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In this month's edition...
Helping people with learning disabilities to live independently
The Government has invited local authorities to apply for a share of a £25 million housing and technology fund for people with learning disabilities. The fund aims to reduce the need for costly hands-on care, enabling people to remain living independently and avoid ending up in inappropriate residential or hospital care. Local authorities, working with local community partners such as voluntary organisations, have until 28th October to apply for a share of the funds. Learn more and apply here
Mental health of adults in the Criminal Justice System
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has launched a consultation on their draft guidance on the mental health of adults in the Criminal Justice System. The guidance includes principles for identifying and managing mental health problems, and integrating care, for adults in contact with the Criminal Justice System. The consultation asks for comments on which aspects of the guidance will have the biggest impact on practice or be challenging to implement and why, and suggestions as to how to overcome those challenges. The deadline for responses is Friday 18th November. Clinks will be submitting a response to the consultation. To feed in your comments, please email hazel.alcraft@clinks.org by Monday 7th November. Read the draft guidance and respond here
NHS implements new long term plan
NHS England has published guidance to help NHS trusts and commissioners plan effective services for the next two years. 'Delivering the Forward View' is designed to improve stability and certainty amongst providers in local communities. Additional measures to help the NHS have also been announced, including over £100m in incentives to tackle delays in discharging patients from hospital, more local support for people with mental health problems and resource pooling. Find out more here
New funding for mental health services for children and young people
An extra £25m has been allocated to Clinical Commissioning Groups across the country to accelerate plans for improving mental health services for children and young people. The funding aims to cut waiting times for treatment, reduce waiting list backlogs and minimise the length of stay for those in inpatient care. NHS England has also announced six pilot sites across the country to drive the design of new approaches to delivering children and young people’s mental health services and secure mental health services. The pilot sites, made up of NHS mental health trusts and charitable organisations will work together, sharing a local budget, to effectively reorganise services in their area. Read more here
Measures of wellbeing for children in care
National Children's Bureau (NCB) is undertaking research on what measures, tools or indicators are used to assess the wellbeing of children in care. NCB is interested in finding out more about how information on wellbeing is collected and used by those working with children in care. You can tell NCB more about your experiences of using measures of wellbeing for children in care by taking part in their survey. NCB is also interested in speaking to managers and practitioners in more detail by telephone. If you would like to volunteer for a short telephone interview, then please contact Rebekah Ryder on 020 7833 6811. Find out more here
Are you using technology to promote equality?
The Race Equality Foundation is looking for examples of technology that has been developed to promote equality and/or to reduce health inequalities. This could be a website that is targeted to provide information to a particular community or group or an app that helps people who are using health and social care. They intend to use these examples to lobby for greater recognition of, and support for, the work the voluntary sector is doing with technology. The studies will also be promoted as examples of good practice in the sector. Any confidential or sensitive information will be handled with care, and they will consult contributors on the content before anything is published. If you would like to submit a project or speak further about this, please complete this form (opens as document) and return to samir@racefound.org.uk.
Working strategically with the voluntary sector
The Local Government Association is producing a publication exploring how local authority public health teams are working with the voluntary sector to improve health and wellbeing. They would appreciate case studies from areas which have effective relationships with the sector and which are starting to improve health outcomes for individuals and communities. They would also like to hear from public health departments that are developing a strategic approach to working with the sector and other good practice examples. Please respond to Paul Ogden at paul.ogden@local.gov.uk
Preventing suicide in community and custodial settings
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is looking for experts to join their public health committee to develop a guideline on preventing suicide in community and custodial settings. NICE needs both lay members (people using services, family members and carers, and members of the public and community or voluntary sector) and people with a professional or practitioner background in the topic. Find out more here
Health in the justice system
London Clinical Network is looking for new members for its 'health in justice and other vulnerable adults' network. Working under the directorate of NHS London, the network aims to contribute expertise to inform the strategic direction of NHS England's commissioning stream. This particular network is focused on vulnerable people in contact with the Criminal Justice System. Find out more here
Keeping pressure off hospitals in Greater Manchester
FaithAction are holding a discussion and networking event [Monday 31st October, 2:00-4:30pm in Manchester, free] for faith-based organisations and those involved in commissioning in Greater Manchester. As well as more formal social care, faith groups often provide everyday practical and emotional support. FaithAction wants to find out more about what faith groups are involved in, highlight this to the health and care system, and look at how the system could work more closely with faith groups. Find out more and book here
People with learning disabilities or autism
NHS England is hosting an event [8th November 2016, London, free] to review the progress that Transforming Care Partnerships have made in the year since the publication of their national plan to develop community services and close inpatient facilities for people with a learning disability and/or autism who display challenging behaviour. The event is open to health and care professionals, voluntary sector organisations and people who have a learning disability and/or autism. It will provide an opportunity to find out about how services have developed to improve support and quality of life in the community and to share learning and good practice. Find out more and book here
New youth justice project begins
NHS England and Peer Power would like to speak with young people with experience of youth justice about their experiences of emotional health and well-being services [9th November 2016, London, free]. This will help NHS England to ensure that the views and experiences of young people are included in the design, commissioning and delivery of these services. They are recruiting young people with experience of youth justice services to get involved at an event that brings together senior decision makers and young people to talk about and problem-solve issues around emotional health, well-being, and support services. Find out more and book here
Mental health provision in prison
'Voices Unlocked: Promoting Hope, Inspiring Change' is a Mind in Camden conference [16th November, London, £10 - £100+VAT] that will focus on the challenges facing mental health provision in the current prison landscape. It will showcase projects working on mental distress and trauma which promote best practice, hope and recovery, and look at the links between the experience of imprisonment and hearing voices. Workshops at the event will include how to support young offenders who hear voices and supporting veterans in prison. Find out more and book here
Why volunteering and social action matter
Volunteering Matters, the Local Government Organisation , ADASS and NAVCA are holding Volunteering Matters' regional workshops [22nd November, London | 24th November, York, free]. These workshops aim to help local authorities, colleagues in the NHS and their partners in the voluntary sector realise the potential of volunteering and social action to help deliver the aims and requirements of the Care Act 2014. For more information and to book for London click here. For more information and to book for York click here.
Engaging service users and experts by experience
The Academy for Justice Commissioning is running a seminar [22nd November, Bristol, free] to discuss the importance of understanding the “service user” voice within the Criminal Justice System. Dr Kieran McCartan (Associate Professor in Criminology and Leader of the Social Science Research Group, University of the West of England) and Paula Harriott (Head of Involvement, Revolving Doors Agency) will give an overview of the importance of service user voice and the need to hear it in planning and will also share how to engage with service users (especially high risk, vulnerable or challenging populations). Kieran and Paula will then offer real world examples of how service user voice can help commission and deliver effective services. Read more here
Supporting children's emotional and mental health
The National Children’s Bureau and the Young People’s Health Partnership are hosting a seminar [23rd November, London, free] for voluntary sector organisations working with children and young people. This event will provide an update on the transformation of child and adolescent mental health services, examine organisations’ experience of the transformation agenda at national and/or local level and consider the experiences, ongoing challenges and future needs of particular groups of children and young people affected by health inequalities. Find out more and book here
Post-Brexit social care priorities
The Voluntary Organisations Disability Group has launched a report outlining the impact of Brexit on social care. The report highlights key issues and considerations for organisations in the sector to take into account when planning strategy, services and workforce. Download the report here
New All Our Health topics
Public Health England's 'All Our Health' is a framework of evidence to guide healthcare professionals in preventing illness, protecting health and promoting wellbeing. They have added new topics on smoking and tobacco, child oral health, respiratory disease, liver disease, healthy beginnings, dementia and alcohol. The resource aids health and care staff in addressing major factors causing premature death, ill health and health inequalities. Find out more here
The state of health care
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has published 'The state of health care and adult social care in England 2015/2016', the CQC's annual overview of health and social care in England. The report looks at the trends, highlights examples of good and outstanding care, and identifies factors that maintain high-quality care. Some of the findings include that recruitment and retention of healthcare staff across the Criminal Justice System remains challenging, the older prison population requires health and social care services that better meet their needs and prisoners’ use of illegal psychoactive substances is a growing problem. Download the report here
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This regular bulletin provides Clinks members with the latest news for voluntary sector organisations involved in the health and care of offenders. It currently has 3,203 subscribers.
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