You, your child and alcohol

You, your child and alcohol is a booklet that offers parents advice and guidance on how to discuss alcohol with their child and encourages them to think about how their relationship with alcohol can influence their children. During June 2010 this booklet was distributed to GP surgeries, pharmacies and local Tesco stores. Community Safety Officers and Police are also distributing the booklet in many areas. You, your child and alcohol is part of campaign developed by the Public Health Agency, the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, the Police Service of Northern Ireland, the Northern Ireland Office and the Northern Ireland Policing Board to tackle the issue of underage drinking.

Health Impact of Physical Inactivity (HIPI) Tool

Regular physical activity has substantial health benefits, yet only a minority (approximately 21%) of the population in England achieve the minimum levels as recommended by the four home countries’ Chief Medical Officers, in their Start Active, Stay Active report HIPI has been developed to estimate how many cases of certain diseases could be prevented in each local authority in England, if the population aged 40-79 were to engage in recommended amounts of physical activity. This first release (March 2013) includes the following health impacts: preventable cases of diabetes (only shown for Counties and Unitary Authorities) preventable emergency admissions to hospital with a coronary heart disease preventable new cases of breast and colon cancer total number of preventable deaths (all causes). Users can select geographical areas from a map or list. The data is also provided in a downloadable excel spreadsheet. HIPI uses estimates of local levels of physical activity from the Sport England Active People survey. It models the potential benefit from increased levels of physical activity for each local authority. This is pre-calculated to show the health impacts if 100%, 75%, 50% or 25% of the local population undertake the UK Chief Medical Officers’ recommended levels of physical activity. Other assumptions and sources of data are described in the technical document.

An Assessment of the Microbiology of Hand Contact Surfaces in the Retail Environment

This study aimed to assess the microbiology of food and hand contact surfaces in the retail environment and the potential for these surfaces to act as vehicles for the spread of foodborne pathogens. During the survey, 10 stores in the Republic of Ireland (ROI) were visited by student Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) who took swab samples from four surfaces: conveyor belts, long-life shopping bags, shopping trolley handles and keypads on card payment units. The swab samples were examined for the presence of the pathogens Salmonella, Campylobacter and Listeria. The Aerobic Colony Counts, as well as the levels of E. coli and Enterobacteriaceae, were also determined. In addition, structured questionnaires were used with retailers to establish the stores’ regimes for the cleaning of conveyor belts. Similarly, shoppers donating their long-life shopping bags for sampling were questioned about how they normally use these bags, and the results were compared with those from the microbiological survey. The results indicated that the hygiene of the surfaces sampled was good, with Salmonella, Campylobacter and Listeria not detected in any of the samples, and levels of both Enterobacteriaceae and E. coli were below the limits of detection in all but one sample. Aerobic Colony Counts varied but none of the results obtained would be deemed ‘unacceptable’ or ‘unsatisfactory’ under guidelines for ready-to-eat foods

A Study of the Number, Profile and Progression Routes of Homeless Persons before the Court and in Custody

This study aimed to obtain information on homeless people appearing before the courts and in custody in the Dublin Metropolitan area and to track and to determine how homeless persons progress through the court and prison systems. The overall objective was to provide information the Probation and Welfare Service's processes of policy formation, service development and planning. Findings on the number of homeless offenders, their profile, their progression routes into the criminal justice system and prisoner reintegration are presented. Recommendations are made regarding sentencing policy, agency responsibility for ex-prisoners and appropriate issues for discussion by the Cross Departmental Committee on Homelessness. It is also recommended that drug free units be available across all closed regime prison establishments.This resource was contributed by The National Documentation Centre on Drug Use.

Impact of a smoking ban in public places: a rapid assessment in the Seychelles.

Background We assessed the impact of a smoking ban in hospitality venues in the Seychelles 9 months after legislation was implemented. Methods Survey officers observed compliance with the smoking ban in 38 most popular hospitality venues and administered a structured questionnaire to two customers, two workers and one manager in each venue. Results Virtually no customers or workers were seen smoking in the indoor premises. Patrons, workers and managers largely supported the ban. The personnel of the hospitality venues reported that most smokers had no difficulty refraining from smoking. However, a third of workers did not systematically request customers to stop smoking and half of them did not report adequate training. Workers reported improved health. No substantial change in the number of customers was noted. Conclusion A ban on public smoking was generally well implemented in hospitality venues but some less than optimal findings suggest the need for adequate training of workers and strengthened enforcement measures. The simple and inexpensive methodology used in this rapid survey may be a useful approach to evaluate the implementation and impact of clean air policy in low and middle-income countries.

Cleaning up neighbourhoods - Environmental Problems and Service Provision in Deprived areas

There has been growing concern that the quality of public services can be affected by the nature and scale of problems in deprived neighbourhoods and that poor services can contribute to a widening gap۪ between deprived and non-deprived neighbourhoods. There is also an increased emphasis within national policy on the quality of neighbourhood environments the so-called liveability۪ agenda. This report explores the challenges of delivering street scene۪ environmental services such as street sweeping and refuse collection in deprived and less deprived areas and examines the gap in environmental amenity between these different neighbourhoods. It also contributes to our understanding of the interplay between poor services and neighbourhood decline. The research involved a telephone survey of chief officers in local authority environmental service departments across the UK and detailed case studies of policy and practice in environmental service provision in four local authorities with significant levels of deprivation. Each case study involved work in three neighbourhoods within the authority two deprived and one less deprived as well as focus groups with residents and frontline environmental operatives, interviews with senior council staff and observation on the ground

Multimedia materials for education, training, and advocacy in international health: experiences with the Schistosomiasis Control Initiative CD-ROM

We describe an innovative use of multimedia materials to support training and advocacy within a schistosomiasis control programme. The Schistosomiasis Control Initiative (SCI) at Imperial College London works with selected sub-Saharan African countries to develop schistosomiasis control programmes. Two elements of the SCI programme were supported by multimedia materials developed at the Wellcome Trust in collaboration with the SCI: (1) training of programme managers, district health officers, and those delivering practical elements of the programme; and (2) advocacy targeted at decision-makers and donors. Evaluation of the materials revealed high reported ratings for both user satisfaction and impact from use of the product. From this experience we draw out several general messages about development of multimedia materials and how these will play a growing future role in promoting training within international health.

Focus on alcohol

This booklet outlines the long and short-term effects of regular heavy drinking. It explains how alcohol affects our bodies, what constitutes a unit of alcohol and the recommended limits for men and women as well as tips on how to stick to these limits.Alcohol guidelines changed on 8 January 2016. Please see the latest advice from the four UK Chief Medical Officers on�www.knowyourlimits.info

Alcohol, drugs and older people

This�booklet is for older people (defined as those aged 55 or over) who are worried about their use of alcohol, illegal drugs and /or prescribed/over the counter medications.Alcohol guidelines changed on 8 January 2016. Please see the latest advice from the four UK Chief Medical Officers on www.knowyourlimits.info

Assessorament als agents de la policia local de Montmeló en el marc de les intervencions d'educació viària i mobilitat segura que imparteixen als diferents centres educatius de la localitat

En aquesta memòria de pràctiques es desenvolupa el projecte que s'ha portat a terme durant els darrers tres mesos en el Departament d'Educació Viària de la policia local de Montmeló. El projecte s'ha aplicat, per mitjà de l'assessorament als agents, amb la finalitat de proporcionar-los unes eines bàsiques perquè en el futur puguin revisar i modificar les seves intervencions educatives o dissenyar-ne unes altres de noves, d'una manera molt més ajustada i totalment autònoma.

La classificació inicial en règim obert dels condemnats a presó

La classificació dels interns penats en algun dels graus penitenciaris previstos a l’ordenament jurídic espanyol és una de les funcions i tasques de l’Administració penitenciària. La classificació inicial en règim obert és una d’aquestes possibles modalitats de classificació per a un determinat conjunt de persones que complien els requisits. Aquesta modalitat de classificació ha estat fins ara poc coneguda i sovint incompresa per part de la societats, ja que s’associa amb la llibertat definitiva de l’intern sense cap tipus de control. La finalitat de la recerca és precisament donar a conèixer els resultats d’aquesta aplicació en el conjunt de penats que l’any 2001 varen accedir a aquesta modalitat i se’ls va seguir fins a octubre de 2005, per saber la seva trajectòria i s’hi havia reincidit. També es va constituir un grup de contrast amb interns classificats en segon grau, per contrastar les diferències entre ambdós col·lectius.

Incidència de l'aplicació d'un programa de control de la conducta violenta en joves infractors

En aquest estudi es pretén avaluar l'impacte de la intervenció de tres programes aplicats en centres educatius tancats de la Direcció General de Justícia juvenil per ajudar al jove al control de la seva conducta violenta. Aquest mateix programa s'ha aplicat a joves en medi obert que complien mesures imposades pel jutge de llibertat vigilada. La recerca intenta avaluar els resultats de l'aplicació i la seva perdurabilitat en el temps, un cop han passat uns anys des que van ser aplicats en els joves. El programa es plantejava el control de la conducta violenta dels joves a partir d'un plantejament cognitivo-conductual on les activitats proposades i desenvolupades amb els joves anaven encaminades al canvi i modificació d'aquests comportament. Per avaluar l'efectivitat d'aquests programes la recerca segueix a 31 joves que van fer el programa entre el 2002 i el 2004 i analitza el seu grau de satisfacció respecte la situació actual així com la taxa actual de reincidència. L'estudi aprofita per donar dades respecte el perfil socio-familiar, personal i criminològic dels joves que participen en les diferents aplicacions dels programes.

Intervenció educativa eficaç en justícia juvenil

La recerca presenta el resultat de la segona aplicació del Programa del Pensament Prosocial, Versió Curta per a Joves en una mostra de menors que han complert mesures judicials en un equip de Medi Obert de Lleida. Aquest programa cognitiu-conductual entrena en l’aprenentatge d’habilitats sociocognitives i valors que es requereixen per la competència social i s’ha aplicat amb èxit a joves infractors i adults de 14 països de tot el món a més de quaranta mil subjectes. La recerca aplica el programa utilitzant com a mètode un disseny pre-test i post-test amb grup de control. Dels resultats es destaca que l’aplicació del programa incorpora en la intervenció en medi obert un canvi important en el plantejament de treball, ja que els instruments estan específicament dissenyats per a menors que s’han mostrat més resistents a altres intervencions.

Enquête sur les pratiques de gouvernance des systèmes d'information en matière de stratégie pilotage et organisation

Résumé Si l'impact de l'informatique ne fait généralement pas de doute, il est souvent plus problématique d'en mesurer sa valeur. Les Directeurs des Systèmes d'Information (DSI) expliquent l'absence de schéma directeur et de vision à moyen et long terme de l'entreprise, par un manque de temps et de ressources mais aussi par un défaut d'implication des directions générales et des directions financières. L'incapacité de mesurer précisément la valeur du système d'information engendre une logique de gestion par les coûts, néfaste à l'action de la DSI. Alors qu'une mesure de la valeur économique de l'informatique offrirait aux directions générales la matière leur permettant d'évaluer réellement la maturité et la contribution de leur système d'information. L'objectif de cette thèse est d'évaluer à la fois l'alignement de l'informatique avec la stratégie de l'entreprise, la qualité du pilotage (mesure de performance) des systèmes d'information, et enfin, l'organisation et le positionnement de la fonction informatique dans l'entreprise. La mesure de ces trois éléments clés de la gouvernance informatique a été réalisée par l'intermédiaire de deux vagues d'enquêtes successives menées en 2000/2001 (DSI) et 2002/2003 (DSI et DG) en Europe francophone (Suisse Romande, France, Belgique et Luxembourg). Abstract The impact of Information Technology (IT) is today a clear evidence to company stakeholders. However, measuring the value generated by IT is a real challenge. Chief Information Officers (CIO) explain the absence of solid IT Business Plans and clear mid/long term visions by a lack of time and resources but also by a lack of involvement of business senior management (e.g. CEO and CFO). Thus, being not able to measure the economic value of IT, the CIO will have to face the hard reality of permanent cost pressures and cost reductions to justify IT spending and investments. On the other side, being able to measure the value of IT would help CIO and senior business management to assess the maturity and the contribution of the Information System and therefore facilitate the decision making process. The objective of this thesis is to assess the alignment of IT with the business strategy, to assess the quality of measurement of the Information System and last but not least to assess the positioning of the IT organisation within the company. The assessment of these three key elements of the IT Governance was established with two surveys (first wave in 2000/2001 for CIO, second wave in 2002/2003 for CIO and CEO) in Europe (French speaking countries namely Switzerland, France, Belgium and Luxembourg).

Variables de la concessió de la llibertat condicional a Catalunya

Aproximadament un 40% dels subjectes de la mostra de 1.14a subjectes no han arribat a ser considerats per a l’alliberament condicional, tot i haver complert les 3/4 parts de la condemna. La modalitat de llibertat condicional ordinària en complir les ¾ parts de la condemna predomina sobre la resta de modalitats d’alliberament. En el cas d’aquest estudi, només un 7,6% havia accedit al benefici de la llibertat condicional avançada. Respecte a la incidència de les variables personals en l’accés a la llibertat condicional, ser dona, tenir nacionalitat espanyola i un nivell molt baix o un nivell alt de formació influeix positivament en l’obtenció de la llibertat condicional. La variable nacionalitat estrangera té una influència molt negativa en la concessió de la llibertat condicional. Respecte a les variables penals, els delictes de lesions, seguits dels delictes contra la propietat, com tots els tipus de robatoris, tenen els percentatges de denegació de la llibertat condicional més alts. Respecte a les variables penitenciàries, es conclou que com més obert sigui el règim inicialment aplicat, més probabilitats hi ha de sortir en llibertat condicional. Les activitats realitzades durant el compliment de la condemna no semblen tenir, en general, una incidència positiva en la concessió de la llibertat condicional. En aquest sentit, es podria dir que ja a l’inici de la condemna es pot determinar les possibilitats que es tindran de sortir en llibertat condicional, independentment dels progressos o canvis que es realitzin durant el compliment de la condemna. Les variables més significatives en la concessió de la llibertat condicional, segons l’anàlisi de regressió logística, són 4: l’habitualitat, els dies totals de sortida en funció del temps, el temps passat com a preventiu i el nombre de faltes greus. La regressió logística ha permès construir una equació amb aquestes 4 variables independents, que dibuixa el perfil d’un intern en llibertat condicional, i també descriu quins són els interns susceptibles de gaudir de la llibertat condicional o no, amb la probabilitat d’encertar en 80 de cada 100 casos.