Clinks Light Lunch | Issue 403 | 21st August 2015

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In this week's edition....

CLINKS NEWS: warning signs over voluntary sector in TR

Our new report, 'Early doors: the voluntary sector's role in Transforming Rehabilitation', provides a glimpse into the reality on the ground as told by charities working in the Criminal Justice System. Nathan Dick has written a short blog, in which he says: "The sector is telling a story of being left in a state of limbo by a slow pace of change, cuts to funding, a lack of transparency, and apprehension amongst funders and commissioners. But others tell a different story, one where new contracts are won, with organisations getting ready to deliver and expanding their work with people in the Criminal Justice System." Read Nathan's blog post here

CLINKS NEWS: involving volunteers across Europe

Our latest report, 'The role and value of volunteers in the Criminal Justice System: A European Study', finds that to truly modernise volunteering, it must lose its image of being an activity which people just do for personal, altruistic reasons, and move towards becoming a key social networking activity grounded in a commitment to civic engagement. Volunteering should be seen as an integral part of the rehabilitation process, not as simply an add-on or free resource. Download the report here

CLINKS RESOURCE: consultants directory

If your organisation is looking for consultancy support, look no further than Clinks' Consultants Directory. Our featured consultant this month is Karen Morton of The Capability Company, who facilitates creative away days to anticipate and plan for the future, and provides a mix of consultancy services to organisations and partnerships. Karen says: “My background is the voluntary sector. As a freelancer I have helped develop Circles UK, and Escaping Victimhood, providing capacity building and funding support to criminal justice organisations, such as those working with domestic violence. In a particularly difficult time for the voluntary sector and those it serves, I am committed to working flexibly to make a difference, as well as staying up-to-date, and personally involved - as a charity trustee, consortium chair, and convener of the Management Development Network". To find out more about Karen, or to promote your own consultancy service, visit the Consultants' Directory here

CLINKS EVENT: service user involvement managers network

Are you responsible for service user involvement in your organisation? Join us for this afternoon network event for Clinks members [14th September 2015, London, free] which will bring together service user involvement managers to share experiences, expertise, challenges and successes, and learn from one another. Through the session we will aim to celebrate best practice in service user involvement, identify challenges and support needs in your work, and consider what resources are needed to promote and build effective service user involvement across the Criminal Justice System. Places are limited, for more information and bookings click here

CLINKS GUEST BLOG: a fully restorative prison

Lisa Rowles, Design & Development Lead for Khulisa, has written a guest blog, making the case for a fully restorative prison. Lisa says: "Prison staff play a vital role as the prison authority and are actually in the strongest position to encourage a shift in offender perspective. They have the power to both reinforce an inmates’ mind-set and to radically challenge it – this is a potential game changer for rehabilitation. We believe that a restorative relationship between staff and prisoner offers the opportunity for increased offender accountability, and the real likelihood of transforming lives – in prison and through the gate." Read the full blog post here

COMMISSIONING: supporting prisoners at risk of suicide or self-harm

NOMS are inviting expressions of interest for a £150,000 grant to provide and/or enable the provision of services/support and advice/intervention for prisoners who are at risk of suicide and/or self harm. This grant funding opportunity seeks to identify further schemes and models of support which may help vulnerable prisoners and to develop proofs of concept. The grant can be used in any region, and the closing date for expressing an interest is 8th September. Find out more here

COMMISSIONING: supporting women into work at HMP Holloway

NOMS are inviting expressions of interest for a £62,000 grant to develop a revised approach to the engagement of women offenders in prison industries. The project will focus specifically on assisting women offenders at HMP Holloway to take full advantage of the potential offer in the textiles manufacturing workshop to enable them to gain work experience, training and life skills – and enable evaluation of provision of those services. The closing date for applications is 9th September. Find out more here

FUNDING: to promote understanding between faiths

Grants of between £200 and £500 are awarded for proposals for inter-faith activities by children and young people from Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh and other faiths and those of no formal faith in understanding and co-operation. The deadline for applications to the Inter faith Youth Trust is 15th September. Find out more here

FUNDING: for organisations in the North East

Virgin Money has opened its grants programme for organisations in the North East of England. Grants of between £10,000 and £50,000 are available for initiatives that promote long-term change in communities that need it most in the local authority areas of Darlington, Durham, Gateshead, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Newcastle upon Tyne, North Tyneside, Northumberland, Redcar and Cleveland, South Tyneside, Stockton on Tees and Sunderland. Applications will be judged on the number of young people helped to find employment; Innovation, enterprising behaviour and job creation; and overall impact and the amount of any additional investment likely to come into an area. The deadline for applications is 28th September. Find out more here

FUNDING: regeneration in London

The London Regeneration Fund is offering capital funding to projects that wish to drive regeneration in their local area, and are able to enter into legal contracts. The Fund is fairly open in regards of what it will support, in the hope that applicants respond creatively with proposals that address the interrelated strategic challenges facing the city in terms of high streets, places of work and population increase. Examples of proposals that will be prioritised include those that lead to the creation of new open workspaces such as incubators, co-working spaces, maker-spaces and artists' studios, or secure their long term affordability; and well as those that intensify the diminishing stock of lower cost space in and around high streets and industrial areas, which are vital for new and growing businesses. The deadline for applications is 2nd October. Find out more here

CLINKS MEMBER'S EVENT: restorative approaches to domestic violence

'The Third Annual Restorative Justice Expert Seminar', run by IARS and Khulisa [28th September, London, free] will focus on domestic violence and launch the forthcoming 'Restorative Justice and Domestic Violence: A Practitioner’s Guide'. There will be presentations from key professionals in the field, and opportunities for networking and collaboration. Find out more and book your place here

CLINKS MEMBER'S EVENT: prison monitoring boards

The AMIMB annual conference and AGM [13th October, London, from £25] will feature Professor Andrew Coyle talking about the way prisons are monitored in Scotland; former prisoner Jonathan Robinson will share how he succeeded in ensuring Toe by Toe is run in every prison; and Dr. Jamie Bennett, Governor of HMP Grendon and Spring Hill, and editor of the Prison Service Journal, will speak on the therapeutic approach within the prison estate. Find out more and book your place here

CLINKS PARTNER'S EVENT: homelessness, drugs, alcohol and offending

'Hard Edges, Lives behind the numbers' is a MEAM event [7th September, Manchester, free] that provides an opportunity for you to listen to the stories of twelve people who have experienced homelessness, drug and alcohol addiction and offending. You will have the opportunity to explore the stories in depth, and to connect with other service providers, frontline workers, commissioners and people with lived experience, to share insights about how services can be designed in a way that better supports people facing severe and multiple disadvantage. Find out more and book your place here

CLINKS PARTNER'S EVENT: devolution and commissioning

'Devolution and Whole System Commissioning' is an Academy for Justice Commissioning evening seminar [14th September, Manchester, free] at which Peter Wilding from the Public Service Transformation Network will explore what devolution could mean for whole system commissioning of public services and implications for local and national commissioners, as well as practitioners and providers. Peter will examine what aspects of public services can and should be devolved and discuss the opportunities and challenges it presents for local service commissioning. Find out more and book your place here

CLINKS PARTNER'S EVENT: using data labs to evidence your impact

'Data Labs: Opening up Government Data’ is an NPC event [22nd September, London, free] to share the latest Justice Data Lab developments and other pilots designed to provide access to government data. The event provides an opportunity to hear the Ministry of Justice talk about how the Justice Data Lab has expanded since its launch to be able to provide information on a range of outcomes in addition to reducing reoffending; Rod Clarke will present the impact that using the Justice Data Lab has had for the Prisoners' Education Trust; and NPC will discuss opportunities to access data on other outcomes through employment, health and education data labs. Find out more and book your place here

CLINKS PARTNER'S EVENT: multiple and complex needs in the North East

'How the Making Every Adult Matter (MEAM) Approach may work for your area' [24th September, Middlesbrough, free] will introduce the MEAM Approach and how it can support those working with people with multiple and complex needs to develop effective, coordinated and flexible services. The event will introduce MEAM, discuss the problems around multiple needs, touch on multiple needs work in the North-East, highlight the impact of doing something different, and introduce how to design and deliver coordinated interventions using the MEAM Approach. Find out more and book your place here

NON-MEMBERS' EVENTS & TRAINING

  • 'Merseyside VCF Sector Police & Crime Commissioner (PCC) Network Meeting' | 8th September, Liverpool, free | Details
  • 'The Costs of Youth Justice' | 14th October, Liverpool, from £20 | Email for details

CONSULTATION: work with women offenders

HM Inspectorate of Probation are collecting evidence for a thematic inspection of work with women offenders. They are keen to hear about the provision and gaps in services for women who offend, so they can establish the current landscape. Examples of the evidence they need includes: Do you provide or access specific services for women offenders? Are women’s centres operating in your area? If so, who runs them and who funds them? What are the barriers to doing gender-specific work in your area? Find out more and get involved here

CONSULTATION: accessing social investment

Access, the Foundation for Social Investment, is seeking views on how it should spend its £60 million 10-year capacity building fund, which has been designed to support charities and social enterprises access social investment. The short online consultation seeks views from charitable organisations and social enterprises on what they think the priority areas should be for the foundation's work over the next decade. The deadline for submitting views is 30th September. Find out more and have your say here

CLINKS MEMBERS' VACANCIES

Vacancies this week include: a Sessional Project Worker with Nacro [Lincolnshire], a Restorative Justice Facilitator Volunteer and a Volunteer Mentor (Men’s Project) with Sussex Pathways [across Sussex], 2 x Mentoring and Advocacy Service Key Workers with the Together Women Project [Lancashire and Merseyside], a Treatment Manager and a Programme Facilitator with KAINOS [HMP Guys Marsh], a Case Manager [Dorset] and 2 x Regional Partnership Consultants [Boston and Manchester] with BCHA, a Service Director with Bridging the Gap [York], a Night Support Assistant with Foundation [Scarborough], a Senior Advice Officer, Programme Officer [London], Programme Manager [Edinburgh], and Programme Officer [London] with the Prison Reform Trust, 2 x Business Support Coordinators with YSS [Leamington Spa and Worcester], an Easy Read Coordinator with St Giles Trust [HMP Wealstun and HMP New Hall], and Independent Monitoring Board volunteers at IMB [Haverigg]. For more information about these vacancies and many more, click here

TIPS OF THE WEEK

  • Tip of the week I: You can get a free 30-day supply of Vitamin D chewable tablets at Asda, no vouchers needed - just ask at the pharmacy. Details
  • Tip of the week II: 149 National Trust properties will be opening for free between 10th and 13th September. Details
  • Tip of the week III: Get 40% off theatre tickets in August. Details

EXTRA INFORMATION

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