Clinks Light Lunch | Issue 643 | 17th July 2020

Light Lunch

In this week's edition...

    CLINKS NEWS: Covid-19 Response Grants phase 2

    Our Covid-19 Response Grants programme has moved into a new phase, looking beyond immediate needs brought about by Covid-19 and towards recovery. To be eligible, voluntary organisations must have an existing relationship with Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) and under £500,000 annual income. We now also welcome applications from those seeking support to make long-term or permanent adaptations to their work to adapt to a ‘new normal’; and for support in probation areas/prisons which have begun to ease lockdown. Previous applicants may be eligible to reapply – however, please read our updated guidance carefully. We will not accept a resubmission of the same application. There’s now a deadline for applications: 9am 17th August. Find out more and apply here

    CLINKS BLOG: 32 organisations funded

    The Covid-19 Response Grants programme has now been open for two months, and we are very excited to have funded 32 brilliant organisations to deliver important work supporting people in prison, through-the-gate and in the community in the context of Covid-19. We are also in the process of funding three more organisations which will be announced in our next update. We have received more than 150 applications, and our grants panel has worked hard, making some very difficult decisions, to ensure that there is funding still available to support organisations as the landscape starts to change. See the organisations and what they’ll deliver here

    CLINKS CONSULTATION: substance misuse review

    The second phase of Dame Carol Black’s independent review on substance misuse has been launched, with a specific focus on prevention, treatment, and recovery. We are holding a virtual consultation [23rd July, online, free] to hear the views of voluntary sector organisations working in the criminal justice system, particularly in the field of substance misuse, to inform our response to this review. The review will consider how treatment services can enable people with a substance dependency to achieve and sustain their recovery – spanning a wide range of services they may interact with across mental health, housing, employment and the criminal justice system. Register here

    CLINKS RESPONSE: core NHS and care services during the pandemic

    Clinks has responded to the Health and Social Care Committee’s call for evidence on delivering core NHS and care services during the pandemic and beyond. The response focuses on the greater needs if individuals in the face of reduced and adapted service delivery during Covid-19, and the strain that Covid-19 has put on voluntary organisations delivering health and care services to people in contact with the criminal justice system. Recommendations include a call for NHS England, Her Majesty's Prison and Probation Service and the Ministry of Justice to work with the voluntary sector to identify gaps in service delivery and commission appropriate services to support health and care needs of people in contact with the criminal justice system, as well as financial support for voluntary sector organisations. Read more here

    CLINKS RESPONSE: impact of Covid-19 on people with protected characteristics

    Clinks has responded to the Women and Equalities Committee inquiry into the unequal impact of Covid-19 on people with protected characteristics. In the response, we focus on the impact that Covid-19 has had on women, black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) people and older people in contact with the criminal justice system – particularly those in prison. Recommendations include for the Ministry of Justice and Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service to publish data on the ethnicity of those released under the early release scheme, and increased financial support for the voluntary sector working with people with protected characteristics in the criminal justice system. Read the response here

    CLINKS MEMBER’S NEWS: music and rehabilitation

    Good Vibrations will be BBC Radio 4's Appeal Charity next month from 9th-15th August. The musician, poet, writer and actor, Benjamin Zephaniah will present the programme. He will talk about his experience of prison, how prison can make a difficult start in life worse, the role arts can play in rehabilitation, and how Good Vibrations’ music projects help people collaborate and break the cycle of re-offending. You can listen live on BBC Radio 4 on 9th August at 7:54am or 9:25pm, or 13th August at 3:27pm or anytime on demand between 9th and 15th August here

    CLINKS MEMBER’S NEWS: experienced women ruled out of caring professions

    Olivia Dehnavi, Policy and Research Officer at Working Chance has written a blog about how having a criminal conviction prevents many women from going back into caring roles. She explains that women with convictions often seek out work where they can help others, wanting to draw on their own experiences and give back. However, most caring professions require an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) criminal records check, and employers often reject applications when they see a conviction, rather than asking for more information or references. The UK is currently experiencing a shortage of nurses, with the number of vacancies as high as 44,000. Despite this, Olivia describes the experiences of two women whose convictions prevented them from being re-employed as nurses. Read it here

    CLINKS MEMBER’S NEWS: video calls rollout in prison

    Prison Reform Trust (PRT) has released a briefing suggesting that the rollout of secure video calls in prisons should be speeded up to ease the distress of families and their loved ones unable to see each other since the cancellation of social visits. Based on 278 contributions from families and prisoners in England and Wales, the briefing reveals a mounting sense of anger, frustration and despair over more than three months of Covid-19 lockdown restrictions in prisons. At the start of the pandemic in late March, all social visits to prisons in England and Wales were halted. Since then, most prisoners have been confined to their cells for 23 hours a day. Read the briefing here

    CLINKS MEMBER’S NEWS: probation Dynamic Framework: partnership opportunity

    Are you interested in working in partnership to deliver services under the Ministry of Justice’s Dynamic Framework? MTC, which has experience working with vulnerable people in the probation and wider criminal justice system, is keen to partner with a range of organisations to deliver services across all Dynamic Framework probation regions and Police and Crime Commissioner Lot Areas. Working with MTC, you can free up your team to do what it does best – delivering quality interventions and services – and leave the rest to MTC. See more information here. Express your interest here

    CLINKS MEMBER’S NEWS: impact of long-term physical health issues on mental health

    National Voices is conducting research to understand the impact that having long-term physical health issues has on people’s mental health, and what needs to change to make sure people are better supported. If you have a long-term health condition, National Voices invites you to take part in a 30-minute telephone interview. National Voices would also like to speak to family members and health and social care professionals. Participants will receive a £50 shopping voucher. The deadline for taking part is the end of August. If you are interested, please contact Jo Wilton at Centre for Mental Health: Jo.Wilton@centreformentalhealth.org.uk. People with lived experience, family members and professionals can also share views through filling in an online survey. Please use the links provided.

    CLINKS MEMBER’S NEWS: community awards

    The deadline for the Howard League for Penal Reform’s Community Awards is less than a week away. These annual awards celebrate best practice in diversionary work and champion work in the community that challenges and changes people for the better – be it with children, women, mental health programmes or restorative approaches. The awards recognise projects and organisations whose work and practice is delivered above and beyond normal service delivery. There are eight award categories. Any organisation, group or individual can make nominations and self-nomination is encouraged. Nominations from statutory and voluntary organisations are welcomed. Read more and nominate before 5pm 21st July here

    CLINKS MEMBER’S NEWS: building relationships in lockdown

    In this blog, Switchback Mentor Maddy reflects on the challenges of building relationships with young prison-leavers remotely. Switchback’s programme has always centred around meaningful relationships between its Switchback Mentors and Trainees. When opportunities to meet face-to-face abruptly ceased due to Covid-19, the team faced the difficulties of supporting Trainees without being able to meet them physically. Maddy says, “Throughout this period, I have come to realise the most crucial element of our relationship-building is supporting Trainees to value their abilities and strengths, and supporting them to return to the best parts of themselves.” Read her blog here

    CLINKS MEMBER’S NEWS: supporting prison governors out of Covid-19

    Frontline Lifeline is a Covid-19 support package from North West-based Run For Your Life CIC currently being used for prison governors. Three prison governors together take part in a structured group coaching call on Zoom with a three-point agenda: unload frustrations; share good practice; and a look ahead to the next meeting and the big picture. The process has been designed by Run For Your Life to be deliberately different and specifically to help governors re-connect with their peers and lead a transition through and beyond the challenge of Covid-19. Run for Your Life has now finished the pilot phase of this work with three governors. Find out more about Run for Your Life here or email Founder Andy Mouncey andy@runforyourlife.org.uk

    CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM: probation Dynamic Framework

    In response to feedback from the market and to ensure that organisations have suitable time to qualify and prepare to bid, Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) has decided to amend the commencement dates for Day 1 call-off competitions for the Dynamic Framework. The revised competition start dates are: Education, Training and Employment - 7th September 2020; Accommodation - 28th September 2020; Personal Wellbeing (including Young Adult Personal Wellbeing in Wales) - 19th October 2020; and Women - 9th November 2020. All providers that wish to be invited to bid for any of the above call-off competitions should have completed and passed the Standard Questionnaire 30 days prior to the competition start. See more by logging into Jaggaer here

    CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM: prisons move to stage three

    Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service has moved, at a national level, from stage four of the National Framework for Prisons ('Lockdown') to stage three ('Restrict'). The current public health advice is that prisons and the youth estates are now in a position to cautiously and incrementally begin to ease restrictions. This does not mean that all prisons will see changes immediately and the extent to which restrictions are being lifted in each establishment will be based on local circumstances. The first establishments have moved to stage three and are now starting slowly to ease restrictions. Among the first group of establishments moving to stage three, a small number have re-started social visits with certain restrictions and modifications. See further guidance and regular updates here

    FUNDING: children and young people

    BBC Children in Need and Youth Futures Foundation are partnering to deliver Inspiring Futures, a £6 million programme to fund activities which support children and young people to achieve their potential on their journey towards employment. Eligible organisations will be able to apply for between £10,000 and £80,000 for work commencing in October 2020. Organisations must be working with children and young people aged 10-24 in England or 10-18 in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Wherever possible Inspiring Futures aims to fund organisations led by people with lived experience of the issues faced by the children and young people they are helping to support. Find out more and apply before 31st July here

    FUNDING: West Midlands

    The West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner has launched a £200,000 Community Initiatives Fund for community and voluntary organisations to help overcome social effects of coronavirus isolation. Organisations in the West Midlands can bid for funding up to £5,000. See more and apply before 3rd August here

    FUNDING: young people into education, training and employment

    The Peter Cruddas Foundation funds programmes designed to help disadvantaged and disengaged young people in the age range of 16 to 30, to pursue pathways to education, training and employment with the ultimate aim of helping them to become financially independent. The foundation prioritises: pathways/support for young disadvantaged or disengaged people aged 16 to 30 into education, training or employment; work experience/skills projects for young people aged 16 to 30; or youth work in London, particularly evening work for disadvantaged young people aged 16 to 30. There is no minimum or maximum amount given and projects can be funded for more than one year. See more and apply before 21st September here

    FEATURED VACANCY: Deputy Head of Secretariat (maternity cover)

    It’s your last chance to apply for an opportunity to join the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) and Lay Observer (LO) Secretariat as Deputy Head of Secretariat [£36,798 - £47,591, full time, 9-month maternity cover, London]. The post is at the heart of independent oversight of prison, immigration detention and court custody, supporting 130 monitoring boards and 1300+ voluntary ministerial appointees to make a real difference to the scrutiny of the criminal justice system. The successful candidate will lead the appointments team, provide high quality advice and apply problem solving skills on a wide variety of Board issues in a fast-paced volunteer environment. Find out more and apply before 11:55pm 17th July here

    CLINKS MEMBERS’ VACANCIES

    Vacancies on the jobs board this week include: North Wales Community Substance Misuse Nurse / Newly Qualified Nurse Preceptorship with Kaleidoscope Project [Wales], Casework Coordinator - Criminal Justice with Julian House [Taunton], Learning Facilitator with Weston College [HMP Standford Hill], Homeless Support Sessional Worker with Changing Lives [Northumberland/North Tyneside], Lead Practitioner (maternity cover) with Odd Arts [Manchester], Recovery Worker with EDP Drug and Alcohol Service [HMP Guys Marsh], Trustee with 3Pillars Project [London]. For more information about these vacancies, and many more, click here

    TIPS OF THE WEEK

    • Tip I: Harry Potter bedding range. From £5.99. Details
    • Tip II: Six- or twelve-piece glasses set. From £6.99. Details
    • Tip III: Therapy massage gun. 80% off. Details

    EXTRA INFORMATION

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