Monthly Archives: July 2015

How can prisoners improve if the internal educational system fails them? by Diane Shawe

Michael Gove short courses expert blogPrison education must improve, Michael Gove says, failures were “indefensible”

article by Diane Shawe

Education in prisons must be overhauled in order to tackle a “persistent failure to reduce re-offending”, the justice secretary is to say. Michael Gove stressed in a speech that helping prisoners become literate and numerate makes them “employable”.

Diane Shawe states “The only thing worse than training prisoners and having them stay, is not training them and having them leave”

Whilst the Prison Governors Association welcomed the proposals, as usally after making no practical contribution to change in terms of prisons education,  raised concerns about how changes would work in practice.

Earlier this week, chief inspector of prisons Nick Hardwick said the government’s “rehabilitation revolution”, launched five years ago at the outset of the coalition, had not even started.

He said in his last annual report that prisons were in their worst state for a decade and some jails were “places of violence, squalor and idleness”.

Prison education, work and re-offending

  • £145m spent every year in England and Wales on prison education
  • 95,300 offenders over 18 were in education in 2013/14
  • Almost half of adult prisoners re-offend within one year of their release
  • 60% re-offend if they serve sentences of less than a year
  • Two-thirds of offenders under 18 re-offend within twelve months of release

In his first speech on the issue since being appointed as justice secretary in May, Mr Gove is expected to say that society is collectively to blame for the failure to “redeem and rehabilitate” offenders, and he will call for an end to the “idleness and futility” of prison life.

The justice secretary says he wants to look at “earned release” for offenders who are committed to education and gain qualifications that are respected by employers.

prisons reoffending and education by diane shaweIf prisons moved to such a system, it would be a major change from the current policy under which most prisoners are automatically released on licence at the halfway point of their sentence.

Juliet Lyon, director of the Prison Reform Trust, said: “The challenge now is to translate this marked new reflective tone set by the Justice Secretary into sensible policy and to create a just, humane and effective penal system.”

Educating prisoners can turn them into “contributors to society”

“No government serious about building one nation, no minister concerned with greater social justice, can be anything other than horrified by our persistent failure to reduce re-offending,” Mr Gove is expected to say at the event in London, hosted by the Prisoner Learning Alliance.

“In prisons there is a – literally – captive population whose inability to read properly or master basic mathematics makes them prime candidates for re-offending.

“Ensuring those offenders become literate and numerate makes them employable and thus contributors to society, not a problem for our communities.

Diane Shawe CEO of Express Training Courses (AVPT short courses Ltd) is concerned that once again emphasis is placed on numeracy and literacy which failed most of them at school and not enough critical thinking is placed on providing life skills and soft skills.

Gove states “The failure to teach our prisoners a proper lesson is indefensible. I fear the reason for that is, as things stand, we do not have the right incentives for prisoners to learn or for prison staff to prioritise education. And that’s got to change.”

Mr Gove is also expected to use the speech to propose giving governors more control and rewarding them if offenders do well.

He will say that one of the “biggest brakes on progress” in all prisons is the “lack of operational autonomy and genuine independence enjoyed by governors” – who are often set very tight criteria on how prison life should be managed.

“Yet we know from other public services – from the success of foundation hospitals and academy schools – that operational freedom for good professionals drives innovation and improvement. So we should explore how to give governors greater freedom – and one of the areas ripest for innovation must be prison education.”

It is about time we had some proper joined up thinking, Gove as usual like to deal with the problem straight on whilst some around him loves to keep the mother of all restriction and red tap rolling even when they can see there is no progress.

What do we do..

We specialise in resourcing short courses via a pre-populated LMS solution for Point of Need Training via mobile devices so that all different levels of student can access training whilst on the move using their own device supported by one off our virtual tutors to help them complete their online 4 weeks course. We also specials is short intense classroom style training with student manuals and supportive adult educational material for Learning by Doing in a range of Soft Skills courses.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-33554573  17th June 2015

Clip in hair extensions can cause traction alopecia if worn for over 5 hours a day by Diane Shawe

Nickle Clips can irritate the scalp

Nickle Clips can irritate the scalp

If nickle clip-in extensions are continually worn and the tension on your hair is not regularly alleviated, scarring can occur as well as permanent hair loss, leaving the wearer with a less then desirable appearance they’ll be forced to deal with for the rest of their lives.

article by Diane Shawe M.Ed

Almost all of these clips are made from nickle and if the wearer is allergic to nickle, wearing them for over 5 hours a day will eventually cause traction alopecia and scarring.

In today’s modern society, most people think only of the final appearance of their hair.

backcombing-to-Attach-Clip-in-Hair-Extensions-causes-traction-alopecia-diane shaweHours spent back combing and coating the scalp with lots of hair spray so that the clips can stay in longer, or even wearing really heavy hair extensions caused by the length of the hair purchased continually irritates the scalp all day whilst at the same time slowly pulling the hair out of it’s follicles.

Cheryl Guttman (2) research found that the continual over processing with Chemical treatment such as bleaches, dyes, or strengtheners disrupts the keratin structure in a manner that reduces its tensile strength.

traction_alopecia_caused_by_hair_clipin_diane_shaweThe hair follicles can become fragile. At first the hair fall out is not so noticeable because the clip on extensions are disguising it. Add brushing and combing your hair, you will note a difference in the reduced thickness of your hair line but ignore it initially. Later on some people might experience heavy fall out which can occur with brushing, combing and washing your hair. On top of that using extreme heat to fashion each day can also permanently damage the hair follicle.

If detected early, traction alopecia is reversible if diagnosed early. However, permanent loss can occur too slowly for immediate detection. Hair loss is often occurs in the front, but is also subject to the immediate adjacent area to where the clip in extension were pulling and damaging the hair root.

getting-started-in-the-hair-extensions-business-141364929463.jpgAccording to Basil M Hantash, MD, PhD (1)  The sad truth of the matter is that permanent traction alopecia does not respond to medical treatment such as minoxidil or finasteride since by its nature, the loss is different then genetic hair loss.

The only way one can treat traction alopecia is with transplants. Follicular unit hair grafting has been identified as the only practical solution to treating traction alopecia. Hair transplant clinics are reportedly seeing a rise in the number of patients with traction alopecia and say the results can be good to excellent.

nickle-clipins-damage-scalp-diane shaweHowever this can be a costly approach especially whilst clip in extensions appear so cheap. What you have to consider is whether wearing clip on extensions for over 5 hours a day versus the value of your own hair. Which is worth more?

There are over 16 different extension techniques. It is important that you find a technique that is suitable for your type and life style. There is a misconception that hair extensions can be worn permanently for up to 6 months at a time.

In today’s society, you need to hold on to what you’ve got, look after what you have and start being kinder to your hair.

Want to find out how to train to become a Hair Loss Hair Extension Consultant then click to view our course prospectus

Get your copy today from amazon.co.uk

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Sources:
1. Basil M Hantash, MD, PhD, Robert A Schwartz, MD, MPH. (2005) Traction Alopecia, Emedicine.com

2. Cheryl Guttman, May 1, 2003 Alopecia Options for Black Women, Dermatology Times,
3. Diane Shawe Blog: academyexpresscourses.com/2014/05/01/10-most-profitable-hair-extension-techniques-to-learn-for-2014-by-diane-shawe/