Author: W4MP Editor

Has your Member completed the Members’ Customer Satisfaction Survey yet?

Standard

Has your Member completed the Members’ Customer Satisfaction Survey yet?

The annual survey is currently live and Members will have received an email with a link to the survey.

It’s really important that Members give their feedback on the House of Commons services, as this information is used to identify where things are going well, and where we need to improve. The results are summarised so the responses are strictly confidential.

If your Member hasn’t yet returned it, please encourage them to do so as soon as possible.

Security forms – technical issues with electronic PDFs

Standard

Please note that links to the old Parliamentary intranet have been removed as of October 2023. Please use search on ParliNet to find relevant current details, if available.

https://parlinet.parliament.uk/house-of-commons-members-staff/

PSD are aware of some technical issues with the electronic PDF forms, which are being looked at as a matter of urgency.

In the meantime, please see this guidance on the intranet for details and workarounds:

Balfour Project Peace Advocacy Fellowship 2020-21

Standard

The Balfour Project seeks an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on justice and equal rights. Acknowledging Britain’s continuing historical responsibilities, it works through popular education and advocacy to persuade the British Government to recognise the state of Palestine alongside the state of Israel and uphold equal rights.

Following a successful pilot last academic year, they have announced the Peace Advocacy Fellowship scheme for 2020-21, offering  ten scholarships for postgraduate students or final year undergraduates in the UK (each fellow receives a bursary of £700).

The fellowship provides knowledge and skills based workshops on a variety of topics, which are necessary for peace advocates. Each fellow will work on a research/advocacy project according to his/her interests and the organisation needs.

You can watch the Balfour Project Peace Advocacy Fellowship video, and enter the Call for Applicants via their website at https://balfourproject.org/APPLY

Applications are open  between 7 September and 9 October. Some interviews may be held between 14-18 September, with others to follow after 9 October. The fellows will be appointed on 16 October.

Workshops will take place throughout the academic year in coordination with the fellows.

Making the Parliamentary estate a COVID-19 secure workplace

Standard

The House of Commons has produced a briefing for Members about the changes made to ensure that the parliamentary estate is a COVID-19 secure workplace.

Any staff who can work remotely should continue to do so, rather than returning to the estate,
or their constituency offices.

You can view the briefing (no longer active)

For more information, contact [email protected] (no longer active)

MP Staff: NFU photo competition – Win a Great British Food hamper

Standard

The NFU are running a ‘love your countryside’ photo competition for parliamentary staffers where the winner will receive a Great British Food Hamper, which includes a bottle of English wine, a selection of cheeses, pies, truffles and fudge; the runner-up will also receive a hamper of delectable British goodies.

To enter, please send the following to [email protected] using your parliamentary email address:

  •  A picture you have taken whilst exploring your local countryside;
  •  A short caption describing what the countryside means to you (no more than 100 words);
  • Your name;
  • The place you took the photo;
  • The name of the MP you work for.

Entries close at 5pm on Friday 28th August. The winners will be announced on Tuesday 1st September.

Regardless of whether you’re based in the big smoke or the sticks, there’s fantastic places on your doorstep to get out and visit.  For those of you who are based in London, this might be the excuse you needed to explore the beautiful sights of Bushy Park, the Walthamstow Marshes or the WWT London Wetland Centre- if you require any further inspiration, please do reach out.

We look forward to receiving your entries and hope you enjoy exploring your local beauty spots.

Should you have any questions regarding the competition, or concerns relating to food and farming, please do not hesitate to get in touch. Click here for terms and conditions.

Facebook scam warning

Standard

It’s been brought to our attention that several MPs have received a message in their Facebook notifications, saying that their page has been reported and asking them to click on a link to ‘repair’ their page.

DO NOT CLICK ON THE LINK!

This is a known scam and could result in malware being downloaded to your computer and could compromise the Parliamentary network.

If you have already clicked the link, please notify PDS immediately.  You should also report it to Facebook, and you can find the email address in our hotlines list.

Screenshot

Banner – Equipment for returning to the workplace

Standard

Our office supplier, Banner, has published a catalogue of equipment to allow MPs and staff to return to the workplace safely, including:

  • preparing the building
  • equipping the workforce
  • controlling access to sites
  • implementing a social distancing plan
  • reducing virus transfer

You can view the catalogue here: https://www.easyflip.co.uk/BannerReturntotheWorkplace/

Training courses available in a virtual classroom

Standard

As it is not currently possible to present training courses in a traditional face-to-face classroom setting, the Learning and Development Team have made some courses available online in a virtual classroom.

You can view details of the available courses here: https://parliament.learningpool.com/course/view.php?id=1590

Titles available include:

  • Courageous Conversations
  • Handling Challenging Situations
  • Prospering in Turbulent Times
  • Supporting Teams Facing Pressure & Uncertainty
  • Being an Effective Remote Worker
  • Managing Remote Workers
  • Time and Task Management
  • Effective Casework Interviewing Skills for Remote Working
  • Introduction to Welfare Benefits
  • Universal Credit Overview
  • Personal Independence Payment
  • Homelessness Law for Caseworkers (England)
  • Employment Law and COVID-19 – FAQs for caseworkers
  • Protection from eviction and COVID-19 – understanding the law in England and Wales for caseworkers
  • Mindfulness Programme
  • Conversations with Vulnerable People
  • Refugee Resettlement to the UK: How does it work?

NEW: Labour Women’s Parliamentary Staff Network

Standard

The newly-formed Labour Women’s Parliamentary Staff Network (LWPSN) has been set up to connect Labour women staffers.

Please see here for details and information on how to join:

Labour Women’s Parliamentary Staff Network (LWPSN)
https://w4mp.org/library/2010-guide-to-working-for-an-mp-for-new-staff/groups-which-staff-can-join/representation/labour-womens-parliamentary-staff-network/

 

Check out other groups staff can join here:
https://w4mp.org/library/2010-guide-to-working-for-an-mp-for-new-staff/groups-which-staff-can-join/

POST – Rapid response content on COVID-19

Standard

The Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST) has recent published several new reports relating to COVID-19.  If you’d like to sign up to the POST email newsletter, please go here: https://mailchi.mp/email.parliament.uk/post

COVID-19, children and schools
Children who have COVID-19 are much less likely to develop severe symptoms and much less likely to die from the disease than peple in older age groups. In this article we look at the latest evidence on transmission in children and what that may mean for the re-opening of schools in autumn. We have also produced a timeline of the scientific advice that was provided since February 2020 and the subsequent policy announcements on schools.

Read more on COVID-19 and schools

Child and adolescent mental health during COVID-19
Strained family relationships, reduced social contact and academic stress have mental health impacts on children and adolescents. In 2018/19 over 350,000 young people accessed NHS mental health services just in England. Child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) have been reduced during the pandemic. They are likely to be under strain to meet increased demand.

Read more on children’s mental health

COVID-19 in children: July update
In our July update we look at the latest data on COVID-19 prevalence in the UK by age and sex. We explain the possible clinical outcomes for children and review evidence exploring confounding risk factors, such as underlying medical conditions and demographics. We also look at the latest data on how COVID-19 affects pregnancy.

Read more on COVID-19 and children

Effects of COVID-19 on the food supply system
COVID-19 has exposed vulnerabilities in the UK food system. Panic buying and the slow reaction of retailers exposed how cost-efficient and streamlined supply chains struggled to adapt to unforeseen shocks. Problems also arose from the closure of parts of the catering sector and the lack of agility in redistributing supplies from this sector to retail outlets or the food donation/charity sector.

Read more on COVID-19 and food supply chains

COVID-19 vaccines: July update on research
As of 6 July 2020, WHO figures showed almost 150 vaccine candidates in development across the world, 19 of which were being tested in humans. In the past few weeks, vaccine candidates have been rapidly progressing through the first two phases of clinical trials (Phase 1 and Phase 2). These trials test safety and if they stimulate an immune response in people.

Read more on COVID-19 vaccines

COVID-19 therapies
This article was updated on 1 May and again on 6 July. Since its original publication on 17 April, the number of COVID-19 clinical trials has increased from 524 to 2,378. There is currently no cure for COVID-19. Researchers are testing existing drugs to see if they act against SARS-CoV-2 or alleviate the symptoms of the disease. Initial positive findings show promise of Dexamethasone and Remdesivir. But negative findings are valuable because they allow researchers to focus on other drugs; there is good evidence that hydroxychloroquine does not offer any benefits to treat COVID-19 patients.

Read more on COVID-19 therapies

COVID-19: July update on face masks and face coverings for the general public
There is some weak evidence that face masks and coverings can reduce transmission of the virus in some specific circumstances, particularly poorly ventilated and crowded indoor spaces. Policy on using face coverings differs across the UK. This article includes a timeline of face mask policies in the UK and the available scientific advice from 6 April up to 3 July.

Read more on face covering guidance for the general public

Contact tracing apps for COVID-19
This article was updated on 14 May with information on the UK’s contact tracing app. It was updated again on 3 July after the UK Government announced that it would be trialling an app released by Apple and Google instead of the NHSX app which was trialled on the Isle of Wight.The release of this UK app is now not expected until the autumn at the earliest.

Read more on contact tracing apps