Local Authority Level Research Articles

Outsourcing and children's social care: A longitudinal analysis of inspection outcomes among English children's homes and local authorities

Most residential children's social care services in England, including children's homes, are operated by for-profit companies, but the implications of this development are not well understood. This paper aims to address this gap by undertaking the first longitudinal and comprehensive evaluation of the associations between for-profit outsourcing and quality of service provision among English local authorities and children's homes. To enable investigation of the implications of outsourcing children's residential social care services, we create and analyse a novel and longitudinal dataset covering more than 13,000 children's home inspections by Ofsted (the independent regulator of children's social care in England) over a period of 7 years (2014–2021). We also investigate the association between Ofsted local authority (LA) ratings and the reliance of LAs on for-profit and third sector outsourcing of children in care placements. Our analysis shows that for-profit providers are statistically significantly more likely to be rated of lower quality than both public and third sector services. For-profit children's homes also violate a greater number of requirements and receive more recommendations compared to other ownership types. These findings are robust to model specification and consistent over the full analysed period. At LA level, we find provisional evidence that LA Ofsted ratings are negatively correlated with the percentage of for-profit outsourcing, suggesting that LAs which outsource a greater amount of their children in care placements perform less well than those which do not. These findings are of significant concern given the focus of these services on society's most vulnerable service users. However, caution is needed in terms of regulating the sector going forward, as the role of for-profit provision cannot be replaced without substantial coordination and long-term planning.

Inequalities in the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic: an ecological study of inequalities in mortality in the first wave and the effects of the first national lockdown in England

ObjectivesTo examine how ecological inequalities in COVID-19 mortality rates evolved in England, and whether the first national lockdown impacted them. This analysis aimed to provide evidence for important lessons to...

Instruments for disaster preparedness evaluation: a scoping review

Measuring disaster preparedness has been a challenge as there is no consensus on a standardised approach to evaluation. This lack of clear definitions and performance metrics makes it difficult to determine whether past investments in preparedness have made sense or to see what is missing. This scoping review presents publications addressing the evaluation of disaster preparedness at the governmental level. A literature search was performed to identify relevant journal articles from 5 major scientific databases (Scopus, MEDLINE, PsycInfo, Business Source Premier and SocINDEX). Studies meeting the inclusion criteria were analysed. The review considered the multi-disciplinarily of disaster management and offers a broad overview of the concepts for preparedness evaluation offered in the literature. The results reveal a focus on all-hazards approach as well as local authority level in preparedness evaluation. Variation in the types of instruments used to measure preparedness and the diversity of questions and topics covered in the publications suggest little consensus on what constitutes preparedness and how it should be measured. Many assessment instruments seem to lack use in the field, which limits feedback on them from experts and practitioners. In addition, tools that are easy to use and ready for use by practitioners seem scarce.

LAYERS: A Decision-Support Tool to Illustrate and Assess the Supply and Value Chain for the Energy Transition

Climate change mitigation strategies are developed at international, national, and local authority levels. Technological solutions such as renewable energies (RE) and electric vehicles (EV) have geographically widespread knock-on effects on raw materials. In this paper, a decision-support and data-visualization tool named “LAYERS” is presented, which applies a material flow analysis to illustrate the complex connections along supply chains for carbon technologies. A case study focuses on cobalt for lithium-ion batteries (LIB) required for EVs. It relates real business data from mining and manufacturing to actual EV registrations in the UK to visualize the intended and unintended consequences of the demand for cobalt. LAYERS integrates a geographic information systems (GIS) architecture, database scheme, and whole series of stored procedures and functions. By means of a 3D visualization based on GIS, LAYERS conveys a clear understanding of the location of raw materials (from reserves, to mining, refining, manufacturing, and use) across the globe. This highlights to decision makers the often hidden but far-reaching geo-political implications of the growing demands for a range of raw materials that are needed to meet long-term carbon-reduction targets.

PROBLEMS OF ENSURING HUMAN RIGHTS TO PUBLIC SERVICES FOR THE RESIDENTS OF THE UNITED TERRITORIAL COMMUNITIES OF UKRAINE

Modern Ukraine is characterized by a period of fundamental changes in state-building and law-making. Since 2014 the ongoing constitutional reform is aimed at optimal organization of local self-government. By searching the ways to decentralize, Ukraine aims to ensure the proper functioning of basic municipal institutions. The united territorial community (UTC) is the primary element of local democracy and therefore plays an important role in addressing issues related to the daily needs of community members. The local level authorities provide ineffective governance and they do not provide the scope of public services that residents need, especially in rural areas. The existence of an underdeveloped health care system in Ukraine has led to low quality and inaccessibility of medical care to the population, especially in rural areas. The beginning of the rural healthcare reform was laid by the adoption of the Law of Ukraine, “On increasing the availability and quality of medical care in rural areas.” The system for high-quality and affordable healthcare to rural residents can be created by: 1) optimizing delivery; 2) training; 3) access to specialized facilities; 4) telehealth; 5) creating appropriate infrastructure; 6) working conditions and living standards for healthcare professionals; 7) preventive measures for public health; 8) ensuring interaction between central and local executive authorities. UTCs must utilize the powers granted to them by law to create a client-oriented system of public administration while protecting citizens’ constitutional rights – particularly their rights to health protection and healthcare.

Food Sales and Adult Weight Status: Results of a Cross-Sectional Study in England

Ecological studies often use supermarket location as a proxy measure of the food environment. In this study, we used data on sales at a leading mainstream supermarket chain to explore how area-level supermarket use is associated with overweight and obesity in English adults. Sales data were aggregated to local authority level and joined to a national dataset describing self-reported height and weight and fruit and vegetable consumption. Regression models showed a modest association between higher levels of unhealthy food sales relative to health food sales and increased odds of being overweight and obese. Although effect sizes were small, they persisted after adjustment for area-level deprivation. Supermarket sales data provide additional understanding in the study of food environments and their impact on increasing weight status. Future health policies should consider using ‘big data’ combined with other research methods to address the increasing consumption of unhealthy and highly processed foods.

How does the association between special education need and absence vary overtime and across special education need types?

ABSTRACT School absenteeism is a significant social and public health problem, and it has considerable negative consequences on the development of children and adolescents not only in the short term but also in the long term. We investigated special education needs (SEN) as a risk factor for absenteeism. For 418,455 mainstream secondary school students from 151 local authorities in England, multilevel linear regression models were run to investigate the association between SEN, SEN types and absenteeism during their secondary school period from year 7 to year 11. Local authority level variation was also investigated. Adolescents with SEN were more likely to be absent than their peers without SEN. Of adolescents with SEN, those with physical disability, followed by those with behavioural, emotional and social difficulties had the highest rates of absenteeism. Absenteeism rates increased as adolescents grew older. The association between absenteeism and having any SEN varied substantially across Local authorities. The results suggest that early interventions/preventative measures could mitigate loss of schooling due to absence. Moreover, the substantial variation in attendance for children across different local authorities suggest that there may be scope for local authorities to influence absence rates among adolescents.

Foreign experience of anti-crisis management of medical institutions

The main components of the crisis management system of medical institutions were highlighted. Crisis situations will be understood as the inability of medical institutions to provide the population with medical services on time due to lack of various resources.
 As a result of catastrophes, natural disasters, armed conflicts, crisis situations arise when medical institutions are not able to fully provide the population with medical services, there is a lack of funding, human and material resources. Ukraine is no exception, as the armed conflict in the East in 2014 and Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine confirmed the lack of sufficient labor, logistical resources and financial support to provide quality medical care to the population. In such conditions, there is a need to develop tools, means of overcoming crisis situations in healthcare facilities.
 The aim of the article is to systematize the recommendations for Ukraine on the formation of a system of crisis management of healthcare facilities.
 Materials and methods of the research. The basis for the study were provided by private clinics for analysis documents of financial and economic reporting for the pre- and post-crisis periods, as well as scientific works of famous Ukrainian and foreign scientists. The research used methods of analysis, comparison, medical and statistical method and system.
 The result of the study was an analysis of the state of funding for healthcare facilities in Ukraine and a comparative analysis with the state of funding for such facilities in other developed countries such as Italy, Germany, Sweden, France.
 Conclusions. The main components of the system of anti-crisis management of medical institutions in crisis conditions are: effective leadership, which is provided by managers and management staff; human resources; equal access to basic medicines, vaccines and technologies of guaranteed quality, safety, efficiency; a functioning health information system has been established; financing of healthcare institutions and their financial protection in case of crisis; the process of providing quality, safe and efficient medical services with minimal expenditure of resources. In most European countries, the basic functions of healthcare management (prioritization, financing, service delivery, supply planning, quality control) are decentralized and carried out at the level of regional or local authorities, or regional health insurance funds or trusts

ДЕТЕРМІНАНТИ СТАЛОГО РОЗВИТКУ СТАРОПРОМИСЛОВОГО РЕГІОНУ

Proceeding from the sustainable development paradigm, the old-industrial region needs innovative solutions in the economic, environmental and social sphere, which would provide prerequisites for the modernization of economic relations, territories, environmental protection, infrastructure, industrial production, etc. In this regard, the problem of studying the main determinants of sustainable development of the old industrial region is actualized. The aim of the research is to systematize the determinants of sustainable development of the old industrial region and the ways of its modernization. The basic determinants of sustainable development of an old industrial region have been defined and classified according to such classification attributes as finance, ecology, food safety, social-cultural condition, infrastructure, marketing of the region, industrial-production potential. The features of sustainable development of old industrial region have been pointed out: the concentration of cities (districts within cities, settlements) around large industrial enterprises and agglomerations; a critically dangerous state of environmental pollution; the use of Industry 3.0 (less often Industry 2.0) technologies in industrial production. It has been proved that the problem of modernization of Ukrainian old industrial regions, which is acute in most countries of the world, involves the transition to Industry 4.0 technologies, which ensure the competitiveness of industrial production. This problem is complex and its solution requires the necessary deliberate decisions at the level of state authorities, local authorities and industrial owners. At the same time, it is necessary to develop an adequate state policy to shift Ukraine’s industry to Industry 4.0, including preferential taxation, cluster development, and comprehensive attraction of both domestic and foreign investors.

Exploring trade-offs between landscape impact, land use and resource quality for onshore variable renewable energy: an application to Great Britain

The ambitious Net Zero aspirations of Great Britain (GB) require massive and rapid developments of Variable Renewable Energy (VRE) technologies. GB possesses substantial resources for these technologies, but questions remain about which VRE should be exploited where. This study develops a transferable methodology to explore the trade-offs between landscape impact, land use competition and resource quality for onshore wind as well as ground- and roof-mounted photovoltaic (PV) systems for the first time across GB. These trade-offs constrain the technical and economic potentials for these technologies at the Local Authority level. Our approach combines techno-economic and geospatial analyses with crowd-sourced ‘scenicness’ data to quantify landscape aesthetics. Despite strong correlations between scenicness and planning application outcomes for onshore wind, no such relationship exists for ground-mounted PV. The innovative method for rooftop-PV assessment combines bottom-up analysis of four cities with a top-down approach at the national level. The results show large technical potentials that are strongly constrained by both landscape and land use aspects. This equates to about 1324 TWh of onshore wind, 153 TWh of rooftop PV and 1200–7093 TWh ground-mounted PV, depending on scenario. We conclude with five recommendations that focus around aligning energy and planning policies for VRE technologies across multiple scales and governance arenas.

Air pollution and individuals' mental well-being in the adult population in United Kingdom: A spatial-temporal longitudinal study and the moderating effect of ethnicity.

Recent studies suggest an association between ambient air pollution and mental well-being, though evidence is mostly fragmented and inconclusive. Research also suffers from methodological limitations related to study design and moderating effect of key demographics (e.g., ethnicity). This study examines the effect of air pollution on reported mental well-being in United Kingdom (UK) using spatial-temporal (between-within) longitudinal design and assesses the moderating effect of ethnicity. Data for 60,146 adult individuals (age:16+) with 349,748 repeated responses across 10-data collection waves (2009-2019) from "Understanding-Society: The-UK-Household-Longitudinal-Study" were linked to annual concentrations of NO2, SO2, PM10, and PM2.5 pollutants using the individuals' place of residence, given at the local-authority and at the finer Lower-Super-Output-Areas (LSOAs) levels; allowing for analysis at two geographical scales across time. The association between air pollution and mental well-being (assessed through general-health-questionnaire-GHQ12) and its modification by ethnicity and being non-UK born was assessed using multilevel mixed-effect logit models. Higher odds of poor mental well-being was observed with every 10μg/m3 increase in NO2, SO2, PM10 and PM2.5 pollutants at both LSOAs and local-authority levels. Decomposing air pollution into spatial-temporal (between-within) effects showed significant between, but not within effects; thus, residing in more polluted local-authorities/LSOAs have higher impact on poor mental well-being than the air pollution variation across time within each geographical area. Analysis by ethnicity revealed higher odds of poor mental well-being with increasing concentrations of SO2, PM10, and PM2.5 only for Pakistani/Bangladeshi, other-ethnicities and non-UK born individuals compared to British-white and natives, but not for other ethnic groups. Using longitudinal individual-level and contextual-linked data, this study highlights the negative effect of air pollution on individuals' mental well-being. Environmental policies to reduce air pollution emissions can eventually improve the mental well-being of people in UK. However, there is inconclusive evidence on the moderating effect of ethnicity.

Changes to local area public sector spending and food purchasing in England: a longitudinal ecological study

ObjectivesChanges in public sector service spending may influence food consumption. We make use of changing local authority (LA) expenditure in England to assess impacts on food purchasing. We examine total...

Time varying association between deprivation, ethnicity and SARS-CoV-2 infections in England: A population-based ecological study.

BackgroundEthnically diverse and socio-economically deprived communities have been differentially affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK.MethodUsing a multilevel regression model we assessed the time-varying association between SARS-CoV-2 infections and areal level deprivation and ethnicity from 1st of June 2020 to the 19th of September 2021. We separately considered weekly test positivity rate and estimated debiased prevalence at the Lower Tier Local Authority (LTLA) level, adjusting for confounders and spatio-temporal correlation structure.FindingsComparing the least deprived and predominantly White areas with most deprived and predominantly non-White areas over the whole study period, the weekly positivity rate increases from 2·977% (95% CrI 2.913%-3.029%) to 3·347% (95% CrI 3.300%-3.402%). Similarly, prevalence increases from 0·369% (95% CrI 0.361%-0.375%) to 0·405% (95% CrI 0.399%-0.412%). Deprivation has a stronger effect until October 2020, while the effect of ethnicity becomes more pronounced at the peak of the second wave and then again in May-June 2021. In the second wave of the pandemic, LTLAs with large South Asian populations were the most affected, whereas areas with large Black populations did not show increased values for either outcome during the entire period under analysis.InterpretationDeprivation and proportion of non-White populations are both associated with an increased COVID-19 burden in terms of disease spread and monitoring, but the strength of association varies over the course of the pandemic and for different ethnic subgroups. The consistency of results across the two outcomes suggests that deprivation and ethnicity have a differential impact on disease exposure or susceptibility rather than testing access and habits.FundingsEPSRC, MRC, The Alan Turing Institute, NIH, UKHSA, DHSC.

How local partnerships to improve urgent and emergency care have impacted delayed transfers of care from hospitals in England: an analysis based on a synthetic control estimation method

ObjectivesPatients should be discharged from hospital when they are medically fit. However, discharges are often delayed for non-medical reasons including access to social care. One aim of local health and...

Analysis of greenhouse gas mitigation performance in UK urban areas

As the threat of irreversible climate change has increased over time, the UK has continued to set increasingly ambitious policies to reduce its carbon emission. An assessment of mitigation progress to date at the local authority level clarifies the factors that have affected greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions on the path to carbon neutrality. This research uses regression analyses between local authorities’ GHG emission redcutions and selected explanatory variables (including population density, household income, and manufacturing employment) identified from the literature to explore mitigation performance over time, focusing on GHG emissions changes between 2005 and 2016. Substantial and relatively consistent GHG emissions reductions were achieved in this time frame, with average total reductions across UK local authorities of 31.2%. Population density was moderately-to-strongly correlated with the success of transportation GHG emissions mitigation, though this sector has seen the smallest percentage declines over this period. Local authorities with densities below 25 inhabitants per hectare were generally among the poorest performers in transportation GHG mitigation. This underscores the need to support remote working and electrification of personal transportation in areas where public/active transportation options are not viable alternatives. Furthermore, consideration of population density in conjunction with domestic and urban planning will allow for future emissions reductions to occur across the UK. Fundamentally, GHG emissions reductions to date are largely driven by historic factors (density), shifting economic structures (deindustrialisation), and centralised initiatives (decarbonisation of electricity generation).

ФАКТОРЫ ЭТНИЧНОСТИ ПРИ ТЕРРИТОРИАЛЬНОМ РАЗМЕЖЕВАНИИ УРАЛЬСКОЙ ОБЛАСТИ И БАШКИРСКОЙ РЕСПУБЛИКИ В 1920-Е ГОДЫ

The article analyzes the situation of border conflicts between the Ural region and the Bashkir Autonomous Socialist Republic (BASSR) over the territory of the bend of the Belaya and Kama rivers in the 1920s. It is emphasized that nowadays, there is a narrative in historiography about the predominance of “national republics” in the USSR in the 1920s, but this provision may be revised. Until 1918, the lands in question belonged to Bashkir landowners, but were inhabited by Russian peasants who took them on lease. After the Bolsheviks came to power and the abolition of lease relations, both the Ural region and the Republic of Bashkortostan claimed these territories. The former pointed to the Russian composition of the population, the latter indicated the established economic ties. The paper examines in detail the development of this conflict, the application of the existing mechanisms and tools of decision-making of that time, as well as the role of the ethnic component in them. After lengthy negotiations at the level of local authorities, no compromise was reached. The authorities of the Republic of Bashkortostan campaigned among the local population and engaged specially trained respondents for surveys, while representatives of the Ural region refused to accept any opinion that did not correspond to the idea of local peasants transferring with their land to the Ural region. As a result, the issue was considered by the Administrative Commission of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, and the disputed territories were assigned to the Ural region. Therefore, in a state that has abandoned the prejudices of the past, the ethnic principle has played a key role in defining the boundaries of regions. This example shows that the Bolsheviks, even in the early years of Soviet power, were guided not only by the policy of unconditional preferential treatment of “national republics”.

Towards a normative framework for local authorities in facilitating foreign direct investment

Using two local authorities (LAs) (Windhoek and Walvis Bay) in Namibia, this study problematises their negative and neutral developmental experiences with facilitating foreign direct investment (FDI) as concerning (Jauch, 2020). The absence of a normative framework for LA FDI facilitation in Namibia’s multi-level government (MLG) system creates a developmental quagmire for LAs. This study develops a normative framework for LA FDI facilitation to avert the negative and neutral developmental experiences of LAs with facilitating FDI. Using the qualitative method, this study interviewed 13 key respondents that were sampled through the purposive/judgemental technique. Data were interpreted and presented through thematic analysis. The key findings point to the development of a normative framework for LA FDI facilitation that ascends the need for 1) sufficient decentralised functions of FDI facilitation in an MLG system; 2) policy and legislative harmonisation to avert challenges of coordination and implementation in an MLG system; 3) institutional structures for an efficient MLG system at the LA level; and 4) broader legal and policy framework for efficient governance at the sub-national government (SNG) level in an MLG system. This study recommends the application of this normative framework in MLG systems to ascend LAs’ developmental role in facilitating FDI for development.

Child Protection Investigations in Scotland: A 33 Per Cent Increase in Two Years

The Scottish government plans a more preventive and partnership‐oriented approach to child protection. However, it has not recently published statistics on the number of child protection investigations. This paper analyses data from a request for information from government. It shows a rate of 153 investigations per 10 000 children aged 0–17 in 2017/18. There were wide variations in rates of investigations across Scottish local authorities. Almost three‐quarters of investigations in 2017/18 did not lead to the child being placed on the child protection register. A small association between investigation rates and local authority deprivation suggests that factors other than deprivation at the local authority level are at play in decisions to investigate child protection. There has been an increase of investigations by one‐third in the last two years with no change in the numbers starting a child protection plan. These trends raise the possibility that concerns about the preventive approach net‐widening and leading to more rather than less children drawn into the formal child protection system may have some basis. The limited nature of published statistical data in Scotland means that policies and activities, which are carried out with large amounts of public funding, receive limited public scrutiny.Key Practitioner Messages One investigation was conducted for every 65 children in Scotland in 2017/18. One child in 23 was investigated before the age of four. Rates of investigation vary widely between local authorities. One in four investigations are likely to lead to a child protection registration. There was a 33 per cent increase in investigations in the most recent two years with no change in child protection registrations. Investigations harm families and lessen the chances of engaging them with support. ‘The limited nature of published statistical data in Scotland means that policies and activities, which are carried out with large amounts of public funding, receive limited public scrutiny’

Determining the Nexus between National Policies and Local Practices in the Promotion of Businesses for Local Economic Development in Tanzania

National governments set policies that affect local level development and influence the pace and content of development initiatives. Local economic development (LED) initiatives require a more robust focus on issues that places local government authorities at centre stage. For decades, at the local government authority level, much effort has been seen in the social development arena shadowing efforts to promote local businesses through business development services. National level organs set to promote businesses and to support the business agenda are expected to be the change catalysts and to propagate supportive policies for sustainable local economic development objectives. Nonetheless, the desired integration of efforts between national and local authorities and the civil society is yet to be observed. Additionally, frequent policy changes affecting the balance of power and authority between the national and local level authorities impact less positively local capacity to promote businesses despite the national efforts in infrastructure development. It is observed that better integration of efforts between the different actors, increased capacity of local authorities and implementation of local initiatives to surmount local challenges while working on policy attributed gaps, are necessary for promoting businesses at the local authority level.

A thematic analysis of teachers' perspectives on supporting victims of childhood bereavement in British primary schools

AbstractThere is a distinct lack of literature considering childhood bereavement within the United Kingdom. There is particularly a lack of age‐specific research into childhood bereavement and the types of support schools are providing for this group of children. In light of this lack of research, the aim of this study was to explore the experiences, perspectives and views of teachers on supporting children in British primary schools. Interviews were analysed using thematic analysis (TA). Analysis revealed four major themes relating to bereavement support: ‘support available is inconsistent’, ‘systemic limitations’, ‘lack of policy and guidance’ and ‘speaking to children about death’. The research showed that bereavement support in British primary schools is varied and inconsistent, with examples of good practice and areas for improvement. At the same time, both childhood bereavement and the support available to bereaved children are socially biased, with those in socioeconomically deprived areas more likely to experience a bereavement and receive lower quality support. This study indicates that government policy or guidance with regards to childhood bereavement would be advantageous, for staff and children alike. Context and implicationsRationale for this studyThis study was undertaken due to the distinct lack of research into childhood bereavement in the UK. One in 29 children in the UK will be bereaved of a parent or sibling before their 16th birthday (McLaughlin et al., 2019) and evidence suggests schools are well placed to support bereaved children in the aftermath of loss.Why the new findings matterThe research investigates the perspectives and experiences of teachers supporting bereaved children in British primary schools, highlighting what support currently exists, that teachers do not feel confident supporting bereaved children, and the systemic limitations which hinder the support they can provide.Implications for policymakers and education professionalsThe study has implications for policy makers, particularly the Department for Education (DfE), who may consider devising a national bereavement policy akin to those available abroad. Education professionals, including teachers and educational psychologists, might consider the findings in light of their own practice and develop local authority level bereavement protocols to support children. There are implications for teacher training providers who might consider the lack of bereavement training available at present (both in initial teacher training and continued professional development) and address this. Other researchers may consider the gaps in research found in our study and conduct further research to deepen the knowledge base.