​Department of Education- public consultation
The Department of Education has today launched a public consultation seeking views on reviewing the current requirement established in law that all pre-school education settings must prioritise children from ‘socially disadvantaged circumstances’ in their admissions criteria.  All of the relevant documents are available on the DE website, however, a copy of the main consultation document is attached to this email for your consideration.
 
Stakeholders and all interested parties are encouraged to participate in this consultation and you can respond electronically at https://consultations.nidirect.gov.uk/de-early-years-group/pre-school-education-review-of-the-statutory-admis
 
Alternatively you can respond by email to de.earlyyears@education-ni.gov.uk or by post to the following address:
 
                        Pre-School Education Team
Department of Education
4th Floor
Rathgael House 
​
43 Balloo Road 
Rathgill 
Bangor 
BT19 7PR

Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council is hosting their first virtual jobs fair on Thursday 6 May 2021 from 9am to 12noon.
Hear directly from local employers actively recruiting, access employment advice, information and resources as well as pick up hints and tips on how to boost your job search and interview skills, all from the comfort of your own home at our first virtual job fair
 To find out more and book your place - https://ndevents.co.uk/abcjobfair2021/
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The Independent Review Panel’s questionnaire is now open and we would encourage every charity to complete this as it gives you the opportunity to comment on various aspects of charity regulation. Independent Review of Charity Regulation Questionnaire

We would be grateful if you would promote this questionnaire along with the other meetings that have been arranged to your members and  in your communications.
https://www.nicva.org/article/independent-review-of-charity-regulation-engagement-meetings

​Libraries NI
 
Please see attached flyer for Libraries NI April Zoom programme

Get prepared for Census 2021

What is the census?
The census happens only once every 10 years. It gives us the most accurate estimate of all the people and households in Northern Ireland. The information you give us helps decide how services are planned and funded in your local area. This could mean things like doctors’ surgeries, housing or new bus routes.
It asks questions about you and your household to build a picture of us all. It looks at who we are and how we live. It provides vital information about us, our society and future needs.

Past, present and future
The first census in Northern Ireland was in 1926 and the most recent in 2011, which you may remember. The next census is planned for 2021. We need every household in Northern Ireland to take part to make it accurate.

Help your area
It is really important you take part. Your information helps build a picture of where you live that’ll be used to decide how vital services are planned and funded. These include things like schools, doctors’ surgeries, hospitals and libraries. Charities and local services need census data too.

Moving the census online
We’re moving to a ‘digital-first’ census. We want as many people as possible to fill in their questionnaire online in 2021. It is easy to do and can be done on any device with internet connectivity. Most people will get a letter with a unique access code on it through the post. All you need to do is enter the code into our secure website and fill in the questionnaire. There’ll be plenty of support available if you have any concerns about filling it in. If you prefer, you can still return a paper form. We will be in contact nearer the time to let you know what you need to do.

Changes for Census 2021
The census gives an accurate picture of our society and the needs of everyone who lives here.
If we can make any changes to better meet those needs, we do.

New questions
Census 2021 will have new questions which are more relevant to the society we live in today. For the first time we will be asking people aged 16 years and over a question on sexual orientation. In the household section, we will be asking a new question on renewable energy systems.

Changes to existing questions
We’re making a few changes to questions too, for example, the ethnic group question has been updated to reflect the growth of particular ethnic groups within Northern Ireland since 2011.

Removing questions
We do not want to ask you any more questions than we need to, so we also take some away when they’re no longer needed. That’s why we no longer ask you about things like whether or not you’ve got an outside toilet, as we did from 1951 to 1991.
This time, we will not be asking how many rooms are in your house, or what year you last worked.

https://census.gov.uk/ni/
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