SGSSS-SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT INTERNSHIP SCHEME PROJECTS STARTING SPRING 2015 ONWARDS Application Deadline
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SGSSS-SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT INTERNSHIP SCHEME PROJECTS STARTING SPRING 2015 ONWARDS Application Deadline: 19th January 2015 at 5pm The devolved Government for Scotland is responsible for most of the issues of day-to-day concern to the people of Scotland, including health, education, justice, rural affairs, and transport. Government social science research - http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Research/About/Social- Research aims to provide high quality evidence and advice for Ministers and Scottish Government officials to inform policy development, implementation and evaluation. Social researchers in government help generate new ideas and open debate, challenge assumptions, beliefs and attitudes, test policy ideas and develop a deeper understanding of issues as they affect Scotland. The core functions of researchers in government include: • the interpretation of evidence and the provision of research based advice • engaging with the academic and wider research community to bring expert knowledge into the policy making process • commissioning external research projects • undertaking research such as reviews of the existing evidence base • disseminating research findings and encouraging their wider use Social researchers work closely with other analysts in the Scottish Government, particularly statisticians and economists. The Office of the Chief Researcher (OCR) in the Scottish Government is responsible for central co- ordination of the internship scheme. OCR also provides a strategic, corporate and professional support function across the Scottish Government. FURTHER INFORMATION AND HOW TO APPLY What is an Internship? An internship is a non-salaried work placement. The SGSSS-Scottish Government Internship Competition gives current SGSSS students (all students registered for a PhD degree in Scotland, however funded) the opportunity to apply to undertake an internship within an external organisation. Working arrangements All internships are on a full-time working basis for three months (13 weeks). A monthly stipend equivalent to the ESRC standard maintenance stipend will be paid to students on internships. All internships (including pool applications) will be based in core Scottish Government Directorates or their agencies and be based in Edinburgh or Glasgow unless indicated by the project. Please see the 1 separate SGSSS document “Additional Information” which provides guidance on travel and accommodation reimbursement. Successful applicants and their University supervisor will be asked to sign an agreement document prior to commencing their internship, covering administrative details such as procedures for annual leave, etc. Eligibility All SGSSS postgraduate students registered for a PhD who are, at the time of application, in full time study in a social science discipline (or part time but able to commit to full-time internship) , are invited to apply for the projects described below. Students may also apply for inclusion in a ‘pool’ if they wish to be considered for other unfilled advertised projects or others which may later arise in any area of the Scottish Government. Please note we cannot accept applications from non-social science students please check the SGSSS website for Pathway information which specifies the disciplines we cover. Students studying on health pathway can apply even if funded by MRC/CSO as health is one of our interdisciplinary pathways. http://www.socsciscotland.ac.uk The Scottish Government prefers applicants to be in their second or third year of the PhD to apply due to the experience required to fulfil the internship opportunities. The internships will start throughout 2015. This scheme is open for all students notwithstanding how their PhD is funded, as long as other criteria are met, such as nationality. If successful all students will take an interruption of studies so that they are not eligible for fees during the internship. Research supervisors need to give permission for students to apply for these opportunities. Successful applicants will receive the equivalent of a standard ESRC maintenance stipend for the three months while on internship. All provisionally selected candidates will be required to receive security clearance as a condition of taking up the Internship. This requires having a valid Disclosure Certificate. Obtaining a Disclosure Certificate can take several weeks. Successful candidates should apply for a certificate as soon as possible. The cost of a certificate can later be claimed back as part of Travel and Subsistence expenses. In order to work for the civil service, including as part of an internship, an individual must meet nationality criteria set out in the Civil Service Nationality Rules. Detailed guidance is available on the Civil Service web pages at: http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/resources/nationality-rules All applicants must ensure that they can meet these criteria in order to be eligible to undertake internships with the Scottish Government. How to apply Applicants should submit an online application form available on the SGSSS website, which includes space for a statement of support from your principal supervisor, along with a two-page CV. The deadline for applications is 5pm on 19th January 2015 You should clearly indicate whether the application is for a specific project and/or for inclusion in the general pool. Applicants are free to apply all of the internships with the Scottish Government, in addition to the pool, to maximise their chances of obtaining an internship. Although you can apply for more than one, candidates can only undertake one internship. Potential applicants are strongly encouraged to discuss their applications and areas of interest by telephone with the Scottish Government contact (listed under each internship) in advance of submitting their application. If there are questions about the scheme as a whole please contact Richard Kay or Janice Clark, SGSSS (details below). 2 Students are encouraged to carefully consider the information requested in the application form and pay particular attention to setting out their expertise in particular research methods to address the desired skills listed. Applicants are often not required to have academic experience in the policy area of the internship unless specified in the project description. SGSSS encourage students to work outside the area of their PhD topic in order to gain wider experience. Selection process Interns will be selected by the SGSSS on the basis of their written application. An informal telephone discussion with applicants may also be held before final allocation of internships. All applicants will be contacted in early February 2015 by SGSSS to inform them of the status of their application. Additional information The Scottish Government Internship Scheme Manager is Rik Kay, email [email protected] and the SGSSS contact is [email protected] For more information about analytical services in the Scottish Government see: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Economy http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/About/Statistics-in-Scotland http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Research/About/Social-Research For more information about Government Economic Service, Government Statistical Service and Government Social Research, see UK government websites: • http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/networks/ges • http://www.statistics.gov.uk/ • http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/networks/gsr Reporting Requirements Once the internship has finished, students are required to submit to the SGSSS an End of Internship Report within 2 months of completing the internship; outlining the project in which they were involved and providing feedback on their experience of working in the Scottish Government. We also expect that interns are willing to take up opportunities to speak to other students about their experience e.g. at the SGSSS Summer School. THE INTERNSHIPS There are 32 advertised internship projects available, in addition to the ‘pool’. See table overleaf. 3 No. Policy Area and Project Title Page No. National Records of Scotland 1 Analysis of 2011 Census data on address 12 months ago compared with migration 5 estimates from patient registers Scottish Prison Service 2 Transformational Change within the Scottish Prison Service 6 Transport Scotland 3 Analysis of Understanding Society Survey data exploring transport behaviours in 7 socially deprived areas in Scotland DG Enterprise, Environment and Innovation 4 Community land ownership 8 DG Communities 5 Commonwealth Games, Culture and Sports Internship 9 6 Housing and Welfare 10 7 Further Development of Business Rates Evidence Base 11 8 Public Service Reform 12 DG Health 9 Analysis of patient experience survey data from the Scottish care Experience Survey 13 Programme 10 Analysis of qualitative patient comments from Scottish Maternity Survey 15 11 Analysis of the contribution of Intermediate Care to shifting in the balance of care in 16 Scotland in the context of Health and Social Care Integration 12 Behavioural change for increasing bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in 18 out of hospital cardiac arrest: Learning from the international experience 13 Carers in Scotland – developing a Scottish Government research agenda 20 14 The demand for and costs of social care in Scotland 22 15 Developing a systematic approach to using feedback and complaints about Scotland’s 24 health and care services 16 Understanding the Impact of Quality Improvement in the Scottish Government 26 17 Young People and E-cigarettes: analysing data from a