Clinks Light Lunch | Issue 378 | 13th February 2015

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In this week's edition....

CLINKS NEWS: infrastructure funding awarded

Clinks have been awarded funding by MoJ to provide infrastructure support to the voluntary sector across England and Wales from April 2015 until the end of March 2016. The MoJ state that the "Grant Award (is) to support infrastructure work directly connected with the reduction of reoffending and with the rehabilitation of adult offenders, or improving related outcomes that improve public protection, reduce the likelihood of harm to others or otherwise contribute to successful offender management and desistance." For further information please email info@clinks.org

CLINKS EVENT: multiple needs conference

The 'National Multiple Needs Summit' [22nd April, London, £50] will see individuals with lived experience, service providers, commissioners and policy makers collaborate across sectors to find new ways to support an estimated 60,000 people with complex problems. People facing multiple needs experience homelessness, substance misuse, mental health problems and contact with the criminal justice system. The coordinated support they need is rarely provided by existing services, which are often designed to deal with one problem at a time. Across the country a growing network of people are working together to change this situation. Join in by booking your place here

CLINKS EVENT: victims' services in the North East

Clinks are supporting Northumbria's PCC to hold a series of roadshows [25th February, North Shields; 2nd March, Gateshead; 2nd March, Sunderland] with the voluntary sector to provide an overview of the way in which victims' services will change and discuss any potential opportunities for the sector. The roadshows are being run in partnership with VONNE. Find out more and book your place here

CLINKS WORKSHOP: how to write a winning bid

'Writing winning bids' is a Clinks workshop [26th February, Newcastle, from £50] that will help you effectively identify contract and sub-contract opportunities, write strong narrative responses, understand how procurement works, submit high quality, high scoring bids, and engage Tier 1 providers to secure positions within supply chains. The workshop will be delivered by Candour Collaborations and subsidised by VONNE, the regional infrastructure body for the voluntary sector in the North East of England. To find out more and book your place, click here

CLINKS MEMBER'S NEWS: new CEO at Koestler Trust

Sally Taylor will take over from Tim Robertson as Chief Executive of the Koestler Trust in April. Sally is currently Executive Director of The Culture Capital Exchange. Sally says: “I am thrilled to become the CEO of the Koestler Trust following on from Tim Robertson’s remarkable time at this very special and courageous charity. Tim, supported by the Board and the team, has moved the Koestler forward with huge integrity and drive, and I am greatly looking forward to taking up the reins and working with such a committed group in the Trust and its supporters on the next stage of the charity’s development.” Find out more here

CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM: new Director for Criminal Justice Alliance

Ben Summerskill, until recently Chief Executive of Stonewall, will take over as Director of the Criminal Justice Alliance (CJA) in late March. Ben said: "'I'm very excited about joining the CJA. The work its member organisations do is critically important. However delivery of better policy and outcomes around crime and prisons is all too often overlooked across the public domain. I'm honoured to have been asked to help change that."

CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM: merger of North Yorkshire criminal justice areas

A recent consultation found overwhelming support for the proposed merger of the four Local Justice Areas (LJAs) in North Yorkshire into a single area. Download the responses and next steps to the consultation here

CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM: inspection of probation work in the North East

HM Inspectorate of Probation will be inspecting 'Early Work and Effective Recording undertaken by the NPS and CRCs' in Tyne South during the week commencing 23 March 2015. If you have any queries about this, please contact HMI Probation (Enquiries) mailbox at Enquiries.HMIProb@hmiprobation.gsi.gov.uk

CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM: prison staff satisfaction survey

NOMS have conducted an employee satisfaction survey of 14,886 prison service staff. Interesting results include: one in five staff experienced bullying, harassment or discrimination at work; nearly 60% of staff say they want to work in the prison service for at least the next three years; nearly half of staff don't feel involved in decisions that affect their work; three quarters of staff feel they have a strong team they can rely on; only one in three believe they have access and opportunities to learn and develop; and only one in five staff felt their pay was adequate. There was a particularly negative response to leadership and management, and a really positive response to team work and colleagues. See the full results here

COMMISSIONING: emotional support for prisoners in distress or crisis

NOMS are inviting expressions of interest for a grant award to provide and/or enable the provision of emotional support to prisoners in distress or crisis. This includes, but is not limited to, support which helps reduce instances of self-harm or suicide. Bids which incorporate associated deliverables, such as the production of relevant research, or test novel approaches to issues such as staff support or development, are welcomed. The deadline for expressing an interest is 4th March. Find out more here

COMMISSIONING: become part of a London employment supply chain

The Central London Forward partnership of local authorities is commissioning a five year ESF-funded pilot programme, Working Capital, which will use a multi-agency, case worker based approach to support residents across central London who are claiming Employment Support Allowance and have left the Government’s Work Programme without securing a job. City of London is providing an opportunity for organisations to publicise their capability to provide services to those seeking to qualify for the tender list for Working Capital. Find out more here

FUNDING: community work in the Midlands

Comic Relief, the Birmingham Mail and Heart of England Community Foundation are distributing a £100,000 Red Nose Day Community Cash fund to communities in Birmingham, Solihull and the Black Country. Grants of between £500 and £1,000 are available to support local community groups that are doing exceptional work to aid local people who are currently living tough lives. To be eligible, groups must be working with a deprived or disadvantaged community and have an annual income of less than £100,000. To date, only 12 applications have been received, which means that in order for all of the funding to be allocated, at least another 80 applications are required. The deadline for applications is 23rd February 2015. Find out more and apply here

FUNDING: sexual abuse support fund

The Home Office has launched a £2.85 million Sexual Abuse Support Fund, aimed at non-statutory organisations in England and Wales providing support to victims of sexual abuse to help meet increased demand on their services. Eligible projects will need to provide a detailed description of how the types of support provided will lead to improvements for the victim. Although there is neither a minimum nor a maximum grant, applicants must state whether their bid is scalable as a large number of applications are anticipated. The deadline for applications is 2nd March. Find out more here

CLINKS MEMBER'S EVENT: growing through franchising

'Wish you were here' is a Changing Tunes conference [18th March, London, £40] where they will share their experience of growing their charity through franchising. Changing Tunes will be sharing their successes and lessons learned, and will answer the question: ‘Is franchising a successful model of growth for charities?’ This event will be of interest to funding bodies, charities looking to expand sustainably, and members of the prison and justice sectors. The day will feature input from the Chief Inspector of Prisons, Nick Hardwick, and criminologist Prof. Shadd Maruna. Find out more and book your place here

CLINKS MEMBER'S EVENT: promoting positive and healthy relationships

'I am project: promoting relational literacy' is a Choices Islington event [26th March, London, £10] designed for professionals and others working with young people or vulnerable groups such as offenders, ex-offenders, young offenders, women in the sex industry and those involved in gang culture. The 'I am' Project is an innovative approach to promoting positive and healthy relationships free from violence, coercion or intimidation. Find out more and book here

CLINKS MEMBER'S EVENT: improving outcomes for BAME offenders

'The role of TR providers and local criminal justice agencies in delivering improved outcomes for BAME offenders' is a BTEG and POPS event [16th April, Manchester, free] aiming to explore whether Transforming Rehabilitation will improve outcomes for black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) offenders who experience some of the poorest outcomes across the offender population. Find out more and book your place here

CLINKS MEMBER’S EVENT: Redemption & Justice Awards 2015

Nominations are open for NoOffence!'s Redemption & Justice Awards. The awards [9th October, Manchester] aim to celebrate both the people who change and the people who help to make change possible, from across every sector of criminal justice. You can take part as a judge, sponsor or by attending the evening. Full details about the awards can be found here

NON-MEMBERS' EVENTS & TRAINING

  • 'Raising your game workshops' | 23rd February – 24th March, various locations | Details
  • 'Intelligent Commissioning: 20/20 vision' | 4th March, Manchester, free | Details
  • 'Faith and Gangs conference' | 11th March, London, free | Details
  • 'Offender Personality Disorder Pathway Programme' | 11th March, London, free | Details
  • ‘Changing Prisons in Challenging Times’ | 16th March, London, free | Details

PUBLICATION: ROTL restrictions undermining resettlement

'Inside out: release on temporary licence and its role in promoting effective resettlement and rehabilitation' is a new Prison Reform Trust briefing that found disproportionate restrictions on the temporary release of prisoners are undermining opportunities for effective resettlement and rehabilitation and leading to growing frustration and resentment behind bars. The briefing raises concerns that tighter restrictions on the use of Release on Temporary License (ROTL) could lead to an underuse of the open prison estate and pressure from ministers to close open prisons to save money. Download the briefing here

PUBLICATION: payment by results for people with complex needs

'Adding Value? Reflections on payment by results for people with multiple and complex needs' is a Revolving Doors Agency briefing that looks at the growing use of payment by results (PbR) in public services. The briefing highlights significant challenges in applying PbR to services for people facing multiple and complex problems, and reflects on the experience of existing schemes to raise 18 key considerations for commissioners and policymakers seeking a more outcome-based approach to funding services for people in this situation. Download the report here

BLOG: the reasons public service commissioning often fails

'An inflexible commissioning system' is the fifth in a series of Russell Webster blogs about criminal justice commissioning. This week's post looks at two final reasons why the current approach to commissioning public services so regularly fails to create a market where there is a wide range of high quality services for members of the public to choose from: providers are exposed to excessive risk; and it is hugely expensive and difficult to implement policy changes. Read Russell's blog here

RESOURCE: forum for restorative justice practitioners

The Forum for Restorative Practitioners has been re-launched as the Restorative Forum. Miguel Linan, from Restorative Solutions CIC explains: "The forum has been re-branded to include the whole Restorative Community, from mediators to RJ practitioners, and all other forms of ADR professionals. It also now welcomes members from across the globe - sharing best practice and relevant experiences, (and) supporting other members. The Restorative Forum is an open resource for the restorative community funded by a number of non-profit organisations." To join the forum click here

CLINKS MEMBERS' VACANCIES

Vacancies this week include: an Admin Assistant with Fine Cell Work [London], a Project Support Worker and an Administrator with ISSA Wales [Cardiff],  a Support Worker [Blyth] and a Refuge Protect Worker [Halton] with Changing Lives, a Project Worker with Leap Confronting Conflict [London], a Recovery Caseworker (female) and a Fundraiser with One25 [Bristol], an Executive Officer with the Prison Reform Trust [London] and Community Involvement Panel Members with the Crown Prosecution Service [North East/Durham] For more information about these vacancies and many more, click here.

TIPS OF THE WEEK

  • Tip of the week I: Get 44% off tickets for Monty Python's "Spamalot" in York next week. Details
  • Tip of the week II: 100 tips for cheap school holiday family fun, including a free craft box and cheap family days out. Details
  • Tip of the week III: Two people can stay overnight at the Suncliff Hotel, Bournemouth for £59. Deal includes 3 course dinner and breakfast. Details

EXTRA INFORMATION

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Contact Us www.clinks.org | info@clinks.org | 020 7383 0966

 

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