In the last edition we revealed we have been rated one of the top performing sector skills councils following our relicensing assessment. Since the announcement we have received congratulations and messages of support from key figures from across the sector.

We're very grateful for this recognition and would like to thank everybody that supported us during the comprehensive relicensing process. Here are some of the messages that we've received.

In his letter of confirmation Lord Mandelson, the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation & Skills congratulated us "on this positive outcome, which I know reflects a lot of hard work and commitment."

'Congratulations to [the] team who have done a very good job indeed and should be proud of their achievement.' - Paul McKeever, Chairman Police Federation.

'Well done to the team!' - David Wood, Strategic Director of Criminality and Detention.

'I am aware of the hard work and dedication that has gone into this and the result is a proper and well earned recognition of the achievement.' - Michael Selby, National Trustee for Victim Support.

'My congratulations to the whole team - a job well done.' - John Cooke OBE, Lincolnshire Police Authority.

'This is really excellent news - congratulations to all!' - Dr.Frances Mannsaker, Pro Vice Chancellor, University of Lincoln.

'Really good news, well done team.' - Angela O'Connor, National Policing Improvement Agency.

'Well done all of you in relicensing. This ensures that we continue to have a great asset within Criminal Justice in Scotland.' - John Tannahill, Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (Scotland).

A copy of the National Audit Office assessment report and UKCES recommendations are now available.

In conjunction with the Mentoring and Befriending Foundation, we are developing National Occupational Standards (NOS) and a Vocational Qualification for Mentoring and Befriending in the community. The project will focus specifically on the mentoring of offenders and those most at risk of offending.

We have formed working groups consisting of representatives from a wide range of organisations involved in Mentoring and Befriending in the community sector. Utilising the knowledge and expertise of these representatives, we now have a draft versions of the NOS and qualification structure available on our website.

The draft NOS and vocational qualification are now available for UK wide consultation. We are inviting feedback and comments from those involved in Mentoring and befriending in the community, especially those who work with offenders or those at risk of offending.

To contribute, please complete our online questionnaire which offers an easy way to leave comments and feedback on the standards. The deadline for feedback is Tuesday 8 December 2009.

Your feedback on the suitability of these documents is vital for ensuring that they are fit for purpose and appropriate for use by individuals working within this field. Please feel free to distribute this information to your colleagues and associates within the sector.

For further information please contact Emma Dove at emma.dove@skillsforjustice.com or on 0114 231 7251.

The National Occupational Standards (NOS) for Preventing and tackling domestic and sexual abuse/violence have now been approved and are available for use. We have produced a handy guide which lists the NOS and provides practical information on their uses. Download the guide from our website.

We developed the NOS by working in conjunction with key stakeholders from across the sector. The NOS define common standards for the skills and knowledge needed by the many agencies that provide services aimed at preventing domestic violence and sexual abuse.

We have been working closely with the UK Fire and Rescue Sector and Expert Practitioners to review National Occupational Standards (NOS) for Fire Safety.

These standards are reviewed at timely intervals to take account of changes in the sector, current or emerging legislation and new approaches to NOS development. We are keen to ensure they reflect the needs of the people who work in the Sector.

We are currently holding a consultation to give UK Fire and Rescue Sector regulators, fire safety practitioners and key stakeholders the opportunity to comment and provide feedback on the draft Fire Safety NOS.

The draft Fire Safety NOS are now available for you to review and comment. The consultation will remain open until 18 December 2009.

View the draft NOS and Questionnaire

Please save the consultation questionnaire in a convenient place on your computer before attempting to complete and returning it to the Project Technical Consultant, Geoff Carroll at geoffcarroll@btconnect.com.

Should you require any further information please contact Julie Benson at julie.benson@skillsforjustice.com or telephone 0114 231 7390.

We have launched an extensive project which will develop National Occupational Standards (NOS) and qualifications based on core competencies for those working with Children and Young People.

This work will have a significant impact on the lives of children and young people by ensuring that all those working with children, young people and their families have the best possible training, qualifications and services so that they can work together to place the child is the centre of all services.

The project is being funded by the Children's Workforce Development Council (CWDC) and we are developing a suite of NOS and qualifications that will directly affect all professions and occupations that provide services for children, young people and their families.

Due to the scale of this project and the amount of employers that fall into the remit, we intend on conducting extensive consultations across a wide range of stakeholder organisations.

If you would like to know more about the project or would like to be a member of the working group please contact the Project Manager Rebecca Morgan at rebecca.morgan@skillsforjustice.com or on 0114 2317252

The Qualifications Team for the Children's Workforce Development Council (CWDC) is creating an advisory panel of experts to inform the development of new qualifications for the Children and Young People's workforce.

Panel members will have expertise of practice within the children and young people's workforce or have excellent knowledge of assessment methodologies or experience in delivering qualifications and assessing skills and knowledge.

If you or colleagues from your networks would be interested in getting involved please visit the CWDC website. The deadline for submissions is 1pm on Friday 6 November.

We are leading a project to develop a Vocational Qualifications Framework to support planning for and responding to Civil Contingencies.

We previously led a UK wide National Occupational Standards (NOS) project in partnership with other Sector Skills Councils to develop a functional map and suite of NOS for planning for and responding to major incidents. The full suite of NOS has been approved and are now ready for use. Access them on our online NOS Finder toolkit.

In developing qualifications we aim to take account of the roles of a wide range of agencies that may be involved in planning for, and responding to major incidents. This will include agencies such as Police forces, the Fire & Rescue Sector, Health Services and Local Authorities, the Environment Agency, Utility & Transport Companies, Security Firms and the wide range of not-for-profit agencies that respond to emergencies, such as the Red Cross, WRVS and victim support.

We will work closely with the Emergency Planning Society (EPS) and Emergency Planning College (EPC) to progress and direct the work. The first steering group meeting took place on 12 October 2009 and we are now working to set up Working groups.

If you are interested in being involved in the working group or the consultation, or require further information please contact Des Jenkinson at des.jenkinson@skillsforjustice.com or call 0114 2615803.

Michelle Ugwueze from West Midlands Police has recently finished her Action Learning Set facilitator training with Women and Work, and has said that she 'loved every aspect of the course'. Having worked for the police for six years, she wanted to improve her problem-solving skills, but was surprised at the effect it had on her personal development.

Action Learning Set (ALS) training taught her the importance of proper listening, and how to direct others to their own solutions. In turn, she is now better at solving her own problems - 'I'm a better person in dealing with my issues and issues of other people brought to my attention. I'm better able to think of options on the spot when faced with immediate challenges'. This has made her a better officer, and an ambassador for the course itself.

She has also said that 'the programme will improve your listening skills and expand your knowledge on dealing with issues brought to you without having to think long and hard about how to deal with it. You'll never regret going on the course. It was very enlightening and days well spent, I could not have asked for a better way to spend my time'.

Michelle's glowing recommendation for the course gives an insight into the personal benefit and the advantages for organisations too. To discuss how you can take part in this life changing opportunity, contact the Women and Work team on 0114 231 7392, or email us at womenandwork@skillsforjustice.com.

We are reviewing our Governance arrangements. We want to involve more of our stakeholders in shaping our agenda and activities through a Council of Members while moving to a smaller Board. To view our proposals in full, and to comment please see our online consultation. The consultation is open until Friday 6 November.

Content in the article/s below has been supplied by external source/s. Skills for Justice can take no responsibility for the accuracy of the material, nor should their inclusion be taken to indicate Skills for Justice endorsement.

Over 80% of people are more likely to use a business if it offers Apprenticeships to young people, according to research released this week.

Research carried out by YouGov on behalf of the National Apprenticeship Service, (NAS) asked a sample of consumers what factors they considered when buying products or services. It found that people are just as keen to buy from a company that supports young people by employing an apprentice as they are from a firm that has fair trade agreements with its suppliers (81%), or one that has strong environmental credentials (77%).

As well as highlighting the potential business benefits of employing an apprentice, the research also shows consumers' resounding support for young job seekers in today's economic climate with 94% of people stating that they think it is important for companies to take on apprentices during the recession.

Simon Waugh, Chief Executive of NAS said
'These results prove that there are definite business advantages for companies in England that take on apprentices as part of their workforce. In the current economic climate, businesses want to stand out from the crowd and offering Apprenticeships is one way of doing this.'

We are keen to encourage more individuals and employers to take advantage of the opportunities that the Apprenticeship programme offers, and we are prepared to lead by example. We are pleased to confirm that we have recruited a management Apprentice who will join us from next month.

To find out more visit the Apprenticeships website or for information on Justice sector specific Apprenticeships visit our website.

Fourteen members of staff from Victim Support Wales were awarded the Institute of Leadership and Management's (ILM) level 3 Certificate in First Line Management at a reception in Cardiff on 23 October. The course was funded by the Welsh Assembly Government and supported by us. Certificates were presented by Victim Support Wales Manger, Gaynor McKeown and Chair of our Wales Country Group, Ken Gilliver.

This is the second time the Welsh Assembly has supported Victim Support learning in Wales. The success was first recognised by Welsh Assembly Minister Dr Brian Gibbons who said:
'I was very impressed at how professional that organisation had become and how integrated it was in the wider community safety family here in Wales.'

This recognition gave Victim Support a head start when a further opportunity presented itself, allowing 15 staff from Victim Support Wales to start work on a level 3 Certificate in First Line Management. The qualification proved challenging, requiring staff to apply the learning to solving work based problems.

The employees awarded qualifications were Julie Sayce, Carolyn Hodrien, Linda Parry, Pam Harding, Gill Lewis, Chris Tucker, Lindsey Thomas, Shan Moore, Bethan Williams, Catherine Phillips, Shelly Harrold, Jennie Dean, Peter Streatfield and Bernadette Logan. Congratulations to all.

Members of the public can now access an interactive crime map which allows them to compare offending rates in neighbourhoods across England and Wales. The new online resource has been developed by the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) along with forces across England and Wales on behalf of the Home Office.

The service is intended to boost confidence in local policing by giving the public a clearer picture of the level of offending where they live.

The Crime Map colour-codes areas based on the level of reported crime and gives detailed information on the rate of burglaries, robberies, violent and vehicle crimes, and other anti-social behaviour.

The interactive map allows users to zoom in on any area of England or Wales and find out about crime levels in their village, town, city or region.

Steve Mortimore, Deputy Chief Executive of the NPIA, has been quoted by Sky News as saying
"The national Crime Map is a vital step forward in giving the public more information about crime in their areas to increase confidence in the service they receive from the police."

"Fear of crime is known to outstrip the reality. The Crime Map will give people the facts about local crime and what forces are doing about it. It is a crucial way of improving the efforts to tackle local crime, since communities that are involved in policing help reduce crime and bring more offenders to justice."

Visit the Crime Map website, developed by the NPIA and the Home Office.