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Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA)
IDeA works with government organisations, voluntary groups, businesses and professionals to explore and develop good practice in all aspects of local government. Provides resources, workshops, consultation and expertise to support government initiatives such as local strategic partnerships and best value.
Big issue: modernising local government
Related articles
Useful link: about IDeA

Incapacity benefit
A welfare benefit paid to people of working age who are unable to work due to disability or illness.
Related articles
Useful link: Department for Work and Pensions - guide to incapacity benefit

Independent housing ombudsman
The body that deals with the complaints of housing association tenants and some private landlords' tenants. Every registered housing association has to sign up to the scheme, which they also fund, through annual subscriptions. Private landlords can sign up on a voluntary basis.
Useful link: independent housing ombudsman

Indices of deprivation
An official measure based on a slew of criteria and statistics used by the government to target regeneration policies to the most deprived areas.
Related articles
Useful link: Office of the Deputy Prime Minister - indices of local deprivation

Industrial and provident societies
Organisations conducting an activity for the benefit of a specific community. These include workers' cooperatives, housing associations, social clubs, sporting and other voluntary community based organisations that do not make a profit for their members. Registered under the Industrial and Provident Societies Acts, 1965 - 1978.
See also: cooperative
Big issue: charity management
Useful link: Supporters Direct - introduction to industrial provident societies

Inner cities religious council
Set up in 1992 to ensure that religious groups have a say on regeneration policy. It is chaired by a government minister and includes leaders of the five largest faith communities: Christians, Hindus, Jews, Muslims and Sikhs.
Related articles
Useful link: Office of the Deputy Prime Minister - inner cities religious council

Innovation and good practice grant
Grant programme administered by the housing corporation to fund research and new ideas in housing and related areas.
Related articles
Useful link: housing corporation - innovation and good practice research databases

Innovation forum
Government sponsored gathering of those English councils that have been rated as 'excellent' by the comprehensive performance assessment. The aim of the forum is for local government to negotiate with ministers to provide more freedoms and flexibilities for the best.
Related articles
Big issue: best value and inspection
Useful link: Office of the Deputy Prime Minister - freedoms and flexibilities for local government

Inpatient
A patient who has been admitted to hospital for treatment and is occupying a hospital bed.
See also: outpatient
Big issue: NHS quality and performance
Related articles
Useful link: Department of Health - NHS inpatient waiting times statistics

Institute for Volunteering Research
Carries out and disseminates research on volunteering, and is part of the National Centre for Volunteering. Current projects include research on faith-based volunteering and social exclusion and volunteering.
See also: volunteer
Big issue: volunteering
Useful link: about the Institute for Volunteering Research

Interim care order
This may be made by the court to protect a child while waiting for a final hearing. It gives the court time to gather more details about the child's welfare before making a decision whether to grant further care orders.
See also: care order
Related articles
Useful link: Compactlaw children fact sheet - care and supervision orders

Intermediate care
Nursing home, rehabilitation or home care services provided to ease the transition of the patient from hospital to home and from medical dependence to functional independence.
SocietyGuardian.co.uk Q&A - intermediate care
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Intermediate housing
Accommodation targeted at essential public sector workers and other people on moderate incomes who are priced out of the property market but earn too much to qualify for social housing. Those benefiting are either given help to buy their homes or charged rents at a mid point between private market rents and affordable rents.
Related articles
Greater London Authority: homes for a world class city

Intern
Charities and voluntary organisations often recruit individuals to carry out specific projects and jobs for medium periods of time such as a year, or six months. These people are sometimes referred to as interns. Interns often receive a modest or token salary, but the internship gives them hands-on experience of working in the charity sector and of a particular issue.

Intervention
Ministers have a range of powers to intervene in the affairs of poorly performing councils. Set out in the Local Government Act 1999, these powers allow Whitehall to order councils to take particular measures to improve their services - such as making budget cuts or clearing a benefits backlog. In the worst cases, ministers can personally take control of a local authority's services or nominate someone else to do the job.
Big issue: best value and inspection
Related articles
Useful link: Office of the Deputy Prime Minister - inspection and intervention index

Introductory tenancy
A new legal agreement launched in 1996 that makes it easy for local authorities to evict unruly residents in the first year of their tenancy.
SocietyGuardian.co.uk: court backs tenancy law
Useful link: Office of the Deputy Prime Minister - antisocial behaviour in housing

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