Analysis of the factors contributing to the high rates of care in Wales

On 31st March 2018, there were 6,405 children looked after in Wales, almost 1,900 more children than were looked after in 2006. Over that time Wales has consistently had more children looked after per 10,000 of the population than the rest of the UK, and that gap has widened. Within Wales, while most Local Authorities have seen a rise in both the number and rate of children looked after, there is significant variation; and some have seen the rate of children looked after fall since 2014. Using published data, this report explores what we can say about the factors that are driving these trends

Evidence briefing paper: Policy, governance and implementation

This evidence briefing paper summarises some of the key issues related to policymaking, governance and implementation in Wales, and reflects upon issues that we expect the incoming Welsh Government to face after the 2021 Senedd election. The paper presents evidence about the strengths and weaknesses of current approaches to policymaking, governance and implementation in Wales. While these may appear to be slightly abstract issues, they are very important for any government’s success

Promoting teacher engagement with research evidence

The Centre was asked by the Cabinet Secretary for Education to review the evidence on how best to support teacher engagement with research. Working with colleagues at the Evidence for Policy and Practice Information and Co‑ordinating Centre (EPPI Centre) at University College London (UCL), we have: 1) Reviewed and synthesised what is known about what works when seeking to improve teacher engagement with, and use of, evidence. 2) Started to build a picture of existing initiatives in Wales (particularly at national and regional level) that seek to improve teacher engagement with, and use of, evidence. 3) Provided some suggestions for how teacher engagement with, and use of, evidence can be supported and improved in Wales in the short, medium, and long term

Evidence briefing paper: Children looked after in Wales

This evidence briefing paper summarises some of the key issues related to children looked after in Wales; and reflects upon issues that we expect the incoming Welsh Government to face after the 2021 Senedd election. The paper looks specifically at the growing number and rate of children in care, and variation among local authorities. It also considers the four key factors that affect children’s experiences and outcomes - reunification of children and birth families; the involvement of children and birth families in decisions about care; the joined-up provision of services for children and families; strategic commissioning, and the provision of children’s care placements

Reducing Development and Operations Costs using NASA's "GMSEC" Systems Architecture

This viewgraph presentation reviews the role of Goddard Mission Services Evolution Center (GMSEC) in reducing development and operation costs in handling the massive data from NASA missions. The goals of GMSEC systems architecture development are to (1) Simplify integration and development, (2)Facilitate technology infusion over time, (3) Support evolving operational concepts, and (4) All for mix of heritage, COTS and new components. First 3 missions (i.e., Tropical Rainforest Measuring Mission (TRMM), Small Explorer (SMEX) missions - SWAS, TRACE, SAMPEX, and ST5 3-Satellite Constellation System) each selected a different telemetry and command system. These results show that GMSEC's message-bus component-based framework architecture is well proven and provides significant benefits over traditional flight and ground data system designs. The missions benefit through increased set of product options, enhanced automation, lower cost and new mission-enabling operations concept options