Clinks Light Lunch | Issue 365 | 24th October 2014

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In this week's edition....

LIGHT LUNCH NOTICE: thanks for your donations!

A huge thank you to those of you that have donated to ensure Clinks can continue to support your work and the wider sector. Everybody donating a small amount can make a big collective difference. If you've yet to donate, you can visit our website, choose an amount to donate, and even pay on line! Click here for more details

CLINKS PUBLICATION: a survey of multiple and complex needs practitioners

The Voices from the Frontline project, of which Clinks is a member, has published an interim report that presents the findings from a survey of 140 organisations that work with people experiencing multiple needs. The survey explored two issues; the impact of changes to the welfare system; and the impact of changes to the structures through which services are commissioned. Find out more and download the report here

CLINKS BLOG: negotiation skills - discussion

In the third blog in the series, Mike Harvey, Director at Candour Collaborations, talks about the discussion stage of negotiations. Mike offers hints and tips on how to avoid some of the problems communicating with Tier 1s, saying: "It’s fairly standard now that in major commissioning rounds the main interaction between Tier 1s and Tier 2/3s will be through email and other electronic communications. More often than not this is simply because the Tier 1s will be swamped with providers trying to sell their products and services." Read Mike's latest blog here

CLNKS GUEST BLOG: reuniting mothers leaving prison with their children

Clinks member Commonweal Housing has written a guest blog for us detailing their efforts to reunite mothers with their children on release from prison. Ashley Horsley, Chief Executive of Commonweal explains: "On leaving prison, women are often denied the opportunity to be re-united with their children, simply because they are not deemed to have suitable accommodation. Women will all too often lose their homes when imprisoned even when in prison for only a relatively short time. We also know that 97% of children have to leave the family home when their mother is imprisoned. Obviously this is unfair." Read Ashley's blog here

CLINKS RESPONSE: to the UK transposition of new EU procurement directives

We have contributed to NCVO's response to the government's consultation on the UK transposition of new EU procurement directives. The response says that many of the problems associated with commissioning and procurement relate to poor decision-making, misplaced organisational priorities and risk averse behaviour. Read the full response here

CLINKS NEWS: notes from our Ministry of Justice advisory group meeting in July

Clinks chairs and provides the Secretariat for the Reducing Re-offending Third Sector Advisory Group (RR3) to the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). The group last met in July and discussed policy issues of concern to voluntary sector organisations, including the Transforming Rehabilitation (TR) reforms. Although the group meets quarterly, the next meeting has been delayed to ensure it takes place after the preferred bidders for the TR programme have been announced. The meeting notes from the July meeting can be found here

AWARD: for best practice in sexual health commissioning

Public Health England (PHE) is sponsoring a new award for best practice in whole system commissioning, and are encouraging those who work in sexual health, reproductive health and HIV (SHRHH) to nominate colleagues demonstrating best practice. PHE wants to recognise the excellent work commissioners are undertaking in a highly complex system. Your nomination can be for anybody who works directly or indirectly on commissioning. Find out more here

FUNDING: for community groups in Manchester

Grants of between £500 and £3,000 are available, through the Wythenshawe Your Community You Decide Fund, to assist local groups in doing things like planning community meetings, buying equipment for youth engagement or helping to transform local streets by neighbour involvement. The funding is open to a wide range of local voluntary and community groups and organisations, which are operating within the M22/M23 postal code. The deadline for applications is 5th November, find out more here

FUNDING: to develop an online platform for fighting FGM

The EU have issued a call for proposals to develop a web-based knowledge platform for professionals dealing with female genital mutilation (FGM). A single project is preferred covering at least ten of the most affected EU Member States and involving organisations from at least three participating countries. Funding will support the development and maintenance of an online platform including an e-learning course on the different aspects of FGM and country specific information pages. A budget of €900,000 is available, and the deadline for applications is 8th January 2015. Find out more and apply here

FUNDING: community safety in Leicestershire

The Leicestershire PCC's Grant invites voluntary sector organisations to submit applications to support the achievement of specific commissioning intentions and related outcomes in identified hotspot locations. Applications for up to £25k per annum or up to £50,000 match funding per annum, will be considered. Projects considered include those pro-actively reducing anti-social behaviour and interventions that increase the reporting of domestic abuse, serious sexual assault, or hate crime. Find out more and apply here

COMMISSIONING: mental health services in Surrey prisons

NHS Commercial Solutions are seeking a provider for the provision of Surrey Prison Mental Health Services to four prisons in Surrey [High Down, Downview, Coldingley and Send]. Bids are sought to provide evidence-based interventions and treatments that promote and maintain good mental health and well-being that is experienced by people who use services as inclusive, empowering and effective. The service required will be to provide access to expertise in learning disability, personality disorder and dual diagnosis and the opportunity to engage in meaningful, valuing therapeutic daytime activity where necessary. The £4.5million contract has a deadline for applications of 21st November. Find out more and apply here

CLINKS MEMBER'S EVENT: coming together to support young people

'Creative Collisions' is a NCVYS event [6th November, London, from £25] that aims, through collective action, to build consensus around creative solutions for young people, sending clear messages to policy makers that investment in young people is necessary and pays. Taking place during Youth Work Week, Creative Collisions will draw together the force of ten youth organisations and networks to explore: Impact & Innovation, Social citizens and Life, work & the future. Find out more and book your place here

CLINKS MEMBER'S EVENT: the role of the sector in Liaison and Diversion services

Nacro are hosting two 'Liaison and Diversion: Role of Voluntary & Community Sector' events [10th November, London and 24th November, Leeds, free] to learn about Liaison and Diversion (L&D); Understand the operating model; and Identify how the voluntary sector can contribute to the L&D programme. To find out more and book your place, click here for London and here for Leeds

CLINKS MEMBER'S EVENT: faith behind bars

'Faith and Identity Behind Bars' is the Prison Phoenix Trust's 2014 Lecture [11th November, Oxford, £5 donation], delivered by The Reverend Canon Mike Kavanagh, Head of Chaplaincy and Faith Services for NOMS. He will speak about how spiritual practice can lead prisoners to form a new sense of themselves and their potential, and enable them to make clear choices about their future actions. Download the invitation here

CLINKS MEMBER'S EVENT: books for prisoners

The Howard League for Penal Reform's Annual General Meeting [19th November, London, free] will be followed by a discussion on books for prisoners, chaired by Ian Dunt from Politics.co.uk and including Frances Crook, A. L. Kennedy and Kathy Lette. Find out more and book your place here

CLINKS MEMBER'S EVENT: multi-agency working with the families of offenders

Action for Prisoners’ and Offenders’ Families are hosting a seminar [27th November, London, free] on multi-agency working with the families of prisoners and offenders. The seminar will feature talks on leading examples of multi-agency working from leading providers. It will cover the pathway of setting up a multi-agency approach, training needs, as well as looking at some of the barriers including information sharing. This seminar will be of interest to all those working directly or indirectly with families, service providers and policy makers. Find out more and book here

NON-MEMBERS' EVENTS & TRAINING

  • 'Offender Health - Why Bother?' | 12th November, Newcastle, free | Details
  • 'From Borstal to Battlefield' | 11th November, London, free | Details

OPPORTUNITY: help a funder involve service users

LankellyChase Foundation is seeking an organisation to help them develop a strategy or roadmap for engaging people with lived experience of severe and multiple disadvantage in their organisation, the work they do and the change they seek. Sam Thomas explains: "We have some ideas of how to do this but we need help to find out what else is out there and how we can build on it in our work. We welcome tenders where the work will be led by people with lived experience and those who work across sectors (for example not being confined to a single sector such as mental health or homelessness)." The deadline for applications is 3rd November. To find out more, download the tender here

OPPORTUNITY: help an academic conduct research into prisoners' families

As part of her Criminology and Sociology dissertation at Sheffield Hallam University, Charlotte Beevor is researching the impact that incarceration has on prisoners and their families; as well as looking at the programmes and charities that are in place to help maintain relationships between prisoners and family members. If you'd like to help Charlotte with her research, email charlottebeevor@hotmail.co.uk

PUBLICATION: feminist matters blog

Fawcett Society published a new blog called 'Feminist Matters' in the lead up to the party conferences; inviting the Ministers and Shadow Secretaries for Women from all three main parties to write a guest blog. Articles have been written by Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Under Secretary for Women and Equalities, Jo Swinson MP; Labour’s Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities, Gloria de Piero MP; and the Conservative’s Secretary of State for Education and Minister for Women, Nicky Morgan MP. You can read all three articles, and others, here

PUBLICATION: the effectiveness of peer support in prison

'A systematic review of the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of peer-based interventions to maintain and improve offender health in prison settings' is a recent report by Dr. James Woodall that found peer education interventions are effective at reducing risky behaviours and that peer support services provide an acceptable source of help within the prison environment and have a positive effect on recipients; the strongest evidence came from the Listener scheme. Recurring themes were the importance of prison managerial and staff support for schemes to operate successfully, and risk management. There was little evidence on the cost-effectiveness of peer-based interventions. Read the report here

CLINKS MEMBERS' VACANCIES

Members’ vacancies this week include: a PA to the CEO at the Prison Fellowship [London], an SOS Project Worker/Peer Mentor with St Giles Trust [London], a Recovery Capital Builder at Changing Lives [Middlesborough], a Senior Development Manager with Victim Support [London/flexible], a Part-time Catering Worker, Family Support Worker and a Casual Catering Worker with Spurgeons [HMP Pentonville], a Senior Housing Support Worker/Hub Co-ordinator with Foundation [Scarborough] and a Clinical Supervisor with CRI [East Sussex]. For information about these vacancies and many more, click here

TIPS OF THE WEEK

  • Tip of the week I: Get free money by shopping online at TopCashBack. Details
  • Tip of the week II: 100 free or cheap things to do with the kids this half term. Details
  • Tip of the week III: Get a free cocktail or lager at Pitcher & Piano. Details

EXTRA INFORMATION

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