Uncategorized What is the role of evidence in shaping suicide prevention policy in Wales? Suicide is one of the leading causes of death worldwide.¹ Across the globe, 800,000 people die by suicide every year, translating to approximately one suicide death every 40 seconds (WHO, 2021). When considering the number of bereaved family, friends, and communities behind every single one of these deaths, the impact of suicide on our world […] Read more »
Uncategorized Infrastructure and longterm wellbeing This commentary report accompanies a rapid review of evidence about how physical infrastructure influences long-term wellbeing, commissioned by the Welsh Government to help inform its approach to infrastructure planning and investment. The review summarises evidence from a wide range of research traditions and disciplines which shows how physical infrastructure has a significant influence on long-term […] Read more »
Uncategorized What Works Network Implementation Project Building on our work to increase the impact of the What Works network across the UK, the Wales Centre for Public Policy won funding from the ESRC to work with Professor Jonathan Sharples at EEF and other What Works Centres to apply the latest thinking and evidence on implementation – how evidence is used in decision […] Read more »
Uncategorized Reform of electoral law and practice Elections were devolved to Wales through the Government of Wales Act 2017. Since then, Welsh Ministers have embarked on a programme of electoral reform most noted by the extension of the franchise to 16 and 17 year-olds and qualifying foreign citizens for Senedd and local government elections. The Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act also […] Read more »
Uncategorized Children's social services and care rates in Wales: A survey of the sector Wales has seen a rise in both the number and rate of children looked after. The rate is now higher than any time since the 1980s. In addition, Wales has consistently had more children looked after per 10,000 of the population than the rest of the UK. This trend is a cause for concern; particularly […] Read more »
Uncategorized Challenges and Priorities for Health and Social Care in Wales The challenges facing health and social care in Wales are complex and multifaceted. Systemic and workforce issues affect the smooth delivery of the health and care service, and specific health challenges faced by the Welsh population place increasing pressure on the system. The Wales Centre for Public Policy, in partnership with Kaleidoscope Health and Care, […] Read more »
Uncategorized Education recovery: Responding to the Coronavirus pandemic Coronavirus-related school closures have resulted in significant disruption to children and young people’s learning in schools and colleges in Wales, as elsewhere. In the year between March 2020 and April 2021, up to 124 classroom days per pupil were lost in Wales. The impact of the disruption on educational progress has been particularly acute for […] Read more »
Uncategorized Raising the age of participation in education to 18 In England, the compulsory age of participation in education or training was raised to 17 in 2013 and then 18 in 2015. In Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, the school leaving age is 16. The idea of raising the age of participation in education or training is gaining traction in the Scottish context, as well […] Read more »
Uncategorized Supporting the Welsh Lifelong Learning system To assist the Welsh Government in balancing the productivity-related objectives with the societal objectives of lifelong learning, the Wales Centre for Public Policy was asked to conduct an evidence review into lifelong learning. This review aims to inform policy discussions and support the implementation of the Tertiary Education and Research (Wales) Bill published on 1st […] Read more »
Uncategorized Implementing the Race Equality Action Plan The Welsh Government’s Race Equality Action Plan sets out to tackle structural racial inequalities in Wales in order to make ‘meaningful and measurable changes to the lives of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people by tackling racism’ and achieve ‘a Wales that is anti-racist by 2030’. The consultation closed in July and responses are currently […] Read more »
