GOV.UK blogs

Care leavers – please give us your views!

Dr Donna Brown, Head of Research, on our care leavers survey and forthcoming research project.

Automating for the people

Dave More from Defra’s Digital Robotics Automation Centre of Excellence (DRACoE) shares his reflections on a year which has seen his team turn a fledgling robotics capability from concept to reality.

Collaborating in government: what an Alpha means in practice

Teams from CDDO and UKEF have been building capability and meeting government standards as they go. In this post they talk about how they did this in practice.

NIPT rolls out to all areas of England as part of the existing NHS screening pathway for Down’s syndrome, Edwards’ syndrome and Patau’s syndrome

All maternity providers across England are now offering non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) as part of the existing NHS screening pathway for Down’s syndrome, Edwards’ syndrome and Patau’s syndrome.

The path to better customer service starts with listening, understanding and acting on feedback

Dan Cawdron, Customer Insights Lead, presents the results of the recent Institute of Customer Service business benchmarking, and looks at what the results mean for the organisation, the action we are going to take and what’s next.

The night sky in July

  Even though the shorter nights prevail for the next couple of months, the summer months are a great opportunity to see many of the most exciting astronomical sights. Noctilucent clouds, the core of our Milky Way galaxy, the summer …

Fitzrovia Noir CIC - broadening access to the arts

Read our latest blog to find out how Fitzrovia Noir CIC are engaging communities and broadening access to the arts in neglected neighbourhoods across London and North East England.

Environment Secretary shared more detail on Agricultural Transition Plan

There has been national and trade coverage in titles such as The Sun, Farming Today, Horticulture Week and Farmers Weekly following the Secretary of State’s speech at Cereals arable industry conference yesterday.

We're hiring a Director of Technology

We need a Director of Technology to be part of our team – a new Senior Civil Service role centred on technology, using it to deliver, operate and transform. Emma Stace explains what this entails, the types of skills needed and what's in it for applicants.

Care Home Open Week: a chance to share happiness

COVID-19 has led to many changes in the way residential care is provided and the way care colleagues work together. One thing that hasn’t changed is the sense of family and community within Priscilla Wakefield House, a teaching care home in Haringey, north London.

Despite the outside world being turned up-side-down, care staff have succeeded in keeping a sense of normality, and making sure residents continue to enjoy laughter and fun.

Moving forward as one: creating a unified digital function

As BPDTS and DWP Digital come together to create a unified digital function, our CDIO Simon McKinnon has shared his thoughts on why this is the right time for us to move forward as one.

Join our next Junior Leaders Networking Event - The Power of Mentoring

Join our latest Junior Leaders Networking Event on 20 July to learn about the power of mentoring. JLNE is aimed at colleagues in the AO to EO grades from across government departments. It operates across the East, South East and London.

Gavin Williamson: Restrictions in schools - including bubbles - to be removed "as quickly as possible"

Today Education Secretary Gavin Williamson set out his plans to reduce the amount of time pupils spend isolating away from school. He said he wants to see the removal of all restrictions in schools - including bubbles - as soon …

Environmental Audit Committee - Biodiversity Report

Today's blog looks at media coverage of a report by the Environmental Audit Committee on biodiversity and ecosystems.

Why we’re looking forward to Hack2Work

DWP Digital’s fifth hack is taking place from 6 – 8 July. Here, 2 DWP colleagues share why they’re looking forward to taking part in Hack2Work.

The early years sector – a changing picture

Yvette Stanley, our National Director for Regulation and Social Care, and Jason Bradbury, Deputy Director, Data and Insight, discuss our latest early years and childcare statistics.

Podcast: The vision for GOV.UK and the roadmap to get there

Rachel Tsang and Ross Ferguson discuss how the GOV.UK roadmap will contribute to GDS’s mission of building a simple, joined-up and personalised experience of government for everyone.

Friendships matter

Andrew Reece, head of the integrated learning disability service for Camden Council, has always struggled with how the social care sector measures ‘what good looks like’, particularly in the context of supporting people with learning disabilities to make and sustain friendships. In this blog for DHSC's Social Care site, he proposes an alternative approach to help everyone get it right.

Weighing the evidence – a new framework for assessing external evidence

Professor Peter Gregory explains the FSA’s new scientific framework for assessing third party evidence and how it will be used.

New ‘GRID’ data tool to build a more inclusive Civil Service

This month, Cabinet Secretary, Simon Case and Chief Operating Officer, Alex Chisholm launched A Modern Civil Service. In our series to celebrate the vision, Government Business Services showcases a data analyser to improve recruitment and find the cream of candidates. …

British IP Day: spotlight on innovation and IP

The Alliance for Intellectual Property (AIP) is a coalition of organisations representing creators and intellectual property (IP) rich businesses. AIP organises an annual British IP Day. Dan Guthrie, Director General of the AIP, tells us more about how the organisation …

How farmers are helping us to design the first of our environmental land management schemes

In this blog post, I’ll share how we have worked with the farming community to develop the standards for the Sustainable Farming Incentive from 2021.

Proud to be an ally

Hi, I’m Sandeepka and I'm committed to playing my part in creating an inclusive workplace where everyone can be themselves. This includes my colleagues from the wider lesbian, gay, bisexual transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) community. Inclusion doesn’t just happen by …

DVLA working with local authorities and police services to take action on unlicensed vehicles

We’ve been working with local authorities and police services to support their enforcement action on untaxed vehicles on the road in their local area. Elaine Rees, National Enforcement Manager, tells us more.

What you need to know about behaviour and discipline in schools

We’re asking teachers, parents and other school staff for their views and ideas on managing good behaviour in schools and colleges.

Lay members wanted for antenatal and newborn screening programmes research advisory committee

The research advisory committee (RAC) reviews applications to carry out research involving NHS screening programme participants or requiring access to screening data or samples.

South West and Wales Men’s Network – Ready for launch

The South West and Wales Men’s Network will be launched on 14 July to celebrate men’s positive contributions to society, not only as civil servants but as fathers, sons, uncles and friends. We would really like you to get involved.

Beyond the numbers – how our Service Centres are making a real difference

A blog from Zoe Blake, Delivery Director at HMCTS, about how Courts and Tribunals Service Centres are making a real difference to those seeking access to justice.

A safe place to be yourself

Although anyone can experience mental health issues, those of us who identify as LGBTQ+ are more likely to develop problems including low self-esteem, depression and anxiety. As this month marks Pride Month, Andrew Seed, Integrative Psychotherapist at Cygnet Hospital Ealing, reflects on how creating a safe space for service users and staff is vital to celebrate their gender and sexual identity.

Innovating to tackle reoffending

Reducing reoffending is the key to cutting crime. But what role can innovation play in tackling this issue? The Prison Leavers Project on how it’s trying new approaches. At the Ministry of Justice, we’re committed to cutting crime and the …

Scientific input from APHA in key Defra publication

On the 22 June Defra published the refreshed Defra Group Research and Innovation Interests document with input from APHA and other Defra Group Public Sector Research Establishments. Learn more about this key document and APHA’s involvement.

Natural England licensing statistics for 2020

As explained in my blog in January 2020, Natural England remains committed to making our wildlife licensing statistics publicly available. We published our 2018 and 2019 stats last year. We get a lot of correspondence and public reaction around our …

Am I proud of LGBTQ+ Pride? My personal thoughts on Pride month

To mark Pride month, content designer Paul Graham shares a personal blog with his thoughts on the annual recognition and celebration of LGBT+ communities.

How we reduced errors on GOV.UK

All websites run into errors. We’ve reduced our errors by over 90% and changed our culture around errors so they are identified, owned and resolved quickly.

Discover opportunities within the Counter Fraud Profession

Discover opportunities for civil servants within the Counter Fraud profession by attending our 2 day live online event on 13 and 14 July.

A decade of progress for the Government Sustainable ICT Project

Defra Chief Digital and Information Officer Chris Howes reflects on the results from the 2020 Sustainable ICT Annual Report and shares his thoughts on where ICT can play its part in addressing the climate crisis.

Celebrate the first International Neonatal Screening Day today, 28 June 2021

Professional and patient organisations and health systems around the world are celebrating International Neonatal Screening Day for this first time today.

Nominate a project for the Sanctuary Awards!

Nominations for the MOD Sanctuary Awards close on 31 July and we’re looking for entries in the Net Zero and Resource Efficiency Award as well as the Sustainable Procurement and Construction Award.

Strengthening space ties between the UK and Japan

Today, the UK Space Agency signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), taking a new step in space cooperation between the UK and Japan. Dr Graham Turnock (CEO of the UK Space Agency) and President …

Covid-19 vaccines - Frequently asked questions

Covid-19 vaccines - Frequently asked questions - Updated Frequently asked questions answered by Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Professor Jonathan Van-Tam Professor Jonathan Van-Tam (‘JVT’) was appointed Deputy Chief Medical Officer in October 2017. He leads on health protection.   What …