Parental responsibility: A legal perspective

Parental responsibility is often discussed in relation to the care and treatment of children–but what is parental responsibility? Who has it and what does it allow the person who has it to do? This commentary aims to answer these questions from a legal perspective. As with many issues regarding children, it is not surprising that it is the Children Act 1989 that provides legislative guidance on the subject of parental responsibility

Fraser guidelines or Gillick competence?

Fraser guidelines, Gillick competence; phrases that anyone involved in the care of children will have heard. However, there is often confusion regarding the meaning of these two terms and they are frequently used as substitutes for each other, as if they were interchangeable rather than two distinct but related terms

Children's bodies: the battleground for their rights?

The UNCRC has changed profoundly ideas about adult/child relationships and there is now an acknowledgment in both law and policy that children have a right to be consulted and to participate in decisions made about their lives. This has been widely discussed and critiqued and one of the most significant battlegrounds for debate has been children’s rights to consent or refuse medical treatment and the issue of exactly who has the right to control children’s bodies. This article will compare several cases where the English and Scottish courts have made various decisions and rulings about the extent to which children do have rights to control their bodies. It will question why, twenty years after the UK ratified the UNCRC, children are still considered incompetent in matters concerning their own bodies, unless proved otherwise, while adults are automatically considered competent unless shown not to be and will analyse whether this situation is compatible with a children’s rights agenda

Manpower forecast program

Program reports distribution of actual manpower levels in each section versus accounts, projects versus sections, sections versus manpower classes, and project offices versus sections

Information sharing in e-government initiatives: Freedom of Information and Data Protection issues concerning local government

In e-government initiatives, the sharing of information is crucial for empowering citizens and boosting joined-up services. The lack of clear guidance on how to share government data can potentially harm Freedom of Information and or Data Protection rights. This article addresses this issue by drawing from the main concerns governments have when dealing with Freedom of Information and Data Protection issues. As illustration, we comment on the findings of a case study we have conducted in a Local Authority in the United Kingdom (UK). Our findings show that local government managers might be struggling to adequately implement Freedom of Information and Data Protection aspects. Cultural aspects are subtly present in this context, as managers’ values and beliefs regarding public access to information might be biased toward either information disclosure or information withholding

Applications and props: the impact on engagement and understanding

Problems based on applications or objects were added into a first year pure module in gaps where real-life problems were missing. Physical props were incorporated within the teaching sessions where it was possible. The additions to the module were the utilities problem whilst studying planar graphs, data storage when looking at number bases, RSA encryption after modular arithmetic and the Euclidean algorithm, as well as molecules and the mattress problem when looking at group theory. The physical objects used were tori, molecule models and mini mattresses. Evaluation was carried out through a questionnaire to gain the students' opinions of these additions and their general views of applications. Particular attention was paid to the effect on engagement and understanding

Development of a Course Community

There are feelings of belonging amongst those involved with the mathematics course at Sheffield Hallam University. A number of factors contribute to this, including the use of year tutors, a peer assisted learning scheme, a shared working space, a Maths Arcade, an induction week programme, a final year de-stress day, and other social events. In addition to communication with peers in their own year group, interactions with staff and students in other year groups are encouraged. The students are given opportunities to form friendship groups, which has a large impact on their university experience. The desire from staff to work alongside students and support activities has resulted in students feeling part of a community

Student use of whiteboards in the classroom

This paper discusses the use of whiteboards – both small, individual boards and larger, wall-mounted ones – within a variety of classes within our undergraduate mathematics degree. Details of those classes, and how students use whiteboards within them are presented. There is a focus on practicalities, particularly regarding the formation of student groups for whiteboard activities and the role of the member of staff in such classes. Issues which should be considered if introducing these to the classroom are discussed

Work-related learning: benefits and challenges

Universities are often criticised for not adequately preparing students for the workplace. In particular, the testing of taught content through examinations does not reflect the open nature of most roles, which require the application of knowledge. The BSc Mathematics course at Sheffield Hallam University embeds employability development and applications throughout the course. In 2018/19 two work-related group assessments were introduced, in which first year students work collaboratively with companies and other students on real-world problems. This paper discusses the implementation and evaluation of the two projects, including the challenges and benefits, as observed by staff, students and clients.</jats:p