Policy briefings
Our Policy and Participation team who co-ordinate the networks and our Local Involvement Network Team produce policy briefings summarising important policies in their specific area.
A key aspect of T3SC’s work is to provide our members with information and support that will enable them to engage effectively with the local public sector. This is both to make sure that the local public sector gains from a voluntary and community sector better placed to help meet local priorities and also to see that the voluntary and community sector is, in turn, able to influence local policy making and demonstrate its value.
We will continue to take every opportunity to make a strong case for the sector in our discussions with local decision makers, and to support the sector to do this as well.
A key part of this is providing up to date and easily accessible policy briefings – the latest of which you will find here.
Areas:
National
Government policy update
The 
Equality Act is a piece of Parliamentary legislation which aims create a more equal society in Britain as it requires equal treatment in access to employment as well as public and private services regardless of gender, race, disability, sexual orientation, belief and age.
Funky Lizard - Families, children and young people
2020 Children and Young people's Workforce Strategy
Every Child Matters - What's it all about?
Health and Social Care Briefings
White Paper - Equity and Excellence Liberating the NHS - briefing
(Presented to Parliament by the Secretary of State for Health, Andrew Lansley, 12 July 2010)
The Coalition Government’s White Paper on health – Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS has been delivered to parliament and sets out the most dramatic whole system changes the NHS has seen since its inception. From abolishing Primary Care Trusts (PCT’s), expanding the creation of Social Enterprises to unprecedented proportions, to the future of Local Involvement Networks (LINks) the next few years is set to be very different and challenging for all health providers including those from the third sector, but will undoubtedly bring many opportunities too.
November 2008
Health and Social Care Policy Briefing
Contains:
- ‘Our health, our care, our say: a new direction for community services’: The White Paper the recommendations of which have directed all Health and Social Care changes since 2006.
- ‘Putting People First: A Shared Vision and Commitment to the Transformation of Adult Social Care’: How reforms will affect particular groups who traditionally struggle to access services e.g. people with disabilities and carers.
- Report of the North West PCTs Fluoridation Evaluation Group: A review of the possibility of adding fluoride to Tameside’s water.
January 2009
Health and Social Care Policy Briefing - 2
Contains:
-
'NHS Next Stage Review: What it means for the Third Sector’. (Department of Health, December 2008).
Details on how the direction of Health and Social Care agenda will impact Voluntary Community Sector organisations in terms of opportunities and governance systems. -
‘Working in a Consortium. A guide for third sector organisations involved in public service delivery’. (Cabinet Office of the Third Sector, December 2008). This is a must read document for any Voluntary Community Sector Organisation (VCS) currently involved in partnership working or considering it no matter how large or small their organisational size.
-
'Change4Life: The healthy living revolution starts here’(Department of Health, November 2008)
National promotion campaign targeting the obesity crisis via all sectors with the onus being placed on healthy living opportunities for all rather than placing the blame with parents. -
'Listen Here! The Disability Network in Tameside' (Annual Conference Report, 2008).
An outline of the topics covered at this year’s conference and update of the steps taken to address the comments made last year.
Health and Social Care Policy Briefing - 2a
Contains:
- Social Prescribing for Mental Health – A guide to commissioning and delivery. This briefing discusses what Social Prescribing is, its values, who is it for, and what they will be prescribed, the outcomes, key elements of commissioning and the delivery of Social Prescribing.
April 2009
Health and Social Care Policy Briefing - April 2009
Contains:
-
'Pandemic Influenza – a national framework for responding to an influenza pandemic' and Advice for Inquiries from service users. (The Department of Health, 2007).
-
'The Comprehensive Area Assessment – What does it Mean for Tameside and for The Sector?' (Adapted from The National Audit Commission and Tameside Council’s Policy Unit Briefing for Health Partnership, 2009).
-
'Reaching People: Social Marketing in Practice' (Adapted from Tameside Council and Tameside and Glossop NHS’s Health Improvement Team Presentation: Debbie Bishop, 2009).
-
Appendix 1 ‘Swine Flu – Information for Public Inquiries to your Organisation or Group' (April/May 2009)
July 2009
T3SC and Health and Social Care network Green Paper response
Contains:
-
'Shaping the Future of Care Together' Green Paper. Presented by the Secretary of State for Health to Parliament, 14 July 2009.
March 2010
Contains:
-
Fair Society, Healthy Lives: Strategic Review of Health Inequalities in England Post 2010. This policy briefing is a strategic review of the health inequalities in England, and looks of the key areas of recognizing and reducing health inequalities, the briefing also provides recommendations and policy objectives in regards to health inequalities.
Transforming Community Services
Contains:
- Transforming Community Services: Enabling New Patterns of Provision. This policy briefing covers the transforming of community services in the health sector and how best to Primary Care Trusts are to meet new challenges, what they are required to do and by when. The document also outlines possible service routes to take for Primary Care Trusts.
Contains:
-
Volunteering – Involving People and Communities in Delivering and Developing Health and Social Care Services. This document outlines the Department of Health’s (DoHs) strategic vision for volunteering "Of a health and social care environment in which volunteering is encouraged, promoted and supported wherever it has the power to reduce inequality, enhance service quality or improve outcomes for individuals and communities.” The document pays particular attention to strategic aims in regards to volunteering, how best to go about achieving change and the next steps for the future.
