Clinks Light Lunch | Issue 615 | 20th December 2019

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In this week's edition...

CLINKS NEWS: season’s greetings

Clinks’ office will be closed from midday on 24th December and will reopen on 2nd January. For this reason there will be no Light Lunch on 27th December or 3rd January. During this period, CEO Anne Fox can be contacted on 07534819714 for press enquires or if you’re in need of urgent support from Clinks. The Clinks team wish you all a merry festive season and happy new year. See our season’s greetings card here

CLINKS BLOG: moving hearts and minds

This blog looks back at our event: ‘An insider’s view of prisons and probation in 2019’ hosted by the Lord Mayor of the City of London William Russell at Mansion House. The night provided an inspiring snapshot of the diversity and range of voluntary organisations that work in the criminal justice system. We hope it has encouraged funders to support or continue to support them, especially in the context of our latest State of the sector report which highlights the ongoing challenges that voluntary organisations working in the criminal justice system are facing in terms of securing sustainable funding. Thank you to everyone who came, including our members for showcasing their work and the Lord Mayor for so generously hosting. Read the blog here

CLINKS BLOG: a closer look at who the sector supports

In the first in our series of detailed blogs looking at the findings of our 2019 State of the sector research, Policy Officer Lauren Nickolls takes a closer look at the demographics and needs of the service users that organisations support. For the third year in a row, organisations reported an increase in the number of people turning to their services and that the needs of people they support are becoming more complex and more urgent. Two thirds of organisations said they support people with substance misuse issues; over half said they support people who are homeless; and almost half said they support people with a specific financial need including poverty. Read the blog here

CLINKS RESPONSE: probation accommodation

We’ve responded to HM Inspectorate of Probation’s (HMIP) call for evidence for its thematic inspection of probation work on accommodation services. Our response shows that there is both a clear lack of appropriate accommodation for people in the criminal justice system (particularly those leaving prison), and also many significant practical barriers put in the way of people trying to access what safe and secure accommodation is available. These include people being considered intentionally homeless when they are sent to custody; people struggling to gather a deposit for private rented accommodation; negative attitudes of private landlords towards tenants with convictions; and confusion over the roles and responsibilities of different agencies and organisations. Read our full response including recommendations here

CLINKS TRAINING: working and volunteering in prison

Are you new to working in prison? Do you want to work in prison but not sure where to begin? Our popular one day course [3rd February, London, from £75] aims to raise awareness of the prison environment and enable voluntary sector staff and volunteers to have meaningful and professional engagement with prisons. This highly participative day is led by an experienced trainer and covers a wide range of topics, combining theory, individual reflection and practical guidance on working in prison and with prisoners. Book your place here

CLINKS MEMBER’S NEWS: trends in probation

Russell Webster has published his latest in a series of compendiums of data and trends in the criminal justice system. This edition focuses on trends in probation. It includes helpful visualisations of the data which are easy to digest and to use for communicating with others. Topics covered include: the decline of community sentences over the last decade; caseload figures (including changes in different forms of supervision); the offence profile of people on community supervision; a breakdown of the popularity of different requirements on community orders and suspended sentence orders; successful completion rates (and reasons for termination) for community supervision; the drop in the number of full pre-sentence reports. Explore the data here

CLINKS MEMBER’S NEWS: a beacon of hope

Switchback was the winner of this year’s Longford Prize from The Longford Trust. The prize recognises the qualities of humanity, courage, persistence and originality in the field of prison reform. Receiving the award, Switchback’s Founder and CEO Alice Dawnay said: “Stability doesn’t sound very innovative, but it’s fundamental to how Switchback operates. We’ve been solidly doing the same thing for 11 years. Stability is what the young men returning to London from prison tell us they want and what we provide against the odds. It is a rare thing and we are delighted that the Longford Trust recognise its value. Read more

CLINKS MEMBER’S NEWS: creative and innovative practice

RECOOP has been awarded silver in the Creative & Innovative Social Work Practice category at the Social Worker of the Year Awards, for its Buddy Training and Management service in the Devon Prison Cluster. The Buddy Scheme and its broader preventative outcomes offer responsibility, purpose, opportunities to achieve and crucially, worth to older people in contact with the criminal justice system. Paul Grainge, RECOOP Chief Officer, said: “We are thrilled at the recognition this working partnership and service is receiving in Devon. The work of the Buddies themselves is integral to its success. Their professionalism, compassion and enabling support is having such a positive impact on those they are supporting.” Read more here

CLINKS MEMBER’S NEWS: pregnant women and new mothers

Birth Companions has published its new Birth Charter Toolkit - a practical guide to help all those working with pregnant women and new mothers in prison to bridge the continuing gaps between what is set out in policy and what is being delivered in practice. The new resource works alongside the recommendations set out in the Birth Charter for women in prisons in England and Wales, which are now widely recognised in many forms of guidance and best practice. Read the Birth Charter Toolkit here

CLINKS MEMBER’S NEWS: recruiting volunteers with convictions

Following the success of its Giving Time project, Voluntary Action Leeds has produced a comprehensive toolkit to support organisations to recruit volunteers with criminal convictions. The toolkit provides guidelines around considerations of organisations when assessing potential volunteers, ensuring their processes are inclusive and safe for staff, volunteers and service users. About to enter its sixth successful year, Giving Time was established in 2014 with the aim of providing a brokerage service linking adults with criminal convictions to volunteer opportunities. This could be either for serving prisoners or within the community. The principle aims of the project are to improve the social skills, mental health and life chances of volunteers; whilst reducing isolation and reoffending, and aid reintegration back into communities. See the toolkit here

CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM: secondment opportunity

HM Inspectorate of Probation (HMIP) is looking for an organisation to provide personnel with lived experience of the criminal justice system to join its team of inspectors undertaking a thematic inspection. The focus of the inspection will be on the work of Community Rehabilitation Companies and the National Probation Service in securing settled and suitable accommodation for individuals on community sentences and on release from prison. The inspectorate will be visiting seven locations around the country, reviewing cases, interviewing responsible officers, managers, partner organisations and service users. The closing date for any expressions of interest is 3rd January 2020. Find more information including the expression of interest form here

CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM: HMPPS Insights20 programme

HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) welcomes contributions to Insights20 - a vibrant programme of events and opportunities running from 11th-22nd May 2020, for everyone working for and alongside HMPPS. Could you share your experience? Host a visit? Link up with others to create a great joint learning experience? Insights19 gave over 200 free opportunities across the country for the diverse and vibrant criminal justice community to learn and share together and to build their professional networks. HMPPS is hoping to make Insights20 even better. Contact Nicola.Bellamy@justice.gov.uk for more information and to make an offer before 24th January.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM: Ron Hogg

We were sad to hear about the passing of Ron Hogg, Police, Crime and Victims’ Commissioner for County Durham and Darlington. Ron died peacefully, having been diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease earlier this year. Ron’s Chief Executive, Steve White, was appointed into the acting Police, Crime and Victims’ Commissioner role in September 2019. Steve said “In my 30 years of policing, I have never known of someone so universally liked and respected as Ron was by officers, staff, politicians and officials.  He will be greatly missed and leaves a lasting legacy.” Read the full statement from the Office of the Durham Police, Crime and Victims’ Commissioner here

FUNDING: strategic support

The Weston Charity Awards were created by the Garfield Weston Foundation to celebrate and support great front-line charities working in the fields of community, welfare and youth. For 2020, it is looking for great organisations to support across Wales, the North and Midlands of England. 20 winners will be selected to receive a package of benefits including: a year of support from Pilotlight (strategic business support from senior business leaders); an unrestricted cash contribution of £6,500 to support the work with Pilotlight, this includes travel expenses to meetings; access to a network of local charities working with Pilotlight; three ‘connect’ sessions with other Award Winners across the year. Applications close at 5pm on 10th January. Find out more here

FUNDING: training and employment

The City and Guilds Foundation is inviting bids to a new £1 million fund to help provide skills training and employment for prisoners and people with experience of the criminal justice system. The Big Idea Fund is now inviting expressions of interest from charities, prison governors and other potential providers, with awards to be made from April 2020. It is seeking bids that aim to meaningfully reduce reoffending through personalised training and sustained employment support in innovative new ways that can be rapidly scaled up if successful. The closing date for expressions of interest to be submitted is midday on 24th January.  Find more information and the expression of interest form here

FUNDING: everyday democracy

Nesta has launched a £100,000 award to find new forms of everyday democracy in the UK, as trust in public institutions and democracy declines. Ten Democracy Pioneer awards of £10,000 each will fund tests and experiments in new forms of everyday democracy which see people having more say on how public institutions - from councils to schools and health services - are delivered in their communities. Nesta will fund Pioneers who have found new ways to increase engagement (especially from marginalised groups), focusing on challenges such as countering fake news, making institutional decision making more transparent, sharing power locally, creating forums for constructive disagreement and holding elected officials to account. Entries are open until 31st January. More information can be found here

FUNDING: digital skills

The Thomas Wall Trust is running a new grants programme throughout 2020 available to organisations working towards improving basic digital skills for people in need. Organisations with an annual turnover that does not exceed £500,000 may apply for grants up to £5,000. The programme aims to equip adults with basic digital skills for work and life, helping them access the online world.  The Trust prioritises: projects that link digital skills with employment opportunities; match funded projects; organisations that can provide compelling evidence of impact; organisations working with collaborative networks. Find out more and express interest before 31st March here

CLINKS MEMBER’S EVENT: sexual trauma

YouTurn is holding a national Sexual Trauma Conference [23rd April, Bedfordshire, from £200] to build upon practitioners' knowledge and understanding of the impacts of sexual trauma and the associated issues and complexities. Speakers include: Zoe Lodrick, a trainer, consultant and psychotherapist who specialises in sexualised trauma; Sara Rowbotham, the sexual health worker who uncovered the Rochdale sexual abuse ring; Helen Matthews and Andy Thompson, specialists in Child Sexual Exploitation; and Dr Lisa Thornhill from The Lucy Faithfull Foundation. To confirm a place at the conference please follow the link provided and search 'YOUTURN' to find and complete the online booking form. Book here

OPPORTUNITY: power sharing

Sheila McKechnie Foundation is running a project looking into how organisations can be better at sharing power with people with lived experience in pursuit of social change. Sheila McKechnie Foundation will host this conversation over the next two years, but is looking for others to join in. It is building a Community of Practice from across civil society — people with lived and learnt experience who want to change the way things work. The group will work to unpick some tricky questions about power in the social sector, whilst also thinking about what it means to build a successful campaign that puts lived experience at its heart. Find out more and express interest here

FEATURED VACANCY: Policy Officer

The Criminal Justice Alliance (CJA) is looking for a  Policy Officer [£28,000-£30,000, full time, London] to work closely with the CJA Director as part of a small team to develop and implement the CJA’s strategy – ‘Connecting for Change’ – to make the criminal justice system in England and Wales safe, smart, person-centred, restorative and trusted. The Policy Officer is responsible for monitoring policy and political debates and developments on core criminal justice issues, which will give you the opportunity to develop expert knowledge in specific policy areas relevant to the CJA’s current strategy. The Policy Officer is expected to produce a wide range of high quality publications that make robust recommendations for policy and practice. Find out more and apply before 12th January here

FEATURED VACANCY: Research Manager

Revolving Doors is looking for a talented Research Manager [£33,000-£38,000, full time, London] to develop and deliver a new independent research programme that generates evidence to support its policy and public affairs work. The ideal candidate will demonstrate the creativity and sensitivity that research work in the criminal justice system requires and will have a proven track record in designing and conducting qualitative research with vulnerable individuals safely and ethically. The candidate should also have some experience of securing research funding, either through grants or contracts, and be a skilled project manager, with the aptitude and desire to deliver across a wide-ranging portfolio of projects. Most importantly the candidate must share Revolving Doors’ core values. Find out more and apply before 13th January here

CLINKS MEMBERS’ VACANCIES

Vacancies on the jobs board this week include: Senior Policy and Engagement Officer with Agenda [London], Independent Domestic Violence Advocate with Changing Lives [Newcastle upon Tyne], Support Coordinator - Colchester North with Nacro [Colchester], Lecturer in Hairdressing with Weston College [HMP Downview], Head Of Business Support with Coaching Inside and Out [Homebased – North West], Young Persons Therapist x2 with Oasis Project [Brighton], Women’s Recovery Coordinator with The Nelson Trust [Swindon or Trowbridge], HOPE Recovery Coordinator with Humankind [South Shields], Policy Officer (part-time) with Prisoners’ Education Trust [London], Resettlement Coordinator with Catch 22 [HMP/YOI Isis]. For more information about these vacancies, and many more, click here

TIPS OF THE WEEK

  • Tip I: Stainless Steel water bottle. £8.99. Details
  • Tip II: Four star Jersey seafront break with flights and meals. £259 per person. Details
  • Tip III: Haribo Sweet tubs. £5.40. Details

EXTRA INFORMATION

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