Events

'The New Politics' with Gordon Brown

All images: Crown copyright

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Building ‘recovery capital’: The role for families, communities and public services in tackling drug and alcohol misuse.

4pm-6pm
At the Bhattacharyya Seminar Room, ippr
30- 32 Southampton Street, London WC2E 7RA

The past decade has seen a rapid expansion in drug treatment in the UK with a wide range of programmes provided through the criminal justice system, public health programmes and in the community. But drug and alcohol misuse continues to exert huge pressure on public services with heavy social and economic costs. There are calls for a quantum shift in our understanding of what is possible in tackling drug and alcohol addiction, with a greater emphasis on ‘recovery’ in policy. Such an approach would see drug and alcohol treatment placed in the mainstream, more closely integrated with policy on housing, families and young people, social welfare and health.

Chaired by journalist and author Simon Jenkins, this seminar will examine how new recovery-based models of drug and alcohol treatment could give greater power and resources to individuals with more involvement of family and community. In a period of deep public spending cuts it will ask how the current complex layers of administration and care management in drug and alcohol treatment can be rationalised to generate efficiencies and prevent reduced spending on frontline services. It will also consider what a changed drug and alcohol policy might look like under a new administration.

A discussion panel of leading politicians including David Burrowes MP, Shadow Minister, Justice, will join experts including Dr. David Best, University of Western Scotland and Steve Rossell, CEO of Cranstoun Drug Services and Chair of EATA. Chaired by Simon Jenkins of the Guardian.

This event is held by ippr in partnership with the European Association for the Treatment of Addiction (EATA).

Places are limited – to book a place please RSVP to e.bloomer@ippr.org

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The Future of Further Education

11.00-12.30
ippr offices, 30-32 Southampton Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2E 7RA

Further Education has sometimes been regarded as the Cinderella of the education world, doing essential work but neglected compared to other parts of the system. That perception has started to change, partly as the result of increased funding and increasing numbers of students moving through the FE sector. The onset of recession has thrown FE even further into the limelight, with near daily announcements about the role it can play in providing training and skills for the UK workforce. But it’s not just the economy where FE is deemed to be important - policymakers and the public look to FE to help deliver a vast array of outcomes, from improving community cohesion through to building healthy and active citizens.

While FE will take centre-stage in the coming years, there are tough times ahead. Tighter budgets, reduced capital spending, competing aims for what it should deliver, new governance structures and a possible change of government will all be hurdles that have to be navigated. It is therefore important that both policy makers and those working within the FE sector look creatively at its future over the next decade. What are the challenges facing FE over the next ten years? How can they be overcome? What should colleges look like in 2020?

This seminar will help answer those questions. Speakers include:

• David Blunkett MP, Former Secretary of State for Education
• Martin Doel, Chief Executive of the Association of Colleges
• Dr. Terry Warburton, former Director of The Centre for Enterprise Education in the Institute of Education
• Dame Ruth Silver, former Principal of Lewisham College (invited)
• Alan Thomson (Chair), Editor of ‘FE Focus’, Times Education Supplement

This seminar will be used to launch the book Colleges 2020. This is a collection of essays from leading academics, policymakers and practitioners on the future of Further Education which has been produced by the Institute for Public Policy Research in conjunction with the Association of Colleges (AoC). The book contains chapters on: physical space and buildings; funding structures; new ways of teaching and learning; business and enterprise education; global citizens and community cohesion; the social value of colleges; colleges in their local and regional context; and lessons to be learned from US Community Colleges. A number of the chapter authors will also be at this event to answer questions.

This event is free to attend but you must register for a place. To register please email events@ippr.org including ‘Further Education’ in the subject heading, or phone 0207 4706100.

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Now it’s personal: Citizen-centred welfare New York City Learning Exchange

As part of ippr’s innovative project, Now it’s personal, we are offering the opportunity for policy-makers and practitioners to visit New York City to facilitate learning and exchange of best practice between US and UK providers, advisers and policy makers.

This week-long learning exchange will provide the opportunity for delegates to learn from the City’s experiences of contracting out services under a prime contractor model and to consider how lessons learned can be applied to the UK. Delegates will gain an understanding of the City’s ‘Back to work’ programme and the approaches of different organisations to supporting and retaining individuals in work.

Programme

The Learning Exchange will take place in New York City, and will include:

• Meetings with high level practitioners
• Themed roundtable discussions
• Networking opportunities 
• Site visits with practitioners across public, private and voluntary sectors.

Visits will be made to:

• Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services, City Hall
• Executive Director, Center for Economic Opportunity, City Hall
• CEO and President, Seedco, including visits to subsidiary providers and delivery organisations
• Deputy Commissioner, Human Resources Association, including visits to delivery organisations
• MDRC (A US think tank working to improve the economic and social well-being of low-income people)
• Vice President, Public/Private Ventures
• Henry Street Settlement.

Information for Travel

Limited places are still available on the Learning Exchange for delegates to attend but organise their own flights. The cost of attending the Learning Exchange without flights included is £1700 (including VAT). This includes:

• Accommodation and breakfast
• In-country transport
• Travel briefing pack and pre-Learning Exchange seminar (date to be confirmed)
• Follow up report.

Please note places are limited and will be allocated on a first come first served basis.

How to Book

Please complete the Booking Form. This secures your place on the Learning Exchange, subject to availability. Please read the booking and payment terms and conditions before completing and signing the form. For more information, contact Alice Sachrajda (a.sachrajda@ippr.org / 020 7470 6126).

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