Clinks Light Lunch | Issue 392 | 29th May 2015

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In this week's edition....

CLINKS EVENT: last chance to book on leaders' event

'What's keeping you awake at night?' is a Clinks event [morning of 4th June, central Manchester, £40] for members' chief executives and senior staff, providing you with an opportunity to discuss your 'nightmare scenarios' with peers; identify and discuss your priority issues over the next few years; explore ways forward; and identify your support needs and how these might be met. These are tough times to be a leader in the voluntary sector working in criminal justice. Finances are tight, service user need is escalating, and the MoJ’s Transforming Rehabilitation programme is in its early stages so the potential impact on the sector is unclear. Come and share your experiences, learn from others, develop new networks, and share solutions. The event will be facilitated by Carl Reynolds, who has over 20 years’ experience of running participative and constructive events. Book your place here

CLINKS MEMBER'S NEWS: new CEO for northern community organisation

Chief Executive of DISC, Mark Weeding, has announced that he is retiring from his role, and revealed that his successor will be Paul Townsley, currently Northern Director of The Lifeline Project. Mark says, “I’m delighted to hand over the reins to Paul, who is highly thought of in the sector and who brings a wealth of experience to the role.” Paul's previous roles have included Senior Director at the Crime Reduction Initiative (North) and Chief Executive at the Westminster Drug Project. Find out more about DISC here

CLINKS MEMBER'S NEWS: a victim’s guide to restorative justice

The Restorative Justice Council have launched 'A victim’s guide to restorative justice', a new film for victims of crime explaining the different points in the Criminal Justice System where they can access restorative justice. It also tells them who they can contact if they want to make use of this approach. The film uses animation to simply convey what can be a complicated process, and is aimed at victims who are considering restorative justice but may have questions about what to do next. Watch the short video here

CLINKS MEMBER'S NEWS: priorities for the Justice Secretary

Chris Stacey, Director of Services at Unlock is the latest contributor to Russell Webster's blog series looking at priorities for the new Justice Secretary Michael Gove. Chris' three prioroties would be to: make further changes to when convictions become spent, including an individual case assessment, and cleaning up the many technical anomalies with the current law which came about as a result of the reforms to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act in 2014; establish ways to properly and fully ‘wipe the slate clean’ for minor offending; and lead from the front by 'banning the box' across Government. Read the blog here

CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM: trends in activity in the CJS

The Minstry of Justice has published 'Criminal justice system statistics quarterly: December 2014' which presents key statistics on activity in the Criminal Justice System (CJS) for England and Wales from January to December 2014. It provides an accompanying commentary, analysis and presentation of longer term trends. Key findings include: the total number of individuals dealt with formally by the CJS is now at a record low level; the use of out of court disposals has continued to decrease; the number of offenders convicted and sentenced increased by 3%; the number of first time entrants dealt with by the CJS has fallen by 52% since 2007; and prosecutions for sexual offences have increased by 9%. Find out more here

CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM: improving the life chances of vulnerable women and girls

A new alliance for women and girls, known as AGENDA, will aim to tackle the increasing number of women and girls experiencing inequality, violence, abuse and trauma. The Alliance will focus on effective responses to the triumvirate of social inequality, violence, abuse and gender expectations that is the root cause of many problems in adolescence and adulthood. Baroness Lola Young of Hornsey will chair the Alliance steering group. The Alliance has its roots in Baroness Corston’s 2007 review of women in the Criminal Justice System (CJS) which urged a holistic approach to women, for whom contact with the CJS is frequently culminating in a constellation of problems. Find out more here

CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM: youth offending service gets poor inspection report

A recent HM Inspectorate report on Bromley Youth Offending Service (YOS) found it was not managed effectively and needed to do more to reduce reoffending. Inspectors were concerned to find that: work to reduce reoffending was poor; work to protect the public and actual or potential victims was poor; work to protect children and young people and reduce their vulnerability was unsatisfactory; the effectiveness of governance and partnership arrangements was poor; and the delivery and management of interventions to reduce reoffending was poor. Read the full press release and download the report here 

FUNDING: transforming local services

The Department for Communities and Local Government's Our Place programme, delivered by Locality, will support at least 100 neighbourhoods to develop an operational plan by March 2016 detailing how a local service will be transformed. Grants of £8,000 are available. Midway through the funding period, areas will have the opportunity to apply for an additional £4,000 if they are identified as breaking new ground. Our Place is a methodology used by local citizens, professionals from public service agencies, businesses and interested stakeholders to re-shape their local public services. Voluntary sector organisations with an annual turnover of over £50,000 are eligible to apply. Applications are being accepted until 5th June. Find out more here

FUNDING: to help victims cope and improve community safety

The Police and Crime Commissioner for Sussex currently has the following two grant programmes open: the Victim’s Services Fund, where grants of up to £10,000 are available to support organisations that help individuals to cope and recover from the negative impacts of crime. The Community Safety Fund is for local not-for-profit organisations that are working to reduce crime and improve community safety - £5,000 is available for projects that meet at least one of the following priorities: anti-social behaviour; domestic violence and abuse; road safety; and cyber crime. The deadline to apply for both programmes is 5th June. Find out more and apply here

FUNDING: for people affected by welfare reform

Devon County Council's Community Impact Support Scheme is offering grants of between £10,000 and £50,000 to voluntary sector organisations in Devon to support initiatives that will lead to improved longer term prospects for people most affected by welfare reform, focusing on those who are unemployed or in work but heavily benefit-dependent. Priority will be given to existing organisations with a proven track record to support new delivery, or to secure and scale-up existing activity. However, applications will also be considered from start-up organisations where support will provide a springboard to sustainable delivery. The deadline for expressions of interest is 12th June. Find out more here

FUNDING: to increase life expectancy and reduce health inequalities

The NHS Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) Third Sector Health Grants scheme aims to reduce the gap in life expectancy between the most deprived and most affluent communities as well as health inequalities in Leeds. Voluntary sector organisations in North, South and East Leeds can apply for grants for activities including: tackling alcohol addiction; providing support for those with mental health concerns; and addressing the healthcare needs of children and infants. Small grants of up to £5,000 are available to pilot new innovative ideas and initiatives to support local groups in improving their community’s health and wellbeing. Large grants of up to £50,000 are available to develop programmes that can demonstrate that they are helping to meet the city’s health and wellbeing priorities. The deadline for the first funding round is 30th June. Find out more and apply here

FUNDING: to prevent youth unemployment

Grants of up to £5,000 are on offer from the Deutsche Bank Small Grants Fund, which aims to prevent youth unemployment by supporting opportunities for young people that will enable them to fulfil their potential. Voluntary sector organisations based in Barking and Dagenham, Hackney, Haringey, Lewisham, Southwark, Tower Hamlets, Westminster, Camden and Brent; and with an annual income of less than £250,000, are eligible to apply. Funding is available for projects that: prevent young people from becoming NEET (not in education, employment or training) later in life; provide educational support or opportunities; enable young people to develop essential life skills, and develop employability/enterprise skills. The deadline for applications is 17th July. Find out more and apply here

CLINKS MEMBER'S EVENT: a qualification for voluntary sector caseworkers

Catch22 and LAURUS Development are holding a Qualification Consultation Day [4th June, London, free] about their new qualification for voluntary sector caseworkers working in community rehabilitation. This two-day learning programme focusses on: effective engagement, proffessional approaches to case working, and risk-informed practice. The learning outcomes of this programme are now being used as the basis for the development of a tailored qualification, and your understanding of the contribution and further potential of voluntary sector workers will inform the debate. Find out more here

CLINKS MEMBER'S EVENT: what does the general election result mean for Wales?

'What the Future Holds' is a Cymorth Cymru event [17th June, Cardiff, from £95 + VAT] looking at what a Conservative majority government will mean for Wales, for support providers, and for vulnerable people. With specific sessions on welfare reform, the economy, financial governance, and future challenges for the sector, this event offers an in-depth look at what the election result will mean in reality, and the possible implications for your organisation and the people you support. Find out more and book your place here

CLINKS MEMBER'S TRAINING: victims' rights in restorative justice

IARS, in partnership with Khulisa, are holding a 'Victims' Rights in Restorative & Criminal Justice' training event [18th June, Winchester] designed to equip professionals with the tools and knowledge on victims' rights in restorative and criminal justice. The training aims to ensure that practices conform with the new EU Victims' Directive 2012/29/EU establishing minimum standards on the rights, support and protection of victims of crime. Additionally, there will be a focus on the Directive's restorative justice requirements and on increasing knowledge on how to treat and interact with victims in the criminal justice process. Find out more and book here

CLINKS MEMBER'S TRAINING: building life skills

myLife Tutor Training is an accredited life skills and character development programme [24th June, Bracknell, annual subscription] developed by Reflex, for use with young people in mentoring or group settings within both custodial or community settings. The training is available as part of a £25 per month subscription alongside follow up tutor support and access to other relevant multi-media programme resources. View a sample session, and book your place here

CLINKS MEMBER'S EVENT: re-imagining penal policy

'Justice and Penal Reform: Re-shaping the penal landscape' is a Howard League for Penal Reform conference [16th - 18th March 2016, Oxford, from £150] forming part of the symposium 'What is Justice?  Re-imagining penal policy', which is charged with generating intellectual debate that can act as a springboard to contest the conventional role of the penal system, ultimately promoting a new, achievable paradigm that will deliver a reduced role for the penal system while maintaining public confidence, fewer victims of crime and safer communities. The Howard League is looking for papers from academics, policy makers, practitioners, PhD students and researchers from within the criminological and legal disciplines. Find out more here

NON-MEMBERS' EVENTS & TRAINING

  • Health in the Justice System - next steps for commissioning, partnerships and continuity of care | 8th September, London, from £80 + VAT | Details

AWARDS: for tackling the root causes of poverty

The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) is taking applications for the CSJ Awards 2015. The awards aim to recognise charities or voluntary organisations throughout the UK working to tackle the root causes of poverty and transform lives. Winning organisations receive a £10,000 prize and will be profiled at a ceremony in London on 24th November 2015. Applicants must be working directly with people living in social or financial poverty in the UK; seeking solutions that will help people out of poverty; and operating on an annual turnover of less than £3 million. The deadline for applications is Friday 12th June 2015. Find out more and apply here

VACANCIES

Vacancies this week include: A Chief Executive Officer and a Mental Health Advocate with Women in Prison [London], a WomenMATTA Project Worker with Women in Prison [Manchester], 2 x Young Persons Drug and Alcohol Practitioners with Lifeline Project [HMYOI Feltham], a Contracts Support Officer and a Mental Health Services Manager with Lancashire Women's Centre [Lancashire], an Employment and Recovery Coach with Changing Lives [York], a Policy and Project Manager with the London Voluntary Service Council [London], a Finance Manager with Halow [Birmingham], a Prison Recovery Coordinator with the Lifeline Project [HMYOI Isis], a Chief Executive with Stepping Stones [Luton] and a Helpline Coordinator with Pact [London]. For further information about these vacancies and many more, click here.

TIPS OF THE WEEK

  • Tip of the week I: This seven night stay in the Algarve is £199 per person. Deal includes flights, accommodation with a sea view upgrade, daily breakfast and dinner, and transfers. Details
  • Tip of the week II: Use this trick to save £2 - £5 on any one pizza delivered from Dominos. Details
  • Tip of the week III: Save 40% on tickets to see the award-winning musical 'Wicked' in Manchester. Details

EXTRA INFORMATION

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