Clinks Members’ Policy Briefing | July 2014
In this month's edition...NewsThe Young Review website has been launched The Young Review is chaired by Baroness Young of Hornsey, with the support of the Black Training and Enterprise Group (BTEG) and Clinks, and has been set up to explore how to improve outcomes for young Black and Muslim men in the Criminal Justice System in England and Wales.
Clinks has submitted a response to the Sentencing Council’s consultation on theft offences guidelines We have focused this short response to the Sentencing Council on female offenders as the sentencing guidelines for theft offences are disproportionately likely to affect them. The response makes a series of recommendations relating to culpability, as well we aggravating and mitigating factors for these offences.
The Care Act (2014) consultation The Department of Health is consulting on the draft regulations and guidance for implementation of Part 1 of the Care Act (2014) for 2015/16. It includes questions relating to prisons, approved premises and bail accommodation. The consultation closes on the 15th August 2014.
The Harris Review call for submissions This is an independent review into self-inflicted deaths in NOMS custody of 18-24 year olds. It will focus on issues including vulnerability, information sharing, safety, staff prisoner relationships, family contact and staff training. The deadline for submissions is 18th July 2014.
Criminal Justice System
Crime reduction policies: a co-ordinated approach? This report by the House of Commons Justice Committee is the result of an inquiry that aimed to examine the nature and effectiveness of crime reduction policies over a four year period. Clinks submitted a response to the inquiry and is pleased to see our concern that Transforming Rehabilitation (TR) might narrow provision of voluntary sector services for offenders who commit low level offences, but have high levels of need, has been included. If these needs are not addressed, it is likely that offending behaviour will escalate, which can result in a prison sentence. Recommendations also include that the changes to the probation service (through the TR reforms) ‘must be carefully managed to ensure that local crime reduction activity continues to build in strength as the resources for all concerned are further diminished.’
Crime and Community: Exploring the scope for community involvement in criminal justice This report by the Institute for Criminal Policy Research and Birkbeck, University of London explores the concept of community justice by reviewing policy developments in relation to community engagement under the preceding and current government. It reviews data on volunteering and political and civic participation and also includes empirical research into the scope and nature of community activism in four deprived neighbourhoods.
Policing handling of allegations of discrimination This report by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) examines the way West Midlands, Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire police forces has dealt with allegations relating to discrimination. The IPCC concludes that complaints from members of the public were poorly handled in relation to investigation, the conclusions drawn and contact with the complainant. Of 170 complaints from the public 94 were investigated of which none of the discrimination allegations were upheld. However, where discrimination complaints had been made by police officers and other external parties, over half of them were upheld.
Disability
Bullying experiences among disabled children and young people in England: Evidence from two longitudinal studies This research report published by the Institute for Education presents information from more than 19,000 children and adolescents born in the early 1990s or 2000s and examines the prevalence of bullying at ages 7 and 15 among children with different types of cognitive and physical impairments. One main finding of the research is that primary school pupils with special educational needs are twice as likely as other children to suffer from persistent bullying.
Homelessness
Crisis Skylight An Evaluation: Year One Interim Report Crisis Skylight services aim to transform both the economic and social position of single homeless people. The main focus of Skylight is on education, employment and arts-based activities. This report by York University highlights the results for the first year within the context of a three year evaluation of Skylight services in six areas including Birmingham, Edinburgh, London, Merseyside, Newcastle and Oxford.
Reading Counts: why English and maths skills matter in tackling homelessness This research report by St Mungo’s Broadway examines literacy and numeracy skills among homeless people in England. The research involved an assessment of 139 people and 30 in-depth interviews with clients of a homelessness service. The main findings of the research are that half of respondents did not have the basic English skills needed for everyday life; 55 per cent lacked basic maths skills; and clients who lacked basic English and maths skills made less progress in addressing physical and mental health issues.
Youth Justice
Youth Courts Inquiry The National Children’s Bureau provides the secretariat for the Independent Parliamentarians' Inquiry into the operation and effectiveness of the youth court, chaired by Lord Carlile of Berriew CBE QC. This is the inquiry's final report, which gives a range of recommendations including; all legal practitioners representing children at police stations and practising in youth proceedings should be accredited to do so; there should be a clear presumption in law that all children defendants are dealt with in the youth court; and children who have committed non-serious and non-violent offences, who have stopped offending, should have their criminal record expunged when they turn 18.
Women
Violence against women: effective interventions and practices with perpetrators This report published by the Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research presents a literature review on effective interventions and practices aimed at perpetrators of violence against women. The research evidence in the report provides some insights into what works to reduce reoffending for this group.
Equally safe The Scottish Government, along with a range of partners, including voluntary sector organisations that support women, have developed and set out plans to eradicate all forms of violence against women and girls. The strategy identifies the need to eliminate gender inequality that is the root cause of violence against women and girls and also argues that every area of Government and wider society need to play a role in tackling this issue.
Mental Health
The Bradley Report five years on: An independent review of progress to date and priorities for further development This report was completed on behalf of the Bradley Commission, supported by Centre for Mental Health. It is the final report from an independent commission chaired by Lord Bradley to review the progress made since 2009. It found that there has been concerted action taken to improve support for people with mental health problems and those with learning difficulties in the Criminal Justice System but this will need to be sustained for at least another five years to put the vision into practice nationwide.
Public sector commissioning of local mental health services from the third sector This report by the Third Sector Research Centre is a working paper that provides initial findings from research on the perspective of public sector bodies responsible for commissioning services from voluntary sector organisations. The research is based on a case study of mental health service delivery and an urban conurbation in the UK.
Mental health and behaviour in schools The Department of Education has produced guidance for school staff on how to identify and support pupils whose behaviour suggests that they may have unmet mental health needs. It includes information about where and how to access community support, tolls to identify pupils likely to need extra support and how and when to refer to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).
Volunteering
Citizens Advice Bureau volunteering- how everyone benefits This report by Citizens Advice argues that the benefits of volunteering work include becoming more employable, increased self-esteem, improved health and reduced levels of stress. The findings of the report are drawn from ongoing research into the social value of the work of Citizens Advice.
Mentoring
Relationships for children in care: the value of mentoring and befriending This report by the New Economics Foundation reviews the place of mentoring and befriending schemes for young people in care and makes a case for making this type of relationship more accessible. The report argues that these schemes have a strong positive impact on the lives of looked-after children.
Welfare Reform
Families on the brink: welfare reform in London This report by the Child Poverty Action Group is based on interviews with councils, advice services, parents and existing evidence. It focuses on four key changes to financial support for families including local housing allowance, benefit cap restrictions, the under occupancy rule and council tax benefit and examines their current and potential future impact.
Strategic ambitions for London: Gangs and serious youth violence Published by the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime, this document sets out what partners involved in the London Crime Reduction Board (LCRB) Anti-Gang Strategy are seeking to achieve by 2017 to target gang violence and reduce the harm caused by gangs, both to individuals and communities in London.
Commissioning
From outcomes-based commissioning to social value? Implications for performance managing the third sector This report by the Third Sector Research Centre examines how social value is being assessed and applied in the commissioning process with third sector organisations. Drawing on interviews in six local authorities in England with commissioners of adult social care, the report also explores the nature of evidence required by commissioners from third sector organisations to demonstrate their effectiveness.
Evaluation
Building your measurement framework This report by New Philanthropy Capital (NPC) demonstrates a guide to a ‘four pillar’ approach that provides practical guidance on developing an impact measurement framework. NPC argues that impact measurement can help charities and funders to increase their effectiveness.
Arts and cultural equality for all - including people in prison In this blog, Jessica Plant, Manager of the Arts Alliance, outlines the benefits of arts provision for those in prison and serving community sentences and argues that access to arts and cultural experiences often serve as a springboard to positive change and can help ‘bring about equality in society'.
Support the voluntary sector working in criminal justice in the context to unprecedented changes to policy and commissioning In this blog, Jessica Mullen, Senior Policy and Projects Coordinator at Clinks argues that ‘3 – year grants for voluntary sector organisations working with offenders … would allow for vital services to be sustained during a time of fundamental changes to the criminal justice environment and a decreasing availability of resources.’
Funding for specialist criminal justice infrastructure This blog, also written by Jessica Mullen, highlights the need for providing support to organisations in order to build the capacity and capability of the voluntary sector.
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