Clinks Light Lunch | Issue 408 | 2nd October 2015

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In this week's edition....

CLINKS MEMBER'S OFFER: last chance to secure a place at our winter conference

Our 'Just and affordable rehabilitation: what does good look like?' conference [1st December, London, £50 for members] will feature a farewell speech from our outgoing Director Clive Martin, and it will be your first opportunity to hear from our new CEO Anne Fox. Joining Clive and Anne will be prisons' Minister Andrew Selous and a host of experts running workshop sessions. To ensure as many members as possible can attend, we will only accept bookings from Clinks members until next Friday 9th October, after which it will open to the wider Clinks network of over 15,000 people working in criminal justice. To secure your place email events@clinks.org

CLINKS VACANCY: development officer for Wales

We have a vacancy for a development officer working with the criminal justice voluntary sector in Wales; identifying their specific priorities and how Clinks can support them. The four days a week post is initially for one year, and we would consider a secondment. The salary is up to £30,978, and the closing date for applications is 23rd October. Find out more and apply here

CLINKS OPPORTUNITY: do you work with disabled offenders?

We are looking for case studies from organisations working with offenders with a range of disabilities, to help us highlight specific issues that disabled offenders face and promote good practice in supporting them. Case studies may be from a specialist disability organisation, or from organisations working with offenders including some with a disability, who can talk about their experiences, challenges they overcame and adaptations to their service to better support disabled clients. If you would like to be involved, please submit a short summary of your case study to ben.watson@clinks.org

CLINKS EVENT: effective approaches to working with young adults

We are running a half-day event [11th November, London, free] to raise awareness among probation practitioners and others working with young adults about how best to engage and work with them. The event is co-hosted by Beyond Youth Custody, one of three England-wide learning and awareness projects funded under the Big Lottery Fund’s Youth in Focus programme, and the London Community Rehabilitation Company will be sharing their approach to specialist work with 18-25 year olds. This event is for probation and other practitioners working with young adults in the Criminal Justice System, and for managers with responsibility for ensuring appropriate interventions and services for this group. Find out more and book your place here

CLINKS MEMBER'S NEWS: royal visit for women's addiction treatment centre

The Duchess of Cambridge paid her first ever visit to a prison to see Clinks member RAPt's dedicated addiction treatment centres in action at HMP Send. During the visit the Duchess heard from some of the women prisoners about how they had become addicts and prisoners. They told her how the RAPt programme was helping them to overcome their addiction and become drug, alcohol and crime free. She said: "I was reminded today how addictions lie at the heart of so many social issues and how substance misuse can play such a destructive role in vulnerable people's lives. It is encouraging to learn how organisations like RAPt are offering specialist support to help people break the cycle of addiction and look forward to a positive and crime free life." Read the full story here

CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM: Andrew Selous rounds up the criminal justice landscape

Prisons Minister, Andrew Selous, spoke last week about the landscape for rehabilitating offenders, reducing reoffending and the challenges ahead. In his speech he covers Transforming Rehabilitation, education and employment, families, volunteers and prison reform. Read the full speech here

CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM: smoking ban announced

Smoking will be banned in all prisons in Wales and four in south-west England from next year. And from next month, smoking will be barred inside buildings at all open prisons in England and Wales. A smoke-free policy will be implemented in all prisons in Wales (Cardiff, Parc, Swansea and Usk/Prescoed) from January 2016, and at four English prisons (Exeter, Channings Wood, Dartmoor and Erlestoke) from March 2016. Read the full announcement here

FUNDING: helping small organisations to fundraise

Grants of up to £100,000 are available to between one and three partners to deliver subsidised fundraising training to small charities with an annual income of less than £1 million. The partners must also deliver a fundraising resource, available freely and beyond the immediate beneficiaries, that complements existing free resources. The deadline for applications is 9th October. Find out more and apply here

FUNDING: supporting vulnerable people in Leeds

Grants of up to £5,000 are available for organisations in Leeds that practically help vulnerable people who are most vulnerable to the adverse effects of cold weather. The funding is intended to support innovative ideas that identify and support vulnerable people to prepare for and respond to cold weather. There is particular interest in projects that address social isolation, increase resilience and that help reduce the levels of illness (and deaths) due to vulnerable people living in cold housing. The deadline for applications is 30th October. Find out more and apply here

FUNDING: opportunities for young people and vulnerable groups

Grants of between £250 and £5,000 are available for projects that are of benefit to the local communities of Wandsworth. Funding is available to improve opportunities for children and young people; improve training and employment skills and opportunities for young people and adults; improve services available and access to these for vulnerable, isolated and marginalised groups, in particular for older people and Black, Asian, and minority ethnic groups; and build a prosperous, safe, healthy, sustainable and cohesive community encouraging community engagement. The deadline for applications is 30th October. Find out more and apply here

CLINKS MEMBER'S EVENT: homelessness in Wales

Cymorth Cymru's 'Homelessness Symposium' [14th October, Cardiff, from £107+vat] draws together speakers from across Wales and other parts of the UK to look at the current state of homelessness in Wales. With topics including health and homelessness, partnership working, and tackling poverty, all with a liberal sprinkling of data and examples of good practice from around the UK, it promises to be an inspiring and informative day. Find out more and book here

CLINKS MEMBER'S EVENT: working with veterans

'Working with veterans in custody and the community' is a Butler Trust workshop [3rd November, London, free] aimed at sharing good practice across prisons, probation and youth justice. The workshop has a very practical focus, with sessions covering core themes and examples of good practice from across the country. Delegates will be given the opportunity to work together to identify how services might be enhanced in their own places of work. Find out more and book your place here

CLINKS PARTNER'S EVENT: the challenges of police and crime commissioning

'The Challenges of Police and Crime Commissioning' is an Academy for Justice Commissioning evening seminar [27th October, London, free] at which police and crime commissioners (PCCs) Angus Macpherson (Wiltshire) and Martyn Underhill (Dorset) will each discuss what their priorities have been during their first term, the police and crime services they have commissioned, working collaboratively and the successes and difficulties they have faced along the way. With PCC elections taking place in May 2016, they will also offer their thoughts on the challenges ahead in the next four year term. Find out more and book your place here

NON-MEMBERS' EVENTS & TRAINING

  • 'Transforming Rehabilitation in Worcestershire – the first 9 months: What contribution can faith communities make in the future?' | Worcester, 12th November, from £20 | Details

PUBLICATION: world female imprisonment

The Institute for Criminal Policy Research's 'World Female Imprisonment List' shows that 700,000 women and girls are held in penal institutions throughout the world, and female prisoners generally constitute between 2% and 9% of the total prison population. The report looked at the number of women and girls held in penal institutions in 219 prison systems in independent countries and dependent territories, including pre-trial detainees/remand prisoners. Download the report here

BLOG: the links between care & crime

Robert Mills has published a LinkedIn post examining the links between care and custody. He explores education, familial offending, socio-economic factors, predictors and risk factors, mental health and wellbeing. Robert also highlights the lack of service user voice in the available literature, before warning that "if children in care continue to go unnoticed then they are at risk of becoming tomorrow’s serious, chronic offenders who will spend most of their teenage years in youth offending institutions and then their adult life in and out of prison." Read the full article here

OPPORTUNITY: mapping not-for-profit community sentencing services

Community Bonding for Sentenced People Supervision (CoBS2) is a European-wide project looking at rehabilitation, resettlement of offenders and community based sentencing in particular. Their aim is to map grass roots organisations working to reintegrate offenders back into the community. They are particularly interested in those offering housing, employment, training or other services and / or activities supporting resettlement and independence of ex-offenders. If you are a manager and / or coordinator of organisations working with people serving community based sentences, please take 10 minutes to complete the questionnaire here

CONSULTATION: police powers

The Home Office has launched a consultation on reforming the powers of police staff and volunteers. The consultation says: "we want police forces to have a more flexible workforce and we will, subject to key safeguards, enable chief officers to designate other police powers to staff. This will enable police officers to focus on the most important roles; roles that only they can carry out. We also want to enhance the role of volunteers...to mirror the roles played by police staff, for example as community support officers. [These changes] will give chief constables greater flexibility in meeting the demands on police forces at a time when funding policing remains a significant challenge." Have your say here

CLINKS MEMBERS' VACANCIES

An Independent Monitoring Board Volunteer with IMB Secretariat [Doncaster], a Domestic Abuse Support Worker with Foundation [Redcar], a Marketing and Communications Manager with Prison Advice and Care Trust [London], an Exhibition and Event Producer with Koestler Trust [London], an Information & Case Officer with Unlock [Kent], a Through The Gate Service Volunteer with Shelter [North West], a Case Manager with Bournemouth Churches Housing Association [Dorset], a Money Advisor, a Domestic Abuse Outreach Service worker, an Intensive Refugee Outreach Officer, a Volunteer Development Manager, and an Advocacy Officer with Anglia Care Trust [Suffolk], a Substance Misuse Recovery Worker [HMP Channings Wood] and Recovery Worker [HMP Exeter] with EDP Drug & Alcohol Services, a Senior Key Worker with YSS LTD [Warwickshire], an Operations Director with INQUEST [London], a Senior Family Support Worker, and a Family Support Worker with Ormiston Families [East England], a Co-ordinator Women’s Community Hub with Key Changes [South Yorkshire], a Key Worker with The Nelson Trust [Gloucester], an Assistant Support Worker [Newcastle], a Project Management Officer [Cardiff], a Community Development and Recovery Worker [North Yorkshire], and a Client Engagement Facilitator [North East] with Changing Lives, a female Finance Officer with ADVANCE [London], a Head of Welsh Prisons Project leader with Prisoners’ Education Trust [Cardiff], and a Trustee with Women’s Work [Derby]. For more information about these vacancies, and many more, click here

TIPS OF THE WEEK

  • Tip of the week I: The Santander 123 bank account is raising its monthly fee from £2 to £5 in January, so if you earn less than £60 a year cashback, it might be worth looking at alternatives. Details
  • Tip of the week II: October is Free Wills Month. Over-55's can get solicitor-drafted wills in 27 English locations and two locations in Wales. Free wills
  • Tip of the week III: Premier Inn has about 200,000 rooms outside of London available for £35 a night for stays until 11th December - but you must book at least 21 days in advance. Details

EXTRA INFORMATION

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

 

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