Search results for ‘Author:"clifton jonathan"’ Sort:
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Prisons and prevention: giving local areas the power to reduce offending
- Author:
- CLIFTON Jonathan
- Publisher:
- Institute for Public Policy Research
- Publication year:
- 2016
- Pagination:
- 30
- Place of publication:
- London
This paper outlines how devolving responsibility and funding for the management of low-level offenders could empower local services to work more effectively to prevent crime and develop alternatives to prison that do more to rehabilitate offenders. It argues that many of the services that could act to reduce offending are currently controlled at a local level, whereas the budget for prison places is held by central government. Devolving budget to local areas to cover the costs of low-level offenders would give local areas a financial incentive to invest in preventative services and alternatives to custody. It puts forward three main suggestions: using local services to support people who may fall into low-level crime as a result of mental health problems, insecure work, or drug and alcohol addictions; diverting offenders from the courts; and offering alternatives to custody. The report also presents case studies of a number of youth justice programmes in the US and England that have proven effective at reducing pressure on prisons and reoffending, drawing from them eight principles that should underpin the reform and devolution of the adult offenders budget. The principles are: focus on low-level offenders; savings must be re-invested in the right activities; resources must be held at the appropriate scale; do not expect cashable savings to accrue immediately; give local areas stability and mitigate risk; the funding formula matters; devolution works when both sides share the vision; and sentencing and other levers are also important. It then provides detailed recommendations for government to pursue these reforms. (Edited publisher abstract)
Social isolation among older Londoners
- Author:
- CLIFTON Jonathan
- Publisher:
- Institute for Public Policy Research
- Publication year:
- 2001
- Pagination:
- 23p., bibliog.
- Place of publication:
- London
London faces a particular challenge in addressing social isolation among older people. The city has higher rates of population churn and pensioner poverty and less intergenerational contact than other areas of England. Its social care system is under pressure, with higher staff turnover and a greater reliance on migrant workers than other parts of the country. Given these challenges, how can public policy help to reduce social isolation among older people in London? This paper argues that while the state is good at tackling many problems, it is not currently equipped to tackle the issue of social isolation, which has its roots in wider changes to the way we live our lives. Based on primary research with older service users and service providers in London, it identifies four conditions that enable social ties to flourish and sets out what policymakers can do to promote them: support the development of places in which people can interact; design services around relationships, rather than fixed institutions and procedures; create a community information infrastructure, based on face-to-face contacts, peer support, web technology and a single point of access; and make sure that the first point of contact a person has with any service results in their wider needs being assessed and provided for.
Ageing and well-being in an international context
- Author:
- CLIFTON Jonathan
- Publisher:
- Institute for Public Policy Research
- Publication year:
- 2009
- Pagination:
- 36p., bibliog.
- Place of publication:
- London
The author asks what lessons the UK can learn from several case studies from overseas about how the well-being of older people can be incorporated into a wider range of policy areas than those, traditionally, of pensions, health and social care. For example, in the UK an ageing population brings more focus onto mental health, loneliness and isolation issues, whereas life satisfaction is highest in Japan among those over 65. In addition, case studies from Ireland, the United States, Norway, Finland, New Zealand and China are presented with much variation in findings. Examples of how the well-being of older people can be addressed in the four key areas of relationships, work, learning and the built environment are discussed and put forward by the author as good practice for the future of an ageing population in the UK.
Think ahead: meeting the workforce challenges in mental health social work
- Authors:
- CLIFTON Jonathan, THORLEY Craig
- Publisher:
- Institute for Public Policy Research
- Publication year:
- 2014
- Pagination:
- 67
- Place of publication:
- London
This report, commissioned by the Department of Health, examines the challenges facing mental health social work in England, and offers a blueprint for a fast-track programme that could better recruit and train high-calibre graduates for the profession. The report looks at the issues of recruitment, education and training, and the position of social workers within integrated mental health services. It also surveys evidence from the Step Up to Social Work programme and Frontline in children's social work, to inform the design of the proposed new fast track programme. (Edited publisher abstract)
Winning the global race? Jobs, skillls and the importance of vocational education
- Authors:
- CLIFTON Jonathan, THOMPSON Spencer, THORLEY Craig
- Publisher:
- Institute for Public Policy Research
- Publication year:
- 2014
- Pagination:
- 19
- Place of publication:
- London
This briefing paper analyses the latest projections on the changing shape of the job market in the UK to presents a more complex picture of the skills needs of the economy. In particular, it shows that business growth will lead to the creation of more professional jobs while a significantly greater number of jobs will be created as a result of people retiring or leaving the workforce. It predicts that there will continue to be a large number of jobs created in the bottom half of the occupational ladder. Between 2012 and 2022 just over one-third of all jobs will be created in high-skilled occupations, with the remainder created in medium and low-skilled occupations. Furthermore, a large number of jobs is expected to be created in sectors that tend to rely on vocational education and qualifications. The paper argues that the creation of high-skilled jobs has not kept pace with the very rapid increase in education and qualifications, with a fifth of all workers in low-skilled occupations holding a higher education qualification. Finally, it draws attention to the fact that in some sectors of the economy there is a mismatch between the skills and qualifications needed by employers, and those held by the workforce and concludes that in the future the emphasis should be on vocational training rather than general university education. (Edited publisher abstract)