H-L

H 

HA - Housing Association
The main providers of new social housing. They are run as businesses but do not trade for profit, with any surplus being ploughed back into the organisation to maintain existing homes and to help finance new ones.

HAZ - Health Action Zone
Partnership between the National Helath Service (NHS), local authorities, community groups and the voluntary and business sectors.

HE - Higher Education

HIMP - Health Improvement and Modernisation Plan
Local plan for improving health and health services and to reducing inequalities in health. They are partnership ventures with local authorities and a wide range of other local agencies and communities.

HLC - Healthy Living Centre  
A lottery-funded programme which targets areas and groups that represent the most disadvantaged sectors of the population. Projects include smoking cessation, dietary advice, health screening programmes, and complementary therapy.
www.dh.gov.uk 

HLF - Heritage Lottery Fund
Distributes money from the National Lottery to support a wide range of projects involving the local, regional and national heritage of the UK.
www.hlf.org.uk 

HMT - Her Majesty's Treasury
Government department responsible for financial affairs in England and Wales.
www.hm-treasury.gov.uk 

HO - Home Office
Government department responsible for internal affairs in England and Wales.
www.homeoffice.gov.uk 

HR - Human Resources

HRD - Human Resource Development

HSC - Health and Safety Commission
Statutory non-departmental public body (NDPB) responsible for the regulation of risks to health and safety arising from work activity in Britain. Oversees the HSE.

HSE - Health and Safety Executive
Statutory non-departmental public body (NDPB) which helps the HSC ensure that risks to people's health and safety from work activities are properly controlled.
www.hse.gov.uk

Top

I 

IAVE - International Association for Volunteer Effort
An international non-governmental organisation that promotes, celebrates, and strengthens volunteerism worldwide.
www.iave.org

ICA - Institute of Cultural Affairs
A global network of private, non-profit, non-governmental organisations 'concerned with the human factor in world development'. It works to develop, test and demonstrate effective approaches to personal, organisational and social transformation.
www.ica-uk.org.uk 

ICAS - Independent Complaints Advocacy Services
Service provided by the Primary Care Trust (PCT) Patients Forum (PF) to provide support to those wishing to make a formal complaint about National Health Services (NHS) services.
www.dh.gov.uk 

ICT - Information & Communication Technology

IiP - Investors in People
The national quality Standard which sets a level of good practice for improving an organisation's performance through its people.
www.iipuk.co.uk 

ILAF - Independent Local Advisory Forum
Forum for Health Authorities to consult with local people so that patients and the public can have their say about the whole of their local National Health Service (NHS), including the strategic development of services.

ILO - International Labour Organisation
United Nations (UN) agency which seeks the promotion of social justice and internationally recognised human and labour rights.
www.ilo.org 

ILP - Independent Living Project
Term for an organisation which provides information and services for disabled people, their families and carers.

IND - Immigration and Nationality Directorate
Section within the government's Home Office, responsible for immigration control, citizenship and asylum.
www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk 

IPPC - Independent Police Complaints Commission
The organisation that has overall responsibility for the system for complaints against the police.
www.ipcc.gov.uk 

ISP - Internet Service Provider

Top

J 

JCB - Joint Commissioning Board
Partnership that allows health and social services to work together to jointly plan and purchase services.

JIP - Joint Investment Plan / Programme
Plans for purchasing care services jointly, produced by health authorities and local authorities as well as other key agencies and representatives of service users and carers.

JSA - Job Seekers' Allowance
Unemployment benefit paid by Jobcentre Plus, part of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

L 

LA - Local Authority
Regional council, often know as city, county, metropolitan, unitary, borough or district councils.

LA21 - Local Agenda 21
A strategy which local authorities are required to produce to show how they will work with their communities to achieve sustainable, environmentally friendly development.

LCHO - Low Cost Home Ownership
Describes a variety of initiatives funded by the Housing Corporation that help people buy or partially buy their own homes.

LDA - Local Development Agency
Generic term for voluntary organisations, such as Councils for Voluntary Service (CVS), Rural Community Councils (RCCs) and Volunteer Bureaux (VBs), whose role is to support the work and development of other voluntary organisations in their area.

LEA - Local Education Authority
Council department responsible for delivering primary and secondary education locally.
LEAP - Learning Evaluation And Planning 
A practical toolkit for integrating planning and evaluation for community learning, community health, volunteering and other community activities, used most extensively across Scotland.
www.scdc.org.uk

LFS - Labour Force Survey
A quarterly sample survey of households living at private addresses in Great Britain carried out by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) on behalf of the government. Its purpose is to provide information on the UK labour market that can then be used to develop, manage, evaluate and report on labour market policies.
www.statistics.gov.uk

LGA - Local Government Association
Works with and for the local authorities of England and Wales to realise a shared vision of local government that enables local people to shape a distinctive and better future for their locality and its communities.
www.lga.gov.uk 

LGB - Lesbian Gay and Bisexual

LGBT - Lesbian Gay, Bisexual & Transgender

LGIU - Local Government Information Unit
An independent policy and research think-tank supported by over 150 councils and the local government trade unions. It provides an information, advice, training and lobbying service, representing the interests of local authorities and supporting them in delivering excellent results for their communities.
www.lgiu.gov.uk 

LHB - Local Health Board
The primary care organisation in Wales, replacing the Local Health Group (LHG) in 2003.

LHC - Local Housing Company
A social landlord set up to take over former council homes. It is distinguished from a housing association (HA) by the high proportion of tenants and councillors on its board.

LHCG - Local Health Care Group
The primary care organisation in Scotland.

LIO - Local Infrastructure Organisation
A voluntary organisation which is set up, owned and run by local groups to support, promote and develop local voluntary and community action. Also often known as Councils for Voluntary Service (CVS).

LIT / LIG - Local Implementation Team / Group
The group charged with setting up and steering the local National Service Framework (NSF) agenda. It consists of representatives from health and social services, mostly at management level.

LMC - Local Medical Committee
Statutory representative body for all GPs in a particular area. NHS authorities must consult the LMC on issues ranging from GP terms of service to investigations into professional conduct.

LPSA - Local Public Service Agreement
A voluntary agreement negotiated between an individual local authority and the government. Their overall aim is to improve delivery of local services through a greater focus on outcomes. Also know as Local PSA.

LSC - Learning and Skills Council
Responsible for funding and planning education and training for over 16-year-olds in England.
www.lsc.gov.uk 

LSC - Legal Services Commission
An executive non-departmental public body (NDPB) responsible for the development and administration of the Community Legal Service and the Criminal Defence Service in England and Wales.
www.legalservices.gov.uk 

LSDA - Learning and Skills Development Agency
Strategic national resource for the development of policy and practice in post-16 education and training. The Agency was previously known as the Further Education Development Agency (FEDA).
www.lsda.org.uk 

LSP - Local Strategic Partnership
Partnership body bringing together public, private and voluntary sector service providers with the community and business sectors to help co-ordinate national and local initiatives to improve people’s quality of life.

LSVT - Large Scale Voluntary Transfer
The selling off of council homes to a housing association (HA) following the successful ballot of the tenants involved.