Clinks Light Lunch | Issue 370 | 28th November 2014

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In this week's edition....

CLINKS SUPPORT: developing your organisation for TR

Clinks is working with Acevo and Candour Collaborations to offer members a one-to-one support package for those of you gearing up to deliver Transforming Rehabilitation (TR) contracts. The support will help you develop your unique selling points (USPs), build collaborative relationships, write compelling bids and increase your success rate. To find out more and apply for support, complete a short form here

CLINKS PUBLICATION: working with vulnerable adults

The Making Every Adult Matter (MEAM) coalition launched a report this week, detailing the experiences of frontline practitioners working with vulnerable adults.'Voices from the Frontline' found that welfare reform and changes to services are having a negative impact on adults with the most complex problems. The research finds that while 4 in 10 services believe multiple needs had become more important for local commissioners over the last two years, this is not translating into better services. The publication calls for politicians and civil servants to involve those with complex problems in shaping future policy to avoid negative consequences. Read a blog about the report and download it here

CLINKS CASE STUDY: working with perpetrators of domestic abuse

This recent case study, of our members Barnardos, looks at their domestic abuse perpetrator programmes, designed to address the violent and abusive behaviour of the perpetrator and stop the abuse at source. Barnardo’s works directly with over 200,000 children, young people and their families every year. They run over 900 vital services across the UK, including counselling for children who have been abused, fostering and adoption services, vocational training and disability inclusion groups. Issues covered in the case study include: perpetrator programmes; women’s victim support services; and the impact of the programme on children. Download the case study here

CLINKS CASE STUDY: young people and rural crime

Our latest case study, featuring Gallery Youth, focuses on the problem of anti social behaviour and low-level crime by young people in rural areas. The case study looks at an outreach project they undertook in Alnwick, Northumberland, following complaints from the community about young people hanging around the run-down bus station, committing low-level crime, vandalism and anti-social behaviour. Issues covered in this case study include: anti-social behaviour; working with rural communities; and inter-generational community cohesion. Download the case study here

CLINKS MEMBER'S NEWS: our member scoops young people's award

Clinks member Storybook Dads has won the Children & Young People Now 2014 Award for 'Children and Young People’s Charity of the Year'. Storybook Dads helps parents in prison keep in touch with their children, providing a lifeline for thousands of disadvantaged families. In the past year it has reached nearly 18,000 people, including 11,500 children, to improve levels of contact and literacy among parents and children. Find out more about Storybook Dads here

CLINKS MEMBER'S NEWS: women's centre scoops award

Clinks member North Wales Women's Centre (NWWC) won the 'Reducing Harm Award' at the first 'Police and Crime Commissioner’s Community Awards' in north Wales. NWWC in Rhyl is a one stop shop for vulnerable women who have been a victim of crime or are at risk of offending. The centre has been open since 2001 and has supported over 3,000 women. The award was for their efforts to prevent and tackle serious crime and/or provide support to victims of serious crime. Find out more about NWWC here

CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM: lessons to be learnt from Swedish criminal justice?

“Our role is not to punish. The punishment is the prison sentence: they have been deprived of their freedom. The punishment is that they are with us,” said Nils Öberg, director-general of Sweden’s prison and probation service, who gave the annual Longford lecture on penal reform last night. In an interview earlier this week with Erwin James, Öberg talks about the Swedish emphasis on a person-centred approach, removing politics from processes, and managing public opinion. Read the full interview here

FUNDING: getting Cheshire active

Active Cheshire is offering seven grants to local groups, organisations, schools, town and parish councils for original and innovative projects that encourage those people who are inactive in Cheshire and Warrington to exercise regularly. Grants of up to £15,000 will be awarded for capital or revenue costs, with priority being given to projects that are innovative and have a wider social, economic or environmental impact. The deadline for entries is 5th January. Find out more and apply here

FUNDING: improving your local area

Active Communities is a funding programme for local people with great ideas about how to help create fairer places to grow, live, work and age well. The People’s Health Trust is looking for ideas which will create stronger connections between people and help make their local neighbourhoods even better. The fund opened to applications this week for organisations in Wandsworth, Richmond on Thames, Kingston upon Thames, Merton, Sutton, Croydon, Camden, Barnet, City of Westminster, Brent and Harrow. Community groups and not-for-profit organisations with an income of less than £350,000 a year can apply for a grant of between £5,000 and £50,000 to help with projects lasting between nine months and two years. Find out more and apply here

PUBLICATION: improving prison conditions across Europe

'From national practices to European guidelines: interesting initiatives in prisons management' is a new European Prison Observatory report that encourages the Council of Europe member states to develop social life in prison, to give priority to an 'open' regime of detention which would create a certain degree of autonomy, to allow the inmates to enjoy activities involving their skills and to develop those activities in conditions as close as possible to the outside world (which includes, for instance, wages at the level one can find in the rest of the society). But also to allow inmates to develop regular contact with the outside world, to take part in the elections, referendums and other aspects of public life, to be able to have a collective discussion – with or without the prison administration – about their general conditions of detention; and to create mediation mechanisms in order to solve disputes and discuss controversial issues and to give them priority over the disciplinary procedures and sanctions. Find out more here

PUBLICATION: supporting people with learning disabilities

Sir Stephen Bubb, chief executive of charity leaders body ACEVO, was asked by NHS England to work with stakeholders and make recommendations for the development of a national commissioning framework to address the serious shortcomings in the provision of support for people with learning disabilities. Sir Stephen said: "The Winterbourne View scandal led to the Government pledge to move all people with learning disabilities and/or autism inappropriately placed in such institutions into community care by June this year. Not only has there been a failure to achieve that movement, there are still more people being admitted to such institutions than are being discharged. This has caused anger and frustration." Read the report here

PUBLICATION: the impact of funding cuts on voluntary sector staff

The Inquiry into the Future of Voluntary Services have published a report on the effects of outsourcing and cuts to funding on those who are paid to work in voluntary sector organisations, and on the role and response of the trades unions. The press release states: "Authors Rosie Walker and Frances Sullivan expose the damage being done to the voluntary sector workforce by the race to the bottom including lowering pay at the bottom while increasing it significantly at the top, the casualisation of contracts, the exploitation of weaker employment rights and heavy-handed managerialism that frowns upon union activity, political activism of any kind and even, in some cases, on professionalism.” Find out more here

RESOURCE: briefings about the children and families of offenders

i-HOP has produced two new briefings about the children and families of offenders. The police briefing highlights the benefits of police force professionals having an awareness of the issues surrounding parental offending, and the ability to provide support or information to children and families they come in to contact with. A briefing for Troubled Families professionals highlights that many teams will already be working with families affected by parental offending, and the introduction of phase two of the programme (which includes criteria regarding parental offending and imprisonment) means they are even more likely to be engaging with these families. Both summarise some key impacts of parental imprisonment for children, and highlight how professionals can use i-HOP to assist in supporting these children and families. Download the briefings here

RESOURCE: for black feminists in Manchester

Black Feminists Manchester is a group for women and girls in Manchester who identify as 'black in the political sense',  who self-identify, originate or have ancestry from global majority populations (i.e. Africa, Asia, Middle East, Latin America), multi-heritage/mixed race and indigenous backgrounds. There are opportunities to get involved at meetings, socials, in projects and workshops, and write for their blog. Find out more here

CAMPAIGN: save a young person's life this Christmas

A new poll from Centrepoint shows that 18% of young people have been forced to sleep in dangerous environments such as streets, cars and night buses in the past 12 months because they had nowhere else to stay. According to Shelter, more than 90,000 children in England, Scotland and Wales are without a permanent home. With young homeless people twice as likely to die as their peers, Centrepoint are launching an urgent appeal to help save a young person’s life this Christmas. Find out more and get involved here

CLINKS MEMBERS' VACANCIES

Members' vacancies this week include: a Trustee with Elizabeth Fry Charity [Reading], a Fundraising and Development Officer with the Margaret Carey Foundation [Home based], a Project Worker with Nacro [Essex], a Bike Recycling Project Assistant with Life Cycle UK [HMP Bristol], a Centre Manager with Together Women [Leeds], an Operations Team Administrator with Prison Fellowship [London], an Operational Lead with Changing Lives [Newcastle], a Helpline Manager with Prisoners Families Friends Service [London], a Volunteer Coordinator with Prison Advice and Care Trust [London], an Outreach Worker with The Footprints Project [Hampshire], and an Administrative Assistant with the Prison Reading Groups [Roehampton]. For further information about these vacancies, and many more, click here

TIPS OF THE WEEK

  • Tip of the week I: Megabus is offering 20,000 free one-way tickets on nearly all of its routes in England, Scotland, Wales and Europe for travel between Monday 12th January and Thursday 12th February. Details
  • Tip of the week II: If you buy a £25 Abies Nordmanniana real Christmas tree before 21st December, you'll be given a £20 no-minimum spend voucher at the till. You can use it on any item in stores from 19th January until 8th February. Details
  • Tip of the week III: Go online to All Boxed Up and you can get a beauty bundle for £22.98. The bundle includes eight cosmetic products which cost more than £108 if bought separately. Details

EXTRA INFORMATION

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