Clinks Members’ Policy Briefing | March 2016
In this month's edition...[[{"fid":"2087","view_mode":"default","fields":{"format":"default","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Policy News","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"Policy News"},"type":"media","link_text":null,"attributes":{"alt":"Policy News","title":"Policy News","height":"51","width":"600","class":"media-element file-default"}}]]
Prison reform: Prime Minister’s speech On Monday 8th February, David Cameron gave the first speech by a Prime Minister on prison reform in 20 years. While affirming his belief that prisons are necessary and important, he also said that prisoners should be seen as ‘assets to be harnessed’ rather than ‘liabilities to be managed’. He set out the Government’s plans to reform prisons through giving prison governors more autonomy, closing some old prisons and building nine new ones and by improving prison education. Clinks’ Head of Policy and Communications, Nathan Dick, has written a blog covering the key points of the speech.
Government introduces the Policing and Crime Bill The government has introduced new legislation, with the purpose of enhancing the accountability of police forces and fire and rescue services, improving the efficiency and effectiveness of emergency services through closer collaboration, and building public confidence in policing. The Bill – which had its first reading at the House of Commons this month - is wide-ranging, giving PCCs more power by enabling them to take control of fire and rescue services, reforming pre-charge bail, and ending the practice of under 18 year olds experiencing a mental health crisis being placed in police custody. Read more about the legislation and the future of PCCs in our blog on the subject.
Consultation on Together for Mental Health – Delivery Plan 2016 – 2019 The Welsh government is seeking responses on the second part of their delivery plan for Together for Mental Health. This is the second of three plans to support the 10 year strategy for improving mental health and wellbeing, and improving the care and treatment of people using mental health services, their carers and their families. The plan makes specific mention of children and young people in the Criminal Justice System, children with parents in prison and ensuring timely and appropriate mental health services for those in contact with the Criminal Justice System. You can respond through an online form, by email or by post, by 4th April 2016.
New scheme aims to reduce female offending across South Wales The Integrated Offender Management Cymru Women’s Pathfinder scheme in Cwm Taf is one of four new pilots, which have an emphasis on linking up criminal justice, health and social care, welfare and children’s services as well as partnership with community organisations, to reduce female offending in South Wales. The project has been piloted in Cardiff since 2014 and has diverted over 300 women away from the Criminal Justice System.
Publications
Clinks publications
Clinks briefing: The government’s response to the Harris Review The Harris Review into self-inflicted deaths in custody of 18-24 year olds made its recommendations in July 2015. In December 2015 the government published its response to the review’s report and recommendations. This briefing provides detail on the government’s response and the future plans it sets out in relation to key areas which are policy priorities for Clinks and which our members and the wider sector work on.
Clinks response to the care and management of transgender offenders Clinks has submitted evidence to the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) review into the care and management of transgender offenders. We welcome this review into a complex issue that has until now had little attention. We recommend that there is a long term commitment, not only from the MoJ and NOMS but also other relevant government departments, to develop policy that will ensure the needs of trans people in contact with the Criminal Justice System are met. This should be done by fully involving trans people in the decisions that affect their lives, and with the specialist voluntary sector organisations that can support them.
Policy influencing guide part one: influencing local policy This is the first part of the Making Every Adult Matter coalition’s policy influencing guides, and aims to help people working with those who have lived experience of multiple needs to influence policy makers. It gives advice about how to engage with the wide range of different bodies and stakeholders across criminal justice, health and housing whose decision-making impacts this group, to make them aware of the distinct needs of people experiencing multiple needs and to try and ensure they are taken into account in the design and delivery of services.
Policy influencing guide part two: involving experts by experience Published by the Making Every Adult Matter coalition, this guide describes how to involve people with experience of multiple needs in policy influencing work.Ministry of Justice
Ministry of Justice single departmental plan 2015 – 2020 The Ministry of Justice has released its departmental plan for the next five years, laying out its priorities and actions in line with the 2015 Spending Review and Autumn Statement. The plan sets out intentions to publish prison league tables, ranking prisons on a number of measures including education, effective care and support of staff. It puts an emphasis on speeding up court processes with the use of technology, and also discusses introducing ‘problem-solving courts’ to work with certain types of offenders. In addition to these changes, the plan commits the Ministry of Justice to a 50% reduction in its administrative budget by 2020.
Problem-solving courts work group terms of reference The Secretary of State for Justice Michael Gove, and the Lord Chief Justice Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd have established a joint working group to examine models of problem-solving courts and advise on the feasibility of possible pilot models to be taken forward in England and Wales in 2016 to 2017. The working group will advise on existing models of problem-solving courts in the UK and internationally and the feasibility of options for pilot models. The working group comprises five Ministry of Justice representatives, six members of the judiciary, as well as external expertise.
Youth justice
Review of the youth justice system The Ministry of Justice has published an interim report, detailing emerging findings from its review of the youth justice system, led by Charlie Taylor. The report puts a strong emphasis on education, recommending that young people in custody be held in smaller secure schools focused on English and Maths, with security arrangements put in place. The report also recommends the use of diversion strategies to keep young people out of the Criminal Justice System altogether, and discusses whether Youth Offending Teams remain the best way to deliver youth offending services in the community. We have been consulting our members around this and will be feeding back the views of the voluntary sector to the review team.
What works in managing young people who offend? A summary of the international evidence This international literature review, commissioned by the Ministry of Justice, focuses on the impact and delivery of youth justice supervision, programmes and interventions within the community, secure settings, and during transition into adult justice settings or into mainstream society. The report found that the most effective interventions were tailored to the needs of the individual and the particular factors in their offending, and had a therapeutic rather than punitive focus.
Mental health
Five Year Forward View for Mental Health for the NHS in England The Independent Mental Health Taskforce, chaired by Chief Executive of Mind Paul Farmer, has published a five year national strategy to improve mental health outcomes in the NHS. The report highlighted that one in four people will experience a mental health problem in their lifetime and the cost of mental ill health to the economy, NHS and society is £105bn a year. The report recommends that the Ministry of Justice, the Home Office, the Department of Health, NHS England and Public Health England should work together to ensure support for those experiencing mental health problems in the Criminal Justice System, both in custody and the community. Paul Farmer provides more information about the importance of the Mental Health Taskforce for the Criminal Justice System in his blog for Clinks.
Voluntary sector
Navigating Change: An analysis of financial trends for small and medium-sized charities This report by the National Council for Voluntary Organisations provides a detailed analysis of where small and medium-sized charities get their money from, how they spend it and how their finances have changed since the recession. The report highlights in particular the difficulties of income volatility and resilience to changes for smaller charities, raising concerns that the policy and funding environment appears to be favouring the survival and growth of the largest organisations. Too small to fail: how small and medium charities are adapting to change and challenges Published by the IPPR, this report investigates how smaller charities are faring in the current climate and how they can be helped to evidence their impact. It also finds that charities working with Black and minority ethnic people have been disproportionately affected by the cuts. The report makes four key recommendations, including more support from umbrella organisations, and a government commitment to increase the proportion of government spending going towards small and medium sized charities.Women
Meeting the needs of young adult women in custody This Transition to Adulthood Alliance report looks at how best the prison system can meet the needs of young adult women. It highlights the issue of a lack of distinct provision for young adults within the women’s custodial estate, in contrast to the men’s estate which holds 18-25 year olds in Young Offender Institutions. The report recommends a stronger presumption against the use of custody for this group, steps to ensure that this group have access to therapeutic programmes to address high levels of sexual abuse and domestic violence, and better research and monitoring around young adult women in prison.
Prisons
Life in prison: Peer support Published by HM Inspectorate of Prisons, this findings paper summarises literature surrounding peer support in prison. It draws on evidence from recent inspections of local prisons undertaken by HM Inspectorate of Prisons and survey data from inspection reports published between 1st April 2014 and 31st March 2015. The paper found that most prisons use peer support, mainly to introduce new arrivals to prison life, and to provide support during the first days in custody. While these schemes were generally effective and valued by prisoners, the paper raises some concerns around oversight and safeguarding. It also notes good practice in prison by voluntary organisations such as RAPt and St. Giles Trust.
Worries, comforts, challenges and support – trains, hotels, bad weather and coffee! Clinks’ Chief Executive Officer Anne Fox writes about her two weeks spent travelling around the country visiting Clinks member organisations and learning about their work and the current challenges facing them. “Our members don’t give up, they’ve resigned themselves to change and challenge, which certainly takes its toll and has an impact on innovation and strategic solutions to entrenched problems, but the members I’ve met are resolved to carry on, to change the lives of the people they were established to support.”
Police and Crime Commissioners - here to stay Nathan Dick, Head of Policy and Communications at Clinks, has provided a useful breakdown of Teresa May’s speech on the future of Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs). In it he discusses further devolution suggested by May and the possibility of increased powers for PCCs over the next few years, and investigates the implications for the voluntary sector. Clinks has a number of resources on engaging with and influencing PCCs, which may be useful for the upcoming PCC elections. We’ll also be publishing a briefing for our members, with information on the upcoming elections and how to engage with PCC candidates.
Taking chances with innovation Clinks' Louise Clark and Richard Nicholls have written an article for the Centre for Justice Innovation about the StreetCraft scholarship, helping frontline criminal justice workers to unleash their skills and ideas. They say “Innovation is about trying things out, doing things differently, taking chances and pushing at the norm. This can easily be squashed and enthusiasm wavers when you are trying to change things alone or without the opportunity to see a way of navigating through barriers.”
Inclusive, challenging, campaigning, positive: the values people said they want from a peer-led network David Ford has written a blog for Homeless Link about the process of setting up and developing Expert Link, a new peer-led network of people with direct experience of multiple and complex issues, including homelessness and addiction. He discusses the research involved in deciding what Expert Link should do and how. “The responses that we got from both individuals and groups represented 4773 people from 42 locations around the country. Their message was clear and unequivocal, they want services to be designed WITH people who have lived experience, they want to challenge the public perception and the stigma they face, they want access to good services and they want to be treated equally and listened to.”
Coates: Education should be “at the heart” of prisons This Prisoners’ Education Trust report on the All Party Parliamentary Group of Penal Affairs meeting on the 23rd February, outlines some of the changes Sally Coates plans to recommend as part of her review of education in prisons. At the meeting, she emphasised that education should be central to rehabilitation and reform in prisons, and called for greater autonomy of governors to allow them to be held to account for the quality of education for prisoners. She also suggested that education in prisons should go beyond basic skills and that a significant upskilling of prison staff would be necessary to ensure good quality education. The Coates’ Review of Prison Education is due to be published in late March.
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