Clinks Light Lunch | Issue 525 | 2nd March

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In this week's edition...

CLINKS BLOG: from employability to stability

In this blog from Clinks Policy Officer Oonagh Ryder, she discusses her visit to Clinks member Switchback's trainees at the Crisis Cafe, East London. Switchback is a small rehabilitation charity working with young men leaving prison in London. It delivers an intensive through the gate programme, providing self-referred young men with holistic support on release from prison, with the aim of eventually getting them into stable and positive employment or education. Oonagh writes 'Switchback trainee Abdul was upfront in saying that this programme isn’t necessarily for everyone. “You have to have a strong state of mind,” he said. It’s vital for trainees to have clear goals and be motivated to work towards them. For Abdul, being around other people who want to change is one of the most important aspects of working with Switchback and helps him stay focused day to day.' Read the blog here

CLINKS MEMBER'S NEWS: oral evidence session to the justice select committee

Clinks members Nacro, Shelter, YSS Ltd, Pact and Switchback gave oral evidence on Transforming Rehabilitation to the Justice Select Committee on the 27th February. They were asked questions including whether they thought the programme has a future, if it has involved the voluntary sector, and how much direction the Ministry of Justice provides. Our members raised a variety of issues during the session, including how commissioning processes have acted as a barrier for the engagement of smaller voluntary organisations and the issues many voluntary organisations experience when working to access service users when they are in prison due to the increasingly challenging conditions. A written transcript of the session will be published soon. Find out more here

CLINKS MEMBER’S NEWS: violence against women and girls

Revolving Doors has published a report, “Spotlight on violence against women and girls (VAWG)”. This spotlight highlights how Police and Crime Commissioners across the country are tackling violence against women and girls through strengthening service provision and using the convening and commissioning powers of their roles. Around 1.2 million women across England have experienced substantial physical and sexual abuse across their life time. Find out more here

CLINKS MEMBER’S NEWS: the impact of addiction on family

Adfam and Sheffield Hallam University has published a study entitled ‘Understanding recovery from a family perspective: a survey of life in recovery for families.’ The report is a large scale study into the impact of recovery from drug and alcohol dependence on family members. This report highlights the toll that addiction exerts not only on individual drinkers but on those around them, and it establishes the importance of recovery in mitigating some of these adverse effects. One finding was that 3.4% of respondents served prison time while their family member was in active use, compared to 1.2% when they were in recovery. Find out more here

CLINKS MEMBER'S NEWS: safeguarding and criminal records

Clink's new Trustee Christopher Stacey. Co-director of Unlock, has written a blog for the Huffington Post entitled 'The Answer To Oxfam’s Safeguarding Problems Is Not Enhanced DBS Checks". The blog discusses how enhanced DBS checks could actually damage charities when it comes to volunteer recruitment, and how better safeguarding procedures would be more effective than relying on DBS checks alone. He writes ' ...focusing on criminal record checks is a distraction from the real safeguarding issues highlighted in the Oxfam case. Criminal record checks can sometimes play an important part – but they shouldn’t be seen as a panacea.' Read the blog here

CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM: transforming rehabilitation

The House of Commons Library have published a briefing paper on contracting out probation services. This paper charts the progress of Transforming Rehabilitation reforms and brings together some commentary and data. Read the paper here

RESOURCE: homelessness code of guidance for local authorities

The new homelessness code of guidance has been published, which explains how local authorities should exercise their homelessness functions in accordance with the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017. The new draft guidance now specifically names the criminal justice services that are subject to the duty to refer, which is a duty to refer service users in England who may be homeless or threatened with homelessness within 56 days to the local housing authority. These include prisons, young offender institutions, youth offending teams and probation providers. Clinks responded to the consultation on the draft guidance, recommending the role of housing authorities in relation to public, private and voluntary organisations working with people in contact with the criminal justice system is made explicitly clear. Read the guidance here

CLINKS MEMBER’S EVENT: working well programme

ERSA and the GM Combined Authority are hosting a 'speed dating' event for any organisation interested in becoming involved in the Greater Manchester: Working Well ' Early Help' Programme [5th March, Manchester, free]. This event is open to any organisation, whether interested in participating as a prime bidder, subcontractor or partner. Organisations do not need to be an ERSA member to participate. Register for the event here.

CLINKS MEMBER’S EVENT: blackout

Synergy Theatre Project is holding ‘Blackout’ [13-17 March | Ovalhouse Theatre, London | £10/£7]. Blackout by Davey Anderson is a play about 'getting bullied, fighting back, trying to make a name for yourself, turning vicious, doing something stupid, losing everything, then finding your way again.' Directed by Esther Baker, Blackout will be performed by a company of professional and former prisoner actors and will be followed by a question and answer session with Synergy Theatre Project's creative team. Find out more and book here

CLINKS MEMBER’S EVENT: children of prisoners

POPS is hosting the ‘Keeping Children Connected’ Conference [8th June, Manchester, from £38]. This pan-European conference, hosted in partnership with Children of Prisoners Europe (COPE), will highlight recent milestones in public policy and the growing evidence base for a fundamental change in approach to ‘maintaining’ child-parent relationships. The conference will also explore developments in technology to support child-parent relationships and tackle what ‘progress’ looks like within the sphere of public perception and media attitudes. Lord Farmer, life peer in the House of Lords and author of the recent Farmer Review commissioned by the UK government, will give the keynote speech. The conference will be chaired by COPE President, Lucy Gampell, OBE. Find out more and book here

OPPORTUNITY: restorative justice

West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, David Jamieson, is inviting service providers to express an interest in delivering a West Midlands wide restorative justice service at an event [29th March, Birmingham, free]. The core purpose of the service will be to provide restorative justice (RJ) for victims of crime. The service provider must have experience of delivering RJ services and of working with people harmed by crime and those responsible for causing that harm. The PCC is looking to commission a Service Provider who will act as a single point of contact to ensure that the RJ service is effectively and efficiently delivered. If you are interested in attending this event, the deadline to apply is 23rd March by emailing pcc_commissioning@west-midlands.pnn.police.uk

OPPORTUNITY: guide to grants discount

Clinks members can get a 10% discount on ‘The Guide to Grants for Individuals in Need 2018/19’ from DSC. The 16th edition of the guide contains over 200 new grant-makers, and is the only publication to provide a comprehensive listing of all sources of non-statutory funding available for individuals in the UK. Pre-order your copy here

CLINKS MEMBERS' VACANCIES

Vacancies on the jobs board this week include: A Complex Needs Recovery Worker with Social Interest Group [London], a Volunteer Coordinator with Sova [London], a Volunteering Project Manager with Pact [London], an Administrator with Disc [Tees Valley], a Support Worker with St Giles Trust [London], a Director of Development with The Koestler Trust [outside HMP Wormwood Scrubs], a WomenMATTA Project Worker with Women in Prison [Manchester], and a Deputy Head of Services with Pathways to Independence Ltd [Rochester]. For more information about these vacancies, and many more, click here

TIPS OF THE WEEK

  • Tip of the week I: 36% discount on Zookeeper Day at London Zoo. Details
  • Tip of the week II: Intimate concerts in unusual locations from £10 with AirBnB. Details
  • Tip of the week III: 20% discount on furniture at M&S. Details

EXTRA INFORMATION

About Clinks Light Lunch

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