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This article takes a light‐hearted look at the reasons why research is conducted. The research community itself comes under investigation.

Considers the rise of welfare issues to the top of the political agenda and the place of feminist criticsm on this subject. Re‐evaluates the needs of women in light of their changing role in society. Looks at their need to be an income earner for the family and the demand for their skills in the workplace, followed by the changes in their domestic roles and looser financial dependency, together with a commitment to reform the welfare state based on the principle of welfare to work for all. Concludes that the impact has been negative on many women with responsibilities increasing faster than resources and rights, but also recognizes that choice has widened and independence has grown.

The debates on welfare provision in Britain are both familiar and well documented. (Loney, Boswell & Clarke 1984, Mishra 1984). It has been pointed out, however, by recent analysts (Barrett & Mcintosh 1982, Dale & Foster 1986) that quite different analyses of the deficiencies of the present system share common assumptions regarding the family. It will be argued here that this is particularly clear in current debates concerning parental involvement in pre school provision. Parental involvement has become a political catchphrase in the 1980's. It has been taken up by right and left, by community activists and central government. Much of the discussion, however, is underpinned by a particular view of the family. For the New Right the family is a focal point for much that is wrong in contemporary British society (Fitzgerald 1983). Parental involvement, here, is seen as a right and a duty for parents as well as a way to offset the reduction in individual responsibilities that have occurred with an invasive welfare state. The Left has also tended to view families in individualistic ways but has sought to redistribute educational opportunities through supporting parents to understand, use and make demands on overly centralised educational system e.g. Plowden 1967, Strathclyde Regional Council 1985. Parental involvement becomes a right and away to improve parents resources. The difficulties with these prescriptions, from Left and Right, is that their conceptualisation of the family ignores the realities of families and childcare, particularly in relation to women (David 1985, Wilson 1983). Thus they fail to take into account how these realities affect the way in which parents use and respond to parental involvement strategies.

The purpose of this exploratory article is to address the questions of teacher attrition and retention by examining the policies supporting beginning teachers in different jurisdictions (provinces and territories) in Canada through teacher induction and mentorship programs.

This research study relied on the collection of documents as the primary method of data collection. Both policy documents as means of external communication and the informal responses to formal policies by various stakeholders were analyzed in a complementary fashion in this study. The study examined numerous government documents, websites, program/policy memoranda, newsletters, as well as academic reviews pertaining to beginning teacher induction programs across Canada.

Data analysis revealed significant policy variability across the provinces and localities, with comprehensive induction programs instituted only by the educational authorities in New Brunswick, Ontario, and Northwest Territories. A fundamental building‐block of the induction programs was the creation of a formal mentoring program that matched experienced teachers with teachers who were new to the profession and/or to the province/territory.

Policy makers should consider the implementation of structured induction programs that successfully inculcate new teachers into school cultures and result in decreased teacher attrition and increased retention of beginning teachers. Mentoring is at the core of successful induction programs. Evident in all policy‐mandated induction programs under study was the importance of the school principal's role in effective functioning of mentoring programs. This aspect of the principal's role should be further examined and researched to understand the administrator role in the implementation and functioning of effective induction and mentoring programs for beginning teachers not only in Canada but worldwide.

In considering implementation of teacher induction programs, policymakers need to be aware that comprehensive, intensive support programs for new educators are both an effective and an efficient public investment. If mandated by policies at the macro levels as part of formal induction programs, mentoring programs have the potential to transform schools into collaborative places by establishing a culture of mentoring in schools.

Despite the perceived and actual benefits, government‐instituted induction programs for new teachers are not very common in Canada. While the discussions of such programs are certainly present in the educational literature, this exploratory pan‐Canadian review of induction and mentoring policies has the ability to inform provincial and territorial policymakers about the variability in institutionalizing those programs.

A programme of group discussions among buyers of research revealed a variety of reasons for commissioning work. Although much research is conducted for rational reasons, the evidence suggests that power struggles within companies are of major importance in deciding exactly what projects shall be undertaken and several categories of “political” research emerged. The relationship between the research buyer and his researcher can be adversely affected if one or other (usually the researcher) suffers from “boffin syndrome”. A classification of research projects is offered. For research buyers, jobs can be boring or interesting; in type, there are methodical jobs, “panic” jobs and “couch” jobs—which begin and end in therapeutic advice from the buyer to the research user.

Discusses the benefits of using devolved budget models in further education and the tensions that may arise from their introduction. The author’s research into caseloading models in further education are the basis of the findings and discussion of the implications of decentralising power for managers and teams. The reasons for the prevailing centralised model of resource management are discussed and the benefits to the organisation, managers and teams of using decentralised, devolved budget models are outlined. The discussion covers areas of resistance and reluctance to the change and the cultural and management style prerequisites for successful implementation of devolved budgets. The view of devolution of control as an empowerment tool for managers and teams is considered and alternative views of the model are highlighted, including the uncomfortable realities it may force upon middle managers.

The important initiative from the Department of Health (Working Group on Copying Letters to Patients, 2002) to require that letters between clinicians should be copied to the patient has not been implemented as widely as was intended. There have been concerns about logistics and fears that patients might be confused or frightened by communications they are not equipped to understand. Yet, modifications of the system to allow patients the choice to receive or not receive such letters and suitable training for clinicians offer safeguards. There is no doubt that copying letters provides an inexpensive mechanism for involving patients in their own care and treatment, offering transparency and confirming respect for equality in the relationship between patient and clinician. This paper reports experience with copying letters to patients and families with dementia. The process was warmly received by patients and carers, including families in a black and minority ethnic (BME) community, and few adverse comments were made. The routine application of this initiative will have benefits for the quality of service experience for older people, including those with dementia.

Examines the Out of School childcare initiative in Scotland (in 1996) by gathering data from the 1991 census and carrying out questionnaire surveys and interviews with both workers, responsible for developing Out of School care, and parents. Compares the findings with earlier research carried out in 1995. Assesses the impact the initiative has had on creating new jobs, improving access to employment for parents using the service, and how well the scheme answers the needs of women workers. Indicates from results obtained that parents had experienced a change in economic activity – increasing hours worked or starting a new job – and/or increased training take‐up. Records also that efficiency and enjoyment of work increased as gender inequalities began to be tackled. Notes that Out of School care schemes were more likely to occur in areas of higher socio‐economic composition, yet Out of School childcare could be part of an anti‐poverty strategy, encouraging women from deprived areas to enter the labour market. Claims that the scheme has had contradictory impacts but that it is hampered by lack of adequate and long‐term funding.

Reports on the Sixth Annual Conference of the Learning and Skills Research Network (Learning and Skills Development Agency) held at the University of Warwick, UK, in December 2002. Presents an overview of keynote speeches and reviews selected conference papers reporting on current research in the learning and skills sector.