Edge Hill's new training resource provides criminal justice and policing experience for students

A new Training and Simulation Facility for students studying Policing and Law degrees is now open at Edge Hill University. The building on the Ormskirk campus will be used by students to work through policing and law exercises in a realistic domestic setting.

The training facility has retained features such as a 3-piece suite, kitchen units and dining and bedroom furniture to allow it to be used by students to work through the criminal and investigative scenarios they would discover in real home environments. In addition to the traditional décor are some more unusual features. There is a "parade" room for students to receive their briefings and 4 syndicate rooms for learning and teaching activities.

Each room in the house contains technology linked to a control room allowing staff to monitor investigations and exercises and allow students to watch their work and share comments as a group. The ground floor also includes functional elements of a Police station, including a custody suite and cell.

Andrew Whittle, Programme Leader for BA (Hons) Policing said:- "These new facilities will enable Policing and other students to work together in areas such as:- gathering and analysing evidence, including forensic evidence at crime scenes, in a realistic residential environment. The students will also be able to practice the interview techniques used by Police through role play, while being monitored via camera to enable a review of their activities and ensure the rights of suspects are upheld."

Dr John Cater, Vice-Chancellor of Edge Hill University said:- "This new teaching and learning space provides a fantastic opportunity for our students to learn some of the key skills required by those wanting to enter careers in criminal justice and law enforcement in a safe and secure environment. The assistance and support we've received from senior Police officers from across the North West demonstrates the importance of the facility, and their input has ensured our students will receive the best possible learning experiences to help them enter their chosen careers."

In addition to the new Police Training and Simulation Facility, students studying in the Department of Law and Criminology are also benefiting from a the newly developed ₤6m Law and Psychology building, which provides contemporary teaching and learning facilities.

The 3 storey building includes a 265 seat lecture theatre, seminar and tutorial rooms, and social learning areas which encourage a more informal and interactive style of learning. Elsewhere on campus, there is a mooting room (a mock Court Room) where Policing, Law and Criminology students can train and practice their advocacy skills and cross examination techniques, as well as preparing for giving evidence in Court.

For see more information about Edge Hill University and the courses they offer, please visit their website today.

₤9 million financial boost for care sector

LIVERPOOL City Council is set to increase the rates paid to the care sector, to help with the recruitment and retention of staff. It follows a consultation with providers whose staff help and support around 11,000 people at home and another 3,500 living in residential and nursing homes. A report to the Cabinet, on Friday, 22 March 2019, is proposing an increase which will cost just over ₤9 million, paid for mainly through Council funding, with ₤1.9 million of the total coming from Government grants. There will be an increase of 84 pence in the price paid per hour to home care companies; up from ₤14.32 to ₤15.16. Residential care for older people will go up from:- ₤426.01 to ₤445.64 per week, and residential care for people with dementia will increase from:- ₤527.97 to ₤552.99. Nursing care for older people will increase from:- ₤465.95 to ₤487.63 per week, and nursing care for those with dementia will go up from:- ₤530.75 to ₤555.32. There will also be rises for companies who provide staff in supported living, extra care and day services, and those who are employed by people receiving direct payments. If approved, the new rate will be introduced from 1 April 2019 for all providers. In addition, to reduce acute hospital and emergency care pressures, additional resources allocated from central Government will be used to provide additional payments to providers of home care, older people residential and nursing care and extra care, back dated to 7 January 2019. Cabinet member for adult social care, Councillor Paul Brant, said:- "Staff in the care sector do a tremendous job keeping some of our most vulnerable residents safe. Despite the financial challenges facing the City Council, we are determined to do what we can to make sure staff get a decent pay rise, and we are committed to an ambition of them being paid the Real Living Wage. In calculating the revised rate we have looked closely at the amount paid by other Local Authorities in the Region as well as taking into account the rising costs in the sector."

Kellogg's is boosting grants for School Breakfast Clubs

KELLOGG'S is doubling the number of grants it offers to School Breakfast Clubs across the UK. The scheme will help to provide breakfast to more than 600 Schools in the communities that need them the most. Local Schools can apply for ₤1000 grants to help give their School children the best start to the day so they can go into the classroom ready to learn. Schools in can apply by visiting the firm's website.

Since 1998, the Kellogg's Breakfast Clubs programme has supported over 3,000 Breakfast Clubs by providing training, grants and more than 70 million bowls of cereal. The increase in grants available to Schools has been enabled by new range of cereals, WK Kellogg, that donate 10p to good causes for every pack sold. The wheat's and granola range is named after the cereal giant's founder, who was a well-known philanthropist and left his entire fortune to charity back in the 1950's.

Oli Morton, managing director for Kellogg's UK and Ireland, said:- "Kellogg's has supported Breakfast Clubs in the UK for 20 years and we are delighted to be able to support significantly more clubs through our grants programme in 2019. We are proud to have established many Breakfast Clubs up and down the country that contribute vastly to improving children's attendance and attainment as well as alleviating hunger in some cases. It's not just the children that benefit; it's a lifeline for parents too."

Breakfast Clubs are critical for many Schools, as 68% of teachers believe pupils would struggle to concentrate in class without their Breakfast Club, according to a report by Kellogg's. Kellogg's currently has 3000 Schools signed up to its network, offering them a range of resources and provisions to help them operate sustainable and effective Breakfast Clubs.