Disjointed Service: An English Case Study of Multi-Agency Provision in Tackling Child Trafficking

This paper examines the issue of child trafficking in the United Kingdom and of multi-agency responses in tackling it. The UK, as a signatory to the recent trafficking protocols, is required to implement measures to identify and support potential victims of trafficking - via the National Referral Mechanism. Effective support for child victims is reliant on cooperation between agencies. Our regional case-study contends that fragmented agency understandings of protocols and disjointed partnership approaches in service delivery means the trafficking of vulnerable children continues across the region. This paper asserts that child-trafficking in the UK, previously viewed as an isolated localised phenomenon, maybe far more widespread, revealing deficiencies in child protection services for vulnerable children

Financial Regulations, Profit Efficiency, and Financial Soundness: Empirical Evidence from Commercial Banks of Pakistan

The purpose of this paper is threefold. First, it measures profit efficiency and financial stability of commercial banks of Pakistan. Second, it empirically estimates the effect of the already implemented financial regulations on the profit efficiency and financial stability of banks. Third, it examines the differential effect of financial regulations on profitability and financial soundness across bank size. To carry out the empirical analysis, a balanced bank-level panel data covering the period 2008-2014 is used. To gauge the profit efficiency of commercial banks, Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) is utilised, while, to proxy the financial soundness, the Z-score is calculated for each bank. The panel regression approach is used to examine the effects of financial regulations on the profit efficiency and financial soundness of banks. We find that the financial regulations enforced by State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) have significant impacts on the profit efficiency and financial stability of banks. The results indicate that the non-performance loans to assets ratio (NPLL) and the reserve ratio (RR) impact positively, whereas, the liquidity ratio (LIQR) and the loans to deposits ratio (LODEPOSIT), significantly and negatively affect the profit efficiency of banks. However, only LR and RR are positively and significant related to the financial stability. The results also suggest that the financial regulations have significant differential effects on the profit efficiency and financial soundness of banks across bank size. JEL Classification: C23, E44, G21, G28 Keywords: Profit Efficiency, Financial Soundness, Financial Regulations, Data Envelopment Analysis, Z-Score, Differential Effect

Procurement and delivery of food at holiday provision clubs

While school food initiatives across England sup-port children’s nutritional intake during school term time, there is no universal state provision during the school holidays to reduce the risk of children experiencing food insecurity. In the absence of a national program of holiday provision, community organizations in disadvantaged communities have established holiday clubs offering free food and activities to children. This paper examines how these holiday clubs source food and the challenges of procuring food and delivering healthy meals that adhere to UK School Food Standards.Results indicate that holiday clubs adopt a variety of procurement strategies including relying upon donated food. While club leaders have sought opportunities to source food cost-effectively, the findings suggest significant challenges for these clubs to achieve their aim of delivering healthy meals. Findings point to needs for sustainable funding and the developing healthy food procurement policies and processes that align with a wider food strategy

Examining the relationship between child holiday club attendance and parental mental wellbeing

Objectives: This paper reports results of an evaluation of 17 holiday clubs located throughout North East England that ran during the summer of 2017, designed to reduced summertime food insecurity. Study design: Questionnaire administed to parents/caregivers of children who attended a holiday club. Methods: Ordinary Least Squares regression models were used to predict Warwick-Edinburg Mental Wellbeing scale scores measuring parental mental wellbeing. Results: We find that after a summer of attending a holiday club, the most important factor associated with higher parental wellbeing scores is the reduction in social isolation and increased relationships that the parent and their children build while children attend holiday clubs. Conclusions: Our results suggest that reducing social isolation for parents and families during summertime is a likely a latent function of holiday clubs. These are important findings in that the benefits of holiday club appear to extend beyond access to food and reductions in household food insecurity

Frailty Nurse and GP-led models of care in Care Homes: The role of contextual factors impacting Enhanced in Care Homes framework implementation

BACKGROUND: The Enhanced Health for Care homes (EHCH) framework is an innovative response to provide more proactive, preventative approaches to care for residents living in care homes. It involves co-producing a shared vision with primary care. As part of EHCH a UK clinical commissioning group supported GP’s in two localities to implement their preferred delivery approach involving a new Frailty Nurse-led (FN-led) model in care homes alongside an existing General Practitioner-led (GP-led) model. This paper focuses on implementation of the new FN-led model. METHODS: A qualitative study design was adopted. Forty-eight qualitative semi-structured interviews were undertaken across six care home sites in a Northern locality: three implementing the FN-led and three engaged in an existing GP-led model. Participants included residents, family members, care home managers, care staff, and health professionals working within the EHCH framework. RESULTS: Two overarching themes were generated from data analysis: Unanticipated implementation issues and Unintended consequences. Unsuccessful attempts to recruit Frailty Nurses (FN) with enhanced clinical skills working at the desired level (UK NHS Band 7) led to an unanticipated evolution in the implementation process of the FN-led model towards ‘training posts’. This prompted misaligned role expectations subsequently provoking unexpected temporary outcomes regarding role-based trust. The existing, well understood nature of the GP-led model may have further exacerbated these unintended consequences. CONCLUSION: Within the broader remit of embedding EHCH frameworks, the implementation of new FN roles needed to evolve due to unforeseen recruitment issues. Wider contextual factors are not in the control of those developing new initiatives and cannot always be foreseen, highlighting how wider factors can force evolution of planned implementation processes with unintended consequences. However, the unintended consequences in this study highlight the need for careful consideration of information dissemination (content and timing) to key stakeholders, and the influence of existing ways of working

Study of the effect of natural antioxidants in polyethylene: Performance of β-carotene

The effect of β-carotene on the behaviour of polyethylene stabilized with α-tocopherol and a phosphonite antioxidant was studied under processing and storage conditions. The amount of β-carotene ranged between 0 and 2000 ppm. The polymer was characterised by different methods after processing then during and after storage at ambient temperature in light and dark. β-Carotene hinders the oxidation of polyethylene and does not increase the chain extension reactions during processing, though more vinyl groups and phosphonite molecules react. β-Carotene colours polyethylene strongly already at low concentrations. The reactions of the polymer and β-carotene are affected strongly by the storage conditions. The presence of β-carotene does not influence the stabilizing efficiency of the primary and secondary antioxidants. In dark the molecular structure of the polymer does not change appreciably, while the reactions of β-carotene lead to an increase in the yellowness index. In light the molecular characteristics of polyethylene undergo significant changes indicating long chain branching. The polymer fades rapidly after an induction period. The length of the induction period is not influenced by light. The rate of the degradation reactions of β-carotene during storage is controlled by its concentration and film thickness. Visible autoaccelerated decomposition in light renders β-carotene candidate as an indicator in active packaging materials

Older South Asian women sharing their perceptions of health and social care services and support: a participatory inquiry

Background: The needs of older people in Black Minority and Ethnic (BAME) communities require culturally appropriate services provision but little is known about how BAME older people support themselves and others, what they perceive to be their ‘needs’ and, critically, the extent to which they feel such needs are being appropriately met. Objective: To enable older women from a BAME community to work with health and social care professionals and organisations, to support independent living. Methods: In 2016, all 15 members of a BAME older women’s social group attached to a Women’s Centre in the North East of England, approached the research team to support achieving this objective. They did not wish to be co-researchers. A collaborative participatory inquiry was carried out. The research team and the older social group designed, together, four workshops that explored: (i) health and well-being; (ii) home and housing; (iii) services and support. There was also an evaluative session with stakeholders, and the research team managed research processes. Findings: Most of the women described living with mobility and health challenges requiring change and adaptation. Language and literacy might be barriers to building confidential professional relationships with primary care professionals. The women emphasised needing a ‘little bit of help’ in the home, that is affordable, culturally appropriate, and on their terms. They stressed such help would make them less reliant on busy family members and restore status, purpose, and standing. Conclusion: Findings do not address all BAME older people’s needs. They do, however, have implications for how health and social care services can work with older people from BAME communities, to promote and maintain meaningful independence, on their terms

LEPs Strategic Economic Plans: An initial assessment

An initial assessment, by researchers on behalf of the RTPI, of a sample of LEP strategic plans which were submitted this week to the government, has concluded that those LEPs benefiting from a history of larger-than-local partnership working, local authority collaboration and/or a policy active business community have produced some of the most credible and distinct Strategic Economic Plans

Assessing the feasibility of using place-based health information in alcohol licensing: case studies from seven local authorities in England

As in most other countries, England has no explicit alcohol licensing objective around health, so objections to applications tend to focus on the traditional concerns of crime and public disorder. We examined the practicalities of using health-related information in local licensing decisions and the prospects for a dedicated health-associated licensing objective. Seven local authority pilot areas were purposively selected and provided with a compendium of health information (Public Health England Toolkit), including data-access agreements and mapping software. A series of ‘mock licensing hearings’ explored practical challenges in using health data. Key informants were interviewed at baseline and 10–12 weeks after receiving the Toolkit. Access to localised health information was problematic, and there was a mismatch between a ‘data-orientated approach’ and the need for contextualised evidence. Perceived difficulty in proving that a new licence would damage health discouraged challenges on health grounds. Constraints in using health information in alcohol licensing are not restricted to the absence of a dedicated health-associated licensing objective. While the latter may enhance the legitimacy of public health participation, improved access to localised health information, stronger collaborative working and training in how to contextualise evidence, will all be critical to better alcohol harm reduction through licensing decisions