C.E. Jottings

Two Audit Office Third Sector Reports

One of the responsibilities of a third sector CEO is to consider the future 'shape' of the organisation against the background of public policy in relation to the sector that is arguably changing more rapidly than at any time in history. Some suggest that we are witnessing the end of the traditional "voluntary" sector. The Audit Commission has recently published two important reports related to the third sector: and together they provide a wealth of contextual information on the national... Read more →

Integrated and harmonious

As I was writing the most recent posting to this blog, a distant echo was tickling my memory of something said by Andrew Sutton, former Director of the National Institute for Conductive Education in Birmingham, England. This afternoon I located the source of the tickle in a paper (unpublished, I believe, but available I expect from the National Institute Library or here: Download 2005.03 IM Conference ECM.pdf), based upon an informal presentation Andrew made to the conference "Children’s Trusts: Transforming... Read more →

Nice to travel ... so much nicer to come home

And so, the 6th World Congress of Conductive Education draws to a close with tomorrow morning's session, and with it my Winston Churchill Travel Fellowship. Both will require time for reflection on what I have seen and heard. However, I was struck here in Goteburg, as never before in a Conductive Education Congress, of the number of contributors and delegates from professions other than CE, and of how much higher is the number of people working in multi-disciplinary or trans-disciplinary... Read more →

Welcome to a CE Journal newly online

This is going to be important. Take a look on the day it was launched and bookmark it: "Recent Advances In Conduction Education". Well done Andrew, Gill and Elliott. I'm really looking forward to being a companion site to Elliott's recently new Conductive Community. There's much more to come, without a doubt. Read more →

Intelligence and Cerebral Palsy

I have just read a most remarkable sentence. You can check the context - a book summary - for yourself. "Characteristics of cerebral palsy are described, and it is pointed out that most children with this affliction have average or above average intelligence." Is it true? Can it be true? What if it is true? However, I am concerned about the logic of the sentence. I'm uncomfortably reminded of those populist politicians who make wonderfully nonsensical statements about wanting most... Read more →

Dowding's Universal Business Model

Other than this brief biography, I have no idea who Howard Dowding is, and his Universal Business Model website is highly functional and sparse. However, the actual Universal Business Model is a bit different from anything else I've seen and claims to be applicable to 'charitable trusts'. It is also English. Whilst the model is copyrighted 2001 to Howard Dowding, it is possible to use the model online "to create an organisation specific model". Read more →

More on Business Models

Curious, I thought I would explore a little more Alex Osterwalder's blog "Business Model Design and Innovation" that began my enquiry into Business Models. Very worthwhile. His posting on 15th June 2007, "Workshop Outcome In Mexico" shares a thoroughly understandable slide presentation of work undertaken during break-out sessions when he got the participating executives to design parts of a business model of a soccer club. In addition, he shares a guide to underlying concepts in business model design and design... Read more →

Business Model for charitable companies.

What is Paces' "Business Model"? Do we need one? What is a "Business Model", anyway? The question of Paces' Business Model arose quite early in the process of strategic planning our Trustees and management team are currently undertaking - and has remained unanswered. As often with the internet, almost by chance I came across a useful-looking blog posting from November 2005 that seemed neatly to set out what a business model is and then on the same blog almost a... Read more →

CP - an old-fashioned label?

Should we dispense with the term "cerebral palsy"? It is a question I keep coming back to. Listen to three different voices: In an article that first appeared earlier this year in the Parliamentary Monitor (April 2007) entitled "The very special needs of children with cerebral palsy", Jim Ferris CEO of the Percy Hedley Foundation had this to say: "Even today, typical definitions of cerebral palsy say something like "cerebral palsy is a non-progressive disorder of movement or posture due... Read more →

A New Conductive Community

For many years, the only comprehensive conductive education website has been that of the Foundation for Conductive Education in Birmingham UK. Its Forum has been a compelling focus for all with an interest in discussing matters in conductive education. We have indeed reason to be grateful to those at the Foundation who have maintained the site and monitored the site's Forum. However, it is not the vibrant place it once was. Now there is a new "Forum": a new "Conductive... Read more →