Can altering the structure of financial support payments aid work retention amongst lone parents? Qualitative evaluation of the In Work Retention Pilot

Wage supplementations in the form of temporary ‘in-work credits’ have been introduced in recent years for a number of claimant groups entering work, to encourage enhanced work entry and retention rates. For lone parents, the In Work Credit was piloted from April 2004 and then rolled out nationally in April 2008. It is a wage supplement paid at £40 a week (£60 in London) for 12 months to eligible lone parents moving in to work. From July 2008 to June 2010, a variant on this, the In Work Retention Pilot (IWRP), was trialled in two Jobcentre Plus districts. The IWRP was intended to test the effectiveness of using In Work Credit payments as an aid to job retention and progression, by changing the payment structure of the credits and offering additional advisory support on retention and advancement. This report presents findings from a qualitative evaluation of the IWRP, examining the delivery of the pilot and the views of lone parents and Jobcentre Plus staff on: the distinctive IWRP payment structure; the retention and progression challenges facing lone parents and the support received; and whether and how the IWRP made a difference to work behaviour and decisions. The study is based on interviews, focus groups and observations with Jobcentre Plus delivery staff and participating lone parents

Loss of Telomeres in the Progeny of Human Lymphocytes Exposed to Energetic Heavy Ions

We have used cross-species multi-color banding (RxFISH) combined with telomere FISH probes, to measure chromosomal aberrations in the progeny of human peripheral blood lymphocytes exposed to ionizing radiation. Accelerated iron particles (energy 1 GeV/nucleon) induced many more terminal deletions than the same dose of gamma-rays. We found that truncated chromosomes without telomeres could be transmitted for at least three cell cycles following exposure, and represented about 10% of all aberrations observed in the progeny of cells exposed to iron ions. High energy heavy ions generate the most significant health risk for human space exploration and the results suggest that telomere loss may be the leading mechanism for their high efficiency in the induction of late effects

Jobseekers Regime and Flexible New Deal, the Six Month Offer and Support for the Newly Unemployed evaluations: An early process study

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Clinical outcomes for sexual and gender minority adolescents in a dialectical behaviour therapy programme

Background: Sexuality and gender minoritised (SGM) adolescents are at increased risk of self-injury and suicide, and experience barriers to accessing mental health support. Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) is an effective treatment for self-injury and emotion dysregulation in adolescent populations, but few studies have published outcomes of DBT for SGM young people. Aims: This study aimed to investigate treatment outcomes and completion for SGM adolescents and their cisgender and heterosexual peers, in the National & Specialist CAMHS, DBT service (UK). Method: Treatment completion, and opting out before and during treatment were examined for sexual and gender identity groups, as well as changes by the end of treatment in emotion dysregulation, self-injury, in-patient bed-days, emergency department attendances, and borderline personality disorder, depression and anxiety symptoms. Results: SGM adolescents were over-represented in this service, even after considering their increased risk for self-injury. No statistically significant differences were found for treatment completion between the sexual orientation and gender identity groups, although there were patterns indicating possible lower treatment uptake and completion that warrant further investigation. Clinical outcomes for treatment-completers showed improvement by the end of DBT for each group, with few exceptions. Discussion: These results are from relatively small subsamples, and it was not possible to separate by sex assigned at birth. Findings should be treated tentatively and as early indications of effect sizes to inform future studies. This study suggests that DBT could be a useful treatment for SGM adolescents in a highly specialist treatment setting

Flexible New Deal evaluation: customer survey and qualitative research findings

by Sandra Vegeris, Lorna Adams, Katie Oldfield, Christine Bertram, Rosemary Davidson, Lucia Durante, Catherine Riley and Kim Vowden This report presents qualitative and quantitative research findings from an evaluation of the Flexible New Deal (FND), Phase 1 of which was introduced in October 2009 in 28 Jobcentre Plus districts in England, Scotland and Wales. The research consisted of qualitative research into customer and provider experiences of FND delivery and a quantitative survey of customer experiences of FND in Phase 1 areas compared with customers at the same point in their claims experiencing the former Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) regime and New Deals in Phase 2 areas. Comparisons between the two areas provide an indication of FND services in contrast to JSA/New Deal services but they do not constitute an impact assessment. This is the fourth in a series of evaluation reports aiming to understand experiences of the Jobseekers Regime and Flexible New Deal (JRFND) from the point of view of customers, Jobcentre Plus staff and provider staff, and establish the extent to which JRFND leads to additional customer employment outcomes