The Special Educational Needs Tribunal for Wales (SENTW) considers appeals from parents of children, with special educational needs, against decisions of Welsh Local Authorities. The site has information on the make up of the Tribunal and its powers. Annual reports are provided back to 2003/4 containing statistical information about the type of appeals dealt with by the SENTW. A page of related web links is also given.
The Public Services Ombudsman for Wales is the organisation with responsibility for investigating complaints made by members of the public about the way they have been treated by a public body. The Ombudsman deals with complaints made about local government, National Health Service organisations - including GPs - housing associations and the Welsh Assembly Government. The website provides information about the role of the Ombudsman and includes details of the complaints procedure, investigation reports and annual reports.
The National Pro Bono Centre is a charity providing a clearing house for legal pro bono work delivered in England and Wales through the Bar Pro Bono Unit, LawWorks (the Solicitors' Pro Bono Group) and ILEX Pro Bono Forum. The website has information on the work of these pro bono charities and links are given to their websites. There is background information on pro bono work and a selection of case studies demonstrates how this work can help people who are unable to pay for legal assistance.
Care Inspectorate Wales is the independent regulator of social care and childcare in Wales. Work involves registering and inspecting care services, responding to concerns raised about social care and ensuring services meet legislative and regulatory requirements. Inspection, annual and local authority reports are available on the site. Links are given to relevant legislation, regulations and guidance. There is also a searchable care services directory and a register of service providers.
The General Teaching Council for Wales (GTCW) is an independent, self-regulating body for the teaching profession in Wales. It regulates admission to the profession, acts as an advocate for the teaching profession and maintains a register of qualified teachers. Users can find out more about the Council, information on professional standards and professional development and information on the qualification / registration process. The site also contains news items, links to ongoing consultations and external websites. The GTCW website can be viewed in English and Welsh.
Website of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, an independent public body whose purpose is to promote the Seven Principles of Public Life set out by the Nolan Committee. The website describes the Committee's remit and work. It also makes available reports, responses to consultations and other documents produced by the Committee.
The website of the Scottish Judiciary provides information on the roles and work of judges in Scotland and on the structure of the Scottish court system. It includes practical information for people attending court , a selection of decisions, sentencing statements and Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) determinations. Publications and responses to government consultations can also be viewed on the site.
Legislation.gov.uk website is hosted by the National Archives on behalf of the UK Government. It is a free official site providing all legislation from 1988 onwards and most legislation prior to 1988 (apart from secondary legislation). N.B. Many revised versions of acts are offered, but these are often not up-to-date. The content can be browsed by type (e.g. UK Public General Acts, Scottish Statutory Instruments), or searched by title, year, type or number. Users can go directly to sections for United Kingdom, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland legislation.
This section of the Guardian newspaper website focuses on legal issues providing free access to legal news, blogs and features. As well as legal news stories there are articles written by legal experts, links to news and comment from the Guardian's legal affairs team on Twitter and links to external legal blogs and websites through the Guardian Legal Network. There is also a weekly newsletter- The Bundle- which has a round up of news, comment, analysis, blogs and readers' views from Guardian Law and elsewhere on the web.
Website of the Equal Rights Trust (ERT) an international advocacy organisation based in London. The work of the ERT includes human rights advocacy, documentation of abuses, legal and policy research and consultation and training. The site gives free access to the ERT’s Virtual Library on Equality which provides materials on non-discrimination and equality, including case law, policy papers, academic and other articles and ERT publications. Other features include the Equal Rights Review and a Declaration of Principles on Equality.
