Normative data for email writing

This data set includes emails from forty two healthy control participants ranging from 16 to 88 years of age (mean = 45.64) and 9 to 24 years of education (mean = 13.36). Three emails were produced by each participant, each within a time limit of three minutes. Emails were anonymised by replacing names, addresses and professions with different names, addresses and professions consisting of the same number of letters. Otherwise, the emails appear exactly as they were written, with no changes to layout, spaces, words, letter case or punctuation. It is expected that this normative data will be useful to clinicians and researchers working with adults with acquired language disorders in assessing email writing

Supporting digital engagement - An intervention with Sheffield Homes

This knowledge exchange project is a collaborative intervention in the area of digital inclusion. The project will support Sheffield City Council and Sheffield Homes in addressing a pressing policy need to increase digital engagement among social housing tenants. Providers of social and community services currently face major constraints. Digital technology solutions, such as online payments, have been proposed as routes to major cost savings. Users of social and community services include the bulk of citizens who are currently digitally excluded. Moving services online may further disadvantage these groups. Lack of uptake of digital services by these communities may limit the benefits of digital services. This project will apply knowledge gained from previously funded RC and community projects. The SHU team has a strong knowledge base in the issues of digital exclusion, digital engagement and community collaboration. The collaboration will focus on case studies in target social housing areas with the following stages: a survey and review of the current levels of digital exclusion; analysis of the data to determine which available strategies might have greatest impact; implementation of one or more interventions; action research based review of the interventions; report to partners on the effectiveness of interventions and community impacts

Knowledge transfer and action research - developing a city-wide model for whole household interventions in Sheffield

The project supported the on-going development of the whole household approach in Sheffield, where a vision existed to make it the main mechanism for delivering services to the most vulnerable families across the city

Economically Inactive and Unemployed in Britain's Seaside Towns, 2002

The aim of the research is to investigate the causes of the high claimant unemployment now found in most of Britain's seaside towns. The project examines the validity of explanations based not only on the decline of the traditional tourist base but also on migration patterns, the operation of the benefits system and housing factors such as the availability of privately rented former seaside accommodation suited to some benefit claimants. The extent to which unemployment in seaside towns differs in origin and nature from that found in other blackspots, such as the cities and coalfields, is being given particular attention. The research blends an analysis of aggregate labour market data on jobs, unemployment, economic inactivity, migration, and commuting, covering all the principal seaside towns across Britain, with a survey of non-employed adults of working age in selected towns. The questionnaire contains some elements which are identical to the survey of Economically Inactive and Unemployed Men, 1997-1998 (SN:4078). Subgroups of this survey can be compared to subgroups from the previous survey

Economically Inactive and Unemployed Men, 1997-1998

The aim of the research is to investigate the nature and causes of the substantial increase in the number of men of working age in the UK who are no longer either employed or unemployed - i.e. 'economically inactive'. These include, among others, very large numbers who are now recorded as 'permanently sick' and 'early retired'. The research will assess the extent which this withdrawal from the labour market is related to individual and family circumstances and to local economic conditions. In particular, the research will investigate the extent to which inactivity 'disguises' unemployment, especially in the most disadvantaged labour markets. The survey took place in three towns with contrasting local economic conditions (Barnsley, Chesterfield and Northampton) and four rural areas (South Shropshire, North Norfolk, North Yorkshire and West Cumbria)