Current Work Areas
The Strategy Unit works closely alongside departments and others. Many projects influence the direction of government policy rather than leading directly to published reports. While some work is one off, other work on issues such as education, health and home affairs tends to be more ongoing.
The current work and activities of the Strategy Unit include:
- Education, children and families: ongoing work with the Department for Children, Schools and Families
- Health: ongoing work with the Department of Health
- Care/older people: ongoing work with the Department of Health, DWP and other departments on the care and support system, and ageing
- Home Affairs: ongoing work with the Home Office and the Ministry of Justice
- Public service improvement - the Unit has a small team taking forward work on cross-cutting public service reform issues. The Governments has set out its vision for the future shape of public services in Working together - Public services on your side [External website] - published 10 March 2009. This consolidates the work in Excellence and Fairness: Achieving world class public services published summer 2008
- Welfare reform and skills: ongoing work with the Department for Work and Pensions and the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills
- Providing secretariat support to the Panel on Fair Access to the Professions
- A cross-cutting project on food and food policy
- An ongoing seminar programme
Examples of recent outputs from Strategy Unit work include:
- World class places: The Government's strategy for improving quality of place [External PDF] published on 12 May 2009
- Working together - Public services on your side [External PDF], published on 10 March 2009
- Next Steps for Early Learning and Childcare– Building on the 10-Year Strategy[PDF, 1.8MB], published on 28 January 2009
- Next Steps for Early Learning and Childcare – Building on the 10-Year Strategy (summary) [PDF, 1MB], published on 28 January 2009
- New Opportunities: Fair Chances for the Future [External website], a White Paper produced jointly with a range of Whitehall Departments and published on 13 January 2009
- New Opportunities: Fair Chances for the Future White Paper [PDF, 1.16MB, 108 pages]
- Families in Britain: an evidence paper [PDF 1.92MB, 110 pages], joint work with DCSF published on 18 December 2008
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- Supporting work on the Youth Crime Action Plan 2008 [Home Office website] – published by the Home Office on 15 July 2008.
- Food Matters: Towards a Strategy for the 21st Century [PDF 2.35KB, 144 pages] - final report on future food policy, published on 7 July 2008.
- Supporting the NHS Next Stage Review – High Quality Care For All [PDF 2.77MB, 92 pages], published by DH on 30 June 2008.
- Preparation of a report Excellence and fairness: Achieving world class public services [PDF 905KB, 48 pages], published on 27 June 2008.
- Excellence and fairness: Achieving world class public services summary report [PDF 750KB, 24 pages, 1 August 2008.
- Preparation of a paper on Work Skills [PDF 1.42MB, 27 pages], published by DWP and DIUS on 12 June 2008.
- Supporting work on Developing the NHS Performance Regime [PDF 769KB, 72 pages] published on 4 June 2008.
- Preparation of an analytical discussion paper on life chances [PDF 1.05MB, 76 pages] looking at opportunities to progress in the labour market, published on 18 March 2008.
- Supporting work on a world class school workforce published as Being the best for our children: Releasing talent for teaching and learning [PDF, External website], on 7 March 2008.
- Undertaking an assessment of the Future Strategic Challenges for Britain, published on 8 February 2008
- Supporting work on The Apprenticeships Review [PDF, External website], published on 28 January 2008.
- Achieving Culture Change: A Policy Framework – a discussion paper published on 21 January 2008.
- Preparation of an analytical paper on Food: an analysis of the issues [PDF 2.14MB, 113 pages], published on 3rd January 2008
- Supporting work on the Children's Plan[External website] published on 11th December 2007.
- Supporting work on The Government's Response to The Power of Information: An independent review by Ed Mayo and Tom Steinberg[PDF 610KB, 20pages] published on 25 June 2007
- Supporting work on The Power of Information: an Independent Review by Ed Mayo and Tom Steinberg[PDF 279KB, 57 pages] published on 7 June 2007.
- Supporting work on the final report of the energy and environment strand of the policy review Building on progress: Energy and environment[PDF 1.82MB, 72 pages] published on 5 June 2007.
- Supporting work on the Asset Recovery Action Plan – A Consultation Document[PDF 298KB, 52 pages] published by the Home Office on 24 May 2007.
- Supporting work on the final reports of the role of the state and families strands of the policy review Building on progress: The role of the state[PDF 1.32MB, 32 pages] and Building on progress: Families[PDF 1.76MB, 64 pages] published on 16 May 2007.
- Commissioning a review of what is known about the effectiveness of interventions for children and young people whose conduct disorders place them at risk of developing persistent and intractable patterns of problem behaviour in adult life. Interventions for children at risk of developing antisocial personality disorder[PDF 1.04MB, 106 pages] published by the Policy Research Bureau in March 2007.
- Supporting work on the final report of the security, crime and justice strand of the policy review Building on progress: Security, Crime and Justice[PDF, 3MB, 110 pages] published on 27 March 2007.
- Supporting work on Raising Expectations: Staying in education and training post–16 [DfES Website] published by the Department for Education and Skills on 22 March 2007
- Supporting work on the final report of the public services strand of the policy review Building on progress: Public services[PDF, 1.8MB, 87 pages] published on 19 March 2007.
- Preparation of a summary of Policy Review seminars for Ministers below Cabinet level as presented to the Prime Minister [No.10 Website] and published on 19th February 2007.
- Preparation of an analytical paper Higher Education: Progress, challenges and a new scheme to promote voluntary giving published on 15 February 2007 in support of the Prime Minister's launch of a scheme to encourage voluntary giving to universities[No 10 website]
- Preparation of a paper summarising the key issues underpinning the work of the Policy Review: Policy Review: Summary of Background Papers [No 10 website] published on 6 February 2007 as background to the Prime Minister's appearance before the Liaison Committee.
- Contributing to the presentation by the Prime Minister to the Liaison Committee: HM Government: Policy Review [No 10 website] on 6 February 2007.
- Preparation of four papers providing background to the individual strands of the Policy Review: Environment and Energy; Public Services; Security, Crime and Justice and The Role of the State published on 16th January 2007.
- Preparation of an analytical paper A report on schools: progress in the last ten years and challenges ahead as background to the Prime Minister's speech on personalised learning at a Specialist Schools and Academies Trust Conference[No 10 website] on 30 November 2006.
- Preparation of a background paper to inform Cabinet discussion on the policy review Strategic Priorities for the UK: The Policy Review[PDF 141KB, 29 pages] published on 23 November 2006.
- Joint work with the Home Office on summary powers: Strengthening powers to tackle anti-social behaviour - consultation paper [Home Office website] published on 14 November 2006.
- Science and innovation [No.10 website]: monitoring trends and progress - papers published in November 2006.
- Joint work with DCLG and other departments on: Strong and prosperous communities - the local government white paper [DCLG website] published on 26 October 2006.
- Leading on the Government's Social Exclusion Action Plan published on 11 September, 2006.
- Joint work with DWP on new arrangements for delivering child support: Recovering child support: routes to responsibility[DWP website]published on 24 July 2006.
- Joint work with DTI and other departments on the Energy Review Report[DTI website], published on 11th July 2006.
- Preparation of a paper on The UK Government's Approach to Public Service Reform as background to the conference '21st Century Public Services - Putting People First' hosted by the National School of Government on 6 June 2006.
- A joint paper with DfES reviewing the international evidence on the impact of Schools Reform - published in June 2006.
- Joint work with DfES on the Further Education Reform White Paper Further Education: Raising Skills, Improving Life Chances[DfES website], published on 27 March 2006.
- As part of the Energy Review team, contributing to DTI's public consultation document Our Energy challenge: securing clean, affordable energy for the long term[DTI website] launched on 23 January 2006.
- Analytical support to the Department of Health on improving non-hospital social care services which fed into DH's White Paper Our health, our care, our say: a new direction for community services[Department of Health website] published in January 2006.
- Joint work with the Home Office, DfES and ODPM on tackling anti-social behaviour and promoting respect and social justice. This culminated in the launch of the Government's Respect Action Plan[Home Office website] in January 2006.
- Joint work with the Department for Education and Skills in the run up to the White Paper Higher Standards, Better Schools for All[DfES website] published in October 2005.
