larger environment on health. Epidemiologists, public health research and policy makers, and students of related public health and sociology courses wlll find the results of this research fascinating.This resource was contributed by The National Documentation Centre on Drug Use.

National Alcohol Policy Ireland

The National Alcohol Policy is directed at reducing the prevalence of alcohol-related problems through an emphasis on moderation in alcohol consumption. The importance of a comprehensive alcohol policy was highlighted when Ireland endorsed the European Charter on Alcohol in December 1995 along with 48 other Member States of the WHO European Region. The alcohol-related problems are multidimensional, therefore the solutions most be multi-sectoral. This means that commitment to the National Alcohol Policy must be on the agenda of policy makers in all sectors and at all levels. An Alcohol Policy requires both environmental and individual strategies. There is strong evidence that policies which influence access to alcohol, control pricing through taxation and other public health measures, can have a positive impact on curtailing the health and social burden resulting from drinking (Edwards et al. 1994). However, a key to the effectiveness of such strategies is public support, enforcement and maintenance of the policies. In examining the rationale for a National Alcohol Policy a number of elements have been identified. Research is urgently required to identify attitudes and patterns of alcohol consumption across the population and within sub-groups of the population. Based on sound research, a sensible drinking message of Less is Better should form an educational empowerment programme with regional and local initiatives as a required and integral part of such a campaign. A health education programme in all schools should be part of the core curriculum. The availability and effectiveness of treatment services need to be established. Action to contain the availability of alcohol could be achieved by reducing the number of special exemptions for longer opening hours and controlling access to underage drinking by ID schemes nation-wide. The enforcement of drink driving legislation including random breath testing needs to be continued to reduce alcohol-related traffic accidents. All levels of the Drinks Industry should recognise that people have the right to be safeguarded from pressures to drink. Finally, a National Alcohol Policy could be co-ordinated by a wider National Substance Use Surveillance Unit.This resource was contributed by The National Documentation Centre on Drug Use.

Behaviour change at population, community and individual levels: NICE Public Health Guidance 6

This guidance is aimed at those responsible for helping people to change their behaviour to improve their health. This includes policy makers and those working in local authorities and the community and voluntary sectors. It gives advice on how to plan and run relevant initiatives. The recommendations include the following advice: base interventions on a proper assessment of the target group, where they are located and the behaviour which is to be changed: careful planning is the cornerstone of success  work with other organisations and the community itself to decide on and develop initiatives build on the skills and knowledge that already exists in the community, for example, by encouraging networks of people who can support each other take account of and resolve problems that prevent people changing their behaviour (for example, the costs involved in taking part in exercise programmes or buying fresh fruit and vegetables, or lack of knowledge about how to make changes) base all interventions on evidence of what works train staff to help people change their behaviour evaluate all interventions.This resource was contributed by The National Documentation Centre on Drug Use.

Poverty, inequality and policy since 1997

This study examines the impact of policy on poverty and inequality in Britain since 1997This research shows what effect policies introduced since 1997 have had on reducing poverty and inequality. It offers a considered assessment of impacts over a decade:How did policies change, before 1997 and since then?What evidence is there of impacts on key outcomes?What gaps or problems remain or emerged?The study covers a range of subjects, including public attitudes to poverty and inequality, children and early years, education, health, employment, pensions, and migrants. It measures the extent of progress and also considers future direction and pressures, particularly in the light of recession and an ageing society.The research draws on extensive analysis of policy documents, analysis by government departments and research bodies, published statistics and evaluations, analysis of large-scale datasets, micro-simulation modelling and a long-running qualitative study with residents of low-income neighbourhoods.��

Equality Bill: Making it work Policy proposals for specific duties: Policy Statement

The new single Equality Duty represents a next step in equality legislation. The existing public sector equality duties for race, disability and gender were pioneering pieces of legislation which placed the public sector at the forefront of tackling discrimination and inequality.Many have seen the benefits the existing duties have delivered, but now is the time to go further. the aim of this bill is to extend the benefits of the equality duties to the other protected characteristics of age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, and religion or belief.The Equality Duty will require public bodies to think about how they can eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations for all the protected groups.

The Value of Knowing: Public Perceptions about Alzheimers and testing

����This survey commissioned by Alzheimer Europe��examined public perception and awareness of Alzheimer’s disease and aimed to identify the views of the general public on the value of diagnosis. The survey of 2,678 people was designed and analysed by the Harvard School of Public Health and Alzheimer Europe. Fieldwork was conducted via telephone (landline and cell phone) with nationally representative random samples of adults age 18 and older in five countries by TNS, an independent research company based in London. Countries surveyed were the USA, Germany, France, Spain and Poland. The survey was supported by a grant to Alzheimer Europe from Bayer AG. Bayer was not involved in the design of the survey or the analysis of the findings.��Full details of the survey results are available on the AE website at: http://www.alzheimer-europe.org/EN/Research��Alzheimer Europe is the umbrella organisation of national Alzheimer associations and currently has 31 member organisations in 27 European countries. The mission statement of the organisation is to change perceptions, practice and policy to ensure equal access of people with dementia to a high level of care services and treatment options.����

Are We Choosing Health? Annual Public Health Report from Healthcare Commission and Audit Commission

A new report by the Healthcare Commission and Audit Commission assesses the impact government policy has had on: narrowing health inequalities; improving sexual and mental health; and reducing smoking, alcohol misuse and obesity.

South East England public health factsheets

This collection contains a number of factsheets which have been produced by the Department of Health South East (the Department's presence in the region based in the Government Office for the South East) to promote understanding and awareness of key public health issues affecting the health of the population of the region. The factsheets are not policy documents, but are intended to promote good practice among the wider public health workforce in the NHS, Local Authorities and the voluntary and community sector. Each factsheet contains an overview of the extent and impact of the health issue, as well as a summary of the evidence-base regarding 'what works' to improve health. If you would like any further information on the factsheets, please contact Jo Nurse, Consultant in Public Health (jo.nurse@dh.gsi.gov.uk).

OECD Review of Early Childhood Education and Care Policy in Ireland - Information Note

Thematic reviews of early childhood policy originated in response to a significant change in Western societies in the latter part of the 20th century. In effect, the care and education of young children in the industrialised world had shifted from the private to the public sphere, to become a shared responsibility of families and the state. Not only was the provision of equal access to women to the labour market an important goal in this development, but also the issue of giving every child a fair start in life and at school.

Policy Options for New Student Contributions in Higher Education - Report to the Minister

The Government’s Framework for Sustainable Economic Renewal- Building Ireland’s Smart Economy, launched by the Taoiseach in late 2008, establishes Ireland’s ambition to become internationally renowned as an Innovation Island. At the core of achieving this ambition will be our capacity for producing highly skilled graduates and fostering a climate of creative thinking and advanced research and development. This relies on the quality of undergraduate provision right across the sciences, arts and humanities in our third level institutions. The development of a new national strategy for higher education is now underway. The strategy will aim to identify a vision and objectives for the development of the sector over the next twenty years. Leading higher education systems internationally are characterised by wide revenue sources that, in many cases, include a form of direct student contribution through a tuition fee or student loans system. If Ireland’s higher education system is to develop and meet future demands in an environment of increasingly tight public resources, then it is appropriate that the sector’s level of dependence on Exchequer funding should come under review.

Reimbursement for out of Pocket Expenses for Service Users and Carers

The PHA, through the Regional HSC Personal and Public Involvement Forum, have led on the development of an agreed regional policy to ensure that services users and carers are not out of pocket when involved in helping us to plan, deliver, review and evaluate HSC services. Staff are asked to familiarise themselves with the policy and apply it when involving services users and carers in their work.���

Policy for annual leave/ leave of absence cover for the Local Supervising Authority Midwifery Officer (LSAMO)

This guideline relating to cover for the absence of the LSAMO for annual leave covers the period from 2012-2015.The policy sets out the arrangements to be put in place for cover for the LSAMO role and the contact details.

Strategy for personal and public involvement

Local and national policy increasingly emphasises the central role of service users and the public in shaping Health and Social Care (HSC). This is the second edition of the HSC R&D Division��'s Personal and Public Involvement (PPI) Strategy, which highlights the importance of involving patients and the public in research and outlines the progress already made in implementing PPI in research in Northern Ireland.