The age distribution of an industrial group (Scottish Railwaymen)

The age structure of the workers in an old-established industry, and the problems which might arise from it, formed the subject of the investigation. It was found that the group was atypical in that, in addition to having a higher average age than that of the total working population of Scotland, the age distribution was bimodal, with a marked excess in the S o + and a marked deficiency in the 3 5-44 age group. The bimodality was due to high recruitment after the first world war, followed by a low one a few years later. The bimodality was especially marked among footplatemen.

On the basis of age structure it is very difficult to identify grades to which older workers might be transferred. Certain receiving grades which " accommodate " the less healthy (and potentially also the older workers) were found to be relatively small in size compared with the operating grades, footplatemen or signalmen.

Projections were made to explore some of the repercussions of converting the age structure of a bimodal distribution to a standard, the working population of Scotland. There were three assumptions on total size : maintaining the size, a slow fall to 70% and a rapid fall to 70%. Within each of these there were three assumptions on sickness absence, drawn from experience of Scottish railwaymen and particularly footplatemen. These effects are described in the paper. They are not policy recommendations of what should happen ; they are indications of what might happen in certain circumstances. In a bimodal distribution it is easy to effect a reduction in total numbers by a reduction in recruitment, but the consequential longer term fluctuations in numbers are substantial and in sickness absence more so.

Those concerned with problems arising from recruitment, redundancy and age structures of working populations could get useful information by using appropriately realistic assumptions.     

Child Care and Work Absences: Trade‐Offs by Type of Care

Parents face a trade‐off in the effect of child‐care problems on employment. Whereas large settings may increase problems because of child illness, small group care may relate to provider unavailability. Analyzing the NICHD Study of Early Child Care, we find that child‐care centers and large family day care lead to mothers’ greater work absences because of a sick child, but not to maternal job exits. Greater work absences because of unavailability of small home‐based providers are associated with mothers’ job exits, especially when mothers have low earnings and use nonrelative caregivers. Our findings accentuate the need for improved hygiene practices in child care, expanded personal leave coverage for parents, and greater backup care for sick and well children.     

Assessing the impact of community programmes working with children and families in disadvantaged areas

Community programmes designed to improve the functioning of disadvantaged neighbourhoods and the families living there, as well as to reduce specific problems such as child abuse and youth offending, are currently very popular with the UK government. However, whilst there is considerable knowledge about the structural causes of individual and neighbourhood disadvantage in UK society, evidence about the role that community programmes can play in addressing these inequalities is much more limited. The evidence that does exist tends either to have been imported from other parts of the world (notably the USA), or to be in the early stages of evaluation in the UK, with the initial findings sometimes proving rather unconvincing. In particular, the limitations of targeted funding, and the difficulties of establishing and maintaining the effective partnerships upon which successful programmes rely, are emerging as significant issues. In this paper the implications of these findings for the future of children's services is considered, in the context of ever‐widening inequalities in UK society and the government's plans for children's trusts, integrated children's centres, and extended schools, involving multi‐agency working between health, education and social services.