Katherine Stewart

Quality and impact of Centre-based Early Childhood Education and Care

RAND Europe is an independent, not-for-profit policy research organisation that aims to improve policy and decisionmaking in the public interest through research and analysis. RANDs publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors. The European Platform for Investing in Children (EPIC) was set up to explore demographic and economic challenges in the EU from a child and family-focused perspective. Its purpose is to share the best of policymaking for children and their families, and to foster cooperation and mutual learning in the field. This is achieved through information provided on the EPIC website, which enables policymakers from the member states to search evidence-based child-focused practices from around the EU and to share knowledge about practices that are being developed, and also by bringing together government, civil society and European Union representatives for seminars and workshops to exchange ideas and learn from each other. RAND Europe is an independent not-for-profit policy research organisation that aims to improve policy and decisionmaking in the public interest, through research and analysis. RAND Europes clients include European governments, institutions, non-governmental organisations and firms with a need for rigorous, independent, multidisciplinary analysis. The document is designed to provide insights into issues of interest to policymakers and practitioners. It has been reviewed externally by one of the EPIC experts in child and family policy, and internally, following RANDs quality assurance processes. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the position of the European Commission.

Workplace Wellbeing Charter: Analysis of take-up and impact

EUROPE RAND Europe is a not-for-profit organisation whose mission is to help improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RANDs publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors. This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited. Permission is given to duplicate this document for personal use only, as long as it is unaltered and complete. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of its research documents for commercial use. For information on reprint and linking permissions, please visit R® is a registered trademark. iii Preface There is strong and growing evidence that work and health and wellbeing are closely and strongly linked and need to be addressed together. In June 2014, Public Health England (PHE) published a set of national standards for workplace health for the first time – the Workplace Wellbeing Charter (WWC or Charter), which was developed with the charity Health@Work and Liverpool County Council and was based on their scheme and others from around the country. The national standards aimed to introduce a level of coherence and consistency across the country to support local authorities that had different programmes, with their own standards and reporting requirements, or were planning to introduce them. 1 The standards provide a universal baseline for local areas to commission or provide their schemes against, harmonising the core of existing schemes and allowing other elements to be tailored to local needs and interests. The WWC is designed to provide employers with a systematic, evidence-based approach to workplace health improvement. While the need for employers to act on workplace health and wellbeing is unequivocal and the practice of bringing together resources within a coherent approach is valid, there has been limited research into the impact of the WWC as a method. This study investigates the take-up and impact of the WWC, maps available data on the number of organisations accredited with the Charter across England and provides insights into a diverse range of organisations that have invested in the wellbeing of staff in their workplaces. This RAND Europe study was commissioned and funded by PHE. RAND Europe is a not-for-profit policy research organisation that aims to improve policy-and decisionmaking in the public interest, through independent research and analysis. This report …

Digital Currency and the Future of Transacting

D igital technology has not just changed the way that we communicate with one another, it has allowed new platforms and mediums of transaction to emerge which could fundamentally alter the nature of how we organise the exchange of goods and services. Early message services allowed potential buyers and sellers to connect and arrange offline exchanges; improved encryption methods allowed the direct communication of bank account details; the growing numbers of web users facilitated websites and services based entirely on online advertising revenue; and improved payment and messaging systems facilitated the online presence of established businesses, the growth of niche online shops able to access a wider market, and dedicated e-commerce giants such as Amazon and eBay. At the same time, innovations in payment platforms have led to a diminishing role for physical currency, even

Review of computerised cognitive behavioural therapies: Products and outcomes for people with mental health needs

Common mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety, and other disorders, affect many people and incur increasing costs to individuals, employers, and government. Several challenges have been identified in the provision of public services for people with common mental health problems. A previous study by RAND Europe suggested that providing access to online mental health assessment and support and building on computerised cognitive behavioural therapy (cCBT) interventions could help reach out to the general population and, in particular, those less likely to seek help elsewhere. This study explores online platforms and mobile applications that offer cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for people with mental health needs. Overall, this review shows that a variety of cCBT products exist which differ both in terms of the conditions products aim to address and the ways in which platforms are designed. The tools offer support through a varying number of modules (or lessons) clustered around specific issues that need to be addressed. The number of modules offered by the tools differs slightly by condition: platforms for anxiety disorders and insomnia are on average lengthier, with a median number of modules of 9 and 8 respectively, compared to those for depression in which the median is 6.5. The majority of tools use a linear structure and offer at least some additional guidance, although the intensity of this extra support is typically low.