Clinks Light Lunch | Issue 650 | 4th September 2020

Light Lunch

In this week's edition...

    CLINKS NEWS: letter from Jo Farrar on race and ethnicity

    Jo Farrar, Chief Executive of Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) has responded to a letter from the Reducing Reoffending Third Sector Advisory Group (RR3). The letter from the RR3 called for Jo Farrar to act promptly and decisively in response to five key issues set out by organisations who are led and deliver specialist services to people from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities in the criminal justice system. In her response, she sets the initial steps to take forward the recommendations, including convening BAME specialist organisations to shape HMPPS’s approach to the issues raised. The RR3 is a formal advisory group to the Ministry of Justice and HMPPS, made up of openly recruited senior leaders from the voluntary sector. Read the letter here

    CLINKS EVENT: children experiencing parental imprisonment

    We’re holding an interactive workshop with Children Heard and Seen looking at the experiences of children with a parent in prison [30th September, online, free]. Estimates suggest 312,000 children experience parental imprisonment each year in England and Wales. These children can live with stigma, shame and social isolation. What support is available to them? Does your organisation consider the impact of imprisoned parents on their children or how you could mitigate it? If you feel that you don’t know enough about the experiences of children and would like to be better informed, this workshop is for you. Take the opportunity to ask questions, share your experiences and learn more. Book your place here

    CLINKS EVENT: IT requirements for the Dynamic Framework

    We are planning a workshop on the IT security standards required to engage in the probation Dynamic Framework and are looking for input on what the session should include. Attendees will have an opportunity to ask questions about the commissioning of probation services via the Dynamic Framework. In order to provide voluntary organisations with the best possible outcome, we are asking potential participants for three things they would like to get from the session, in order for us to tailor the presentation. The same event will be run twice in the week commencing 14th September. Please email your suggestions to probation@clinks.org

    CLINKS MEMBER’S NEWS: mentoring services in the community

    Belong is offering mentoring services for young people aged 15 - 25 and adults on licence/community sentences. If you are working with somebody leaving custody, or who is already in the community on licence, anywhere in the UK, they might be eligible for remote or face-to-face support from one of Belong’s mentors. Belong’s mentoring service helps people to identify goals; reduce substance misuse problems; access employment, training and education; improve relationships and interpersonal skills; manage conflict; manage difficult emotions; increase self-confidence; improve life skills e.g. budgeting, organisation, time management; and access leisure activities. Find out more here

    CLINKS MEMBER’S NEWS: probation partnerships

    Ingeus is applying through the Ministry of Justice’s probation Dynamic Framework to deliver rehabilitation and resettlement services across multiple geographical lots and is looking to build partnerships. Ingeus currently delivers probation services through two Community Rehabilitation Companies. Its HMPPS Co-Financing service provides interventions to those with multiple and complex needs move towards employment and to access other services both in preparation for, and after, release from prison. Ingeus is looking to build partnerships with experienced supply chain organisations to deliver localised and tailored services to achieve tangible and positive outcomes in people's lives. If you are interested, please complete the expression of interest form here

    CLINKS MEMBER’S NEWS: homelessness prevention advice and accommodation support

    This blog from Shelter provides an update on its work with people in contact with the criminal justice system. Supporting people in prison to find and retain settled accommodation after release is key to preventing re-offending and successful rehabilitation. However, as all service providers currently working in the criminal justice system know, this has become even more challenging during Covid-19, not least because access to crucial services needed to achieve positive outcomes has become increasingly difficult. Shelter's Hardship Fund, designed to provide relief when people are in difficult circumstances and unable to access funding from other sources, has been an invaluable resource over the last few months, as Shelter’s service users struggle to access other services, funds and benefits. Find out more here

    CLINKS MEMBER’S NEWS: seeking a new office space

    Children Heard and Seen is in need of an office space that can accommodate four members of its team and use as the charity's registered address, and also somewhere to store around a dozen storage boxes. These two spaces need not be in the same building, but both need to be within a short drive of Oxford City centre. As a small charity with limited resources, Children Heard and Seen is not in a position to pay market rents and is looking for an individual or business who might be able to offer the urgently needed space to continue its invaluable work supporting children with a parent in prison. Get in touch through info@childrenheardandseen.co.uk

    CLINKS MEMBER’S NEWS: new Chair of Trustees

    Working Chance is delighted to announce that Lin Hinnigan has been appointed as its new Chair of Trustees and is taking up the post from 1st September 2020. After spending her early career working as a teacher and social worker, Lin Hinnigan trained as an educational psychologist and spent many years working in that profession, including five years as a principal educational psychologist at Coventry City Council. Since then she has had a successful track record of strategic leadership, holding senior roles in government and public bodies including HM Courts Service, the Ministry of Justice and the Youth Justice Board. Read more here

    CLINKS MEMBER’S NEWS: a justice system fit for the future

    Nacro has published a policy briefing driven by the experiences of the people that it supports through resettlement services and the staff that support them. 52% of Nacro’s resettlement staff reported that due to Covid-19, it was more difficult for the prison leavers they work with to access basic essentials such as food and toiletries. Staff and service users also found that difficulties in communication have caused stress and anxiety for people serving prison sentences and those leaving prison during the pandemic. Recommendations include specific supported accommodation schemes for vulnerable cohorts, release packs containing basic essentials such as sufficient toiletries and basic food supplies, and improving in-cell technology to ensure that people can contact family even if locked down. Read more here

    CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM: focus groups with BAME individuals

    The Probation Reform Programme at HMPPS invites organisations to submit expressions of interest to deliver focus group(s) with black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) people in contact with the criminal justice system. The programme wants to check and challenge whether the current probation Target Operating Model goes far enough to address inequalities, acknowledge lived experience and provide suitably tailored support to BAME individuals. They are looking for organisations to facilitate focus groups with the following cohorts: BAME young adult men (18-24 years); BAME women; Muslim women; and Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities. In your application, please specify which cohort your organisation works with and will deliver focus groups with. For any further questions, please email: Strengthening.Probation@justice.gov.uk. Please see a more detailed brief here

    FUNDING: Covid-19 recovery

    The deadline to apply for the Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales Covid-19 Recovery Fund is 5pm 11th September. The fund aims to support small and local charities helping people overcome complex social issues build back better following the pandemic. The foundation is offering 150 charities a two-year unrestricted grant of up to £50,000 alongside intensive support from a development partner who will work closely with successful applicants to help them become more resilient, sustainable and plan for the future. At least a quarter of this funding will be awarded to charities where more than half of their Trustees self-identify as coming from black, Asian or minority ethnic communities. Find out more and apply here

    FUNDING: Hertfordshire

    Grants of up to £5,000 are available for up to a year from the Hertfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner's Action Fund. Local voluntary organisations working to reduce crime and make Hertfordshire a safer place to live can apply. The Commissioner particularly welcomes innovative projects proposed through local collaborations and partnerships and which can make a lasting difference to community safety. Applications which involve young people, particularly in the design or the delivery of a project, are also encouraged. Apply before 25th September here

    CLINKS MEMBER’S EVENT: disclosing criminal records

    Are you up to date with the laws around disclosing criminal records? Do you feel confident in advising people whether they need to disclose? Unlock is holding a webinar on understanding the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act and the disclosure of criminal records [16th September, online, £59]. The criminal records system in England and Wales is complex and often confusing. There are over 11 million people currently with a criminal record. The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act is a piece of legislation that sets out when convictions become ‘spent’, and it is important to know the difference between unspent and spent convictions and when they need to be disclosed. Book your place here

    CLINKS MEMBER’S EVENT: beyond crime, cost and punishment (rescheduled)

    Covid-19 has shifted political and public opinions on several topics. Meanwhile, crime and justice policy remains firmly penal. How can the voluntary sector tell a better story about how we should deal with crime? Join Transform Justice and five organisations for a webinar to discuss how reframing can help [15th October, online, free]. Book your place here

    CLINKS MEMBERS’ VACANCIES

    Vacancies on the jobs board this week include: Peer Support Apprenticeship – Crisis with Humankind [Teesside], WomenMATTA Project Worker with Women in Prison [Manchester], MISCO with Weston College [HMP Coldingley], SOS Caseworker x 2 (Liaison and Diversion) with St. Giles Trust [Wakefield], Support Worker with Changing Lives [Gateshead], Chair and Trustees with Out There Supporting Families of Prisoners [Trafford], Offender Resettlement Worker with Shelter [HMP Lincoln and HMP North Sea Camp], Project Support Officer – Prisons with Samaritans [London]. For more information about these vacancies, and many more, click here

    TIPS OF THE WEEK

    • Tip I: Four-packs of artworks socks. 75% off. Details
    • Tip II: Samsung Galaxy S9. £259. Details
    • Tip III: Travel deals for 2021. Details

    EXTRA INFORMATION

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