Clinks Light Lunch | Issue 664 | 10th December 2020

Light Lunch

In this week's edition...

CLINKS NEWS: Director of Support and Development

We’re delighted to announce Christopher Stacey as our new Director of Support and Development. Chris will be joining the team in February and said, “I am delighted to be taking up the role. Since Clinks was founded more than 20 years ago, it has evolved to respond to the challenges and opportunities facing voluntary organisations working in criminal justice. I believe these organisations are crucial in both supporting and advocating for people involved in the criminal justice system. At a time of significant change and unprecedented challenge, the work of Clinks is never more needed. I’m looking forward to working with the team, Clinks’ members and other key partners to support organisations to thrive and to work together to find and implement solutions for the benefit of the people they exist for.” Chris’s work will focus on supporting organisations through the Support and Development directorate and programmes which seek to provide solutions to challenges the voluntary sector faces. Chris joins us from Unlock and you can read more about the work he did there here

CLINKS NEWS: Covid-19 and the voluntary sector

Voluntary organisations provide vital support to people in the criminal justice system, but they are under significant pressure as a result of the pandemic. Our report, The impact of Covid-19 on the voluntary sector in criminal justice, shows the difficult choices they are having to make. It is the result of information collected during the pandemic from hundreds of voluntary organisations working in the criminal justice system. A full and equal partnership between these organisations and prisons, probation services and central government is critical to creating a fairer and more effective post-pandemic criminal justice system, significantly improving the outcomes of people in the system and the communities they are a part of. Read Policy Officer Lauren Nickolls’ blog here and read the report here

CLINKS NEWS: Covid-19 winter support grants

Voluntary organisations working in the criminal justice system with an annual income under £250,000 can apply now for grant funding to support their vital work through the winter. The deadline for applications is 9am on Monday 4th January 2021, although early applications are encouraged. After working closely with Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) and the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to advocate for the voluntary sector, we are pleased to be able to distribute a further £143,500 on behalf of HMPPS and MoJ to support small and specialist organisations as the pandemic continues. There's a particular focus on small organisations and those that are black, Asian and minority ethnic led and focussed, and those supporting people with protected characteristics. Read more about this round of the programme and how to apply in our blog here

CLINKS NEWS: final call for submissions into Clinks Thinks

Clinks thinks the Ministry of Justice should develop a clear strategy for reducing the number of people in prison by increasing investment in preventative services, diverting people away from the criminal justice system and expanding the use of alternatives to custody. Do you think this should be one of our top influencing priorities? Help us accurately reflect the experiences of voluntary organisations working in criminal justice and share your thoughts on our current policy priorities. Your answers will help inform our future influencing activity and a new Clinks Thinks publication which we aim to release in 2021. The survey is now open until 20th December. Take the survey here

CLINKS BLOG: prison regime delivery after national lockdown

In this blog Will Downs, Policy Officer, provides an update on what the prison regime looks like after the lifting of national restrictions in England on Wednesday 2nd December, and what it will look like over the Christmas period. The blog is based on a briefing produced by Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) for partners, as well as information gathered at a recent meeting of the Reducing Reoffending Third Sector Advisory Group special interest group on Covid-19. Read more here

CLINKS EVENTS: criminal justice network meetings

Join us at one of our upcoming criminal justice network meetings [England – 15th December 10:00-11:30am | Wales – 15th December 2:00-3:20pm, online, free] to discuss how the pandemic and related restrictions are impacting your work and to share how you have been approaching and overcoming challenges during this time. You will also hear the latest criminal justice policy updates and have the chance to talk about how these will affect your organisation and the people you work with. The England meeting will include updates from HM Prison and Probation Service's (HMPPS’s) winter regime review and Christmas regime model. At the Wales meeting, HMPPS in Wales will be giving an update on the Residential Women’s Centre pilot. Book your place here

CLINKS MEMBER’S NEWS: Imprisonment for Public Protection sentences

New research by the Prison Reform Trust details the mental anguish faced by the growing number of people serving sentences of Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPPs) recalled to prison for breach of their licence conditions – a population which has nearly tripled in the past five years. The report is entitled No life, no freedom, no future. Its findings are based on new data provided by HM Prison and Probation Service on recalls and re-releases of people serving IPPs; interviews with 31 recalled IPP prisoners; and interviews and focus groups with a range of criminal justice practitioners including probation, parole and prison lawyers. Read it here

CLINKS MEMBER’S NEWS: free distraction pack

Recoop is offering Clinks Light Lunch subscribers a free copy of its December Distraction Pack for people in prison and in the community. They include a variety of puzzles, quizzes, health information, reading material and much more. These packs are produced on a monthly basis and sent electronically to those who subscribe to them. Recoop recognises this will be a challenging time for service users and hope they offer a welcome distraction. To receive your free issue, please email: info@recoop.org.uk

CLINKS MEMBER’S NEWS: women selling sex during Covid-19

Changing Lives has publishing a report, NET REACH: Learning from online outreach with women selling sex during Covid-19. During lockdown Changing Lives saw a worrying number of women turn to selling or exchanging sex online as a way to survive. The new report highlights the link between the poverty caused by Covid-19 and women selling sex online. Changing Lives is calling for urgent action to support women with existing vulnerabilities who are selling sex and/or experiencing sexual exploitation, including increased provision of specialist services and greater protection under the law. Read the report here

CLINKS MEMBER’S NEWS: young adults’ experiences of policing

Revolving Doors Agency is asking organisations to encourage young adults (18-25 years old) to take part in a short survey about their views and experiences of policing. This is part of its work with the National Police Chief Council’s Lead for Children and Young Adults. The survey should take participants around seven minutes to complete. Participants will also have the option to enter a prize draw for a chance to win one of four £50 Amazon vouchers. See the survey here 

CLINKS MEMBER’S NEWS: new Chair

Nick Prettejohn has been appointed as the new Chair of Trustees at Prisoners Abroad. Nick’s support for the work of Prisoners Abroad over the past few years and his commitment is rooted in his experience of mentoring one of Prisoners Abroad’s former service users. The team are delighted to be able to use his extensive experience to further their mission to protect the human rights and dignity of British prisoners overseas as well as supporting their families and resettlement of those returning to the UK. Read more here

CLINKS MEMBER’S NEWS: barriers to work

Switchback was featured on BBC Politics London last weekend highlighting the rising barriers to work faced by prison-leavers, and the vital importance of one-to-one support. The report features recent Switchback Trainee Serge, and Switchback’s Head of Policy, Impact and Communications, Sam Boyd. Switchback’s analysis of Ministry of Justice data, featured in the report, shows that only 9% of prison-leavers in London move into a job within six weeks of release. After 12 months, still only 17% of prison-leavers have entered work. Switchback is calling for urgent government action to ensure the 10,000 people released from prison to the capital each year have a real chance to build a stable life as part of society. Watch the report here

CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM: women in the criminal justice system in Wales

Do you work with women who come into contact with the criminal justice system in Wales? As part of the implementation of the Female Offending Blueprint for Wales, the community sentences work stream from HM Prison and Probation Service in Wales is developing a training framework for staff. To inform this, the team are asking frontline staff (including voluntary sector staff) and managers to complete a survey exploring understanding, knowledge and confidence in areas highlighted within the evidence-base of what works with women who are in contact with the criminal justice system. It will also help the team to determine whether existing training is consistent with the vision and principles of the blueprint. The survey should take no longer than 15 minutes to complete. Complete the survey in Welsh here and in English here

CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM: ageing prison population

The government has responded to the Justice Committee’s report on the ageing prison population, which cited Clinks and Recoop’s submission to the Justice Committee’s inquiry. Notably, in the response, Minister for Prisons and Probation Lucy Frazer QC MP states that a strategy for older people in prison has been commissioned. Clinks, in partnership with Recoop, called for a national strategy in our response to the Justice Committee’s inquiry, so we welcome this announcement. The government has stated that development for this strategy has commenced, and will focus on ensuring older people in prison are held in the most appropriate environments, can access a purposeful regime within prison, can access health and care services equivalent to those within the community, and are prepared for their release and resettled effectively. Read the response here

CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM: adult prisons status update

HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) is providing updates on the status of all adult prisons in England and Wales each week to enable voluntary sector operating partners to inform their delivery plans during this time. The status updates include the regime stage each prison is currently at on the Covid-19 National Framework for Prisons; whether or not there is an outbreak and the tier each prison is currently in. The information will be updated each Friday. To request a copy please email covid19@clinks.org and we will forward the update to you. Voluntary sector organisations working alongside the prison service can also request copies of Exceptional Delivery Models (EDMs) for prisons by email to covid19@clinks.org. The list of available EDMs can be seen here

FUNDING: unrestricted grant and support package

The 2021 Weston Charity Awards are now open for applications, offering charities with income of less than £5 million a year a package of strategic leadership support from Pilotlight along with a £6,500 unrestricted grant from Garfield Weston Foundation. Organisations must work in the fields of welfare, youth or community and have the majority of their activity or beneficiaries in the Midlands, North of England or Wales. The Awards offer a package of support intended to deliver long-term benefit to your charity, resulting in an increased ability to help those in need and greater resilience for your organisation. Pilotlight uses teams of senior, experienced business leaders who coach and mentor charities through a facilitated process to think and plan strategically. Applications are open until January 8th 2021. Find out more and apply here

FUNDING: effective and coordinated support

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) is inviting local areas to submit expressions of interest for a £46m cross-government Changing Futures programme. This programme is focused on improving the way that local systems and services work for adults experiencing multiple disadvantage and using learning from this to influence future government programmes and policy. Changing Futures is seeking Expressions of Interest from local partnerships wishing to join the programme, with funding of between £1.5m and £4.5m per area available over the next two years. The deadline for Expressions of Interest is 21st January 2021. The MHCLG will hold two webinars regarding the programme on 16th December and 6th January. Find out more here

CLINKS MEMBER’S EVENT: making music collaboratively

Prisoner Learning Alliance's last Wednesday Webinar before Christmas will welcome Sara Lee, Artistic Director of Irene Taylor Trust [16th December, online, free]. The Irene Taylor Trust recognises the powerful impact that creating music collaboratively can have on people’s lives. As it celebrates 25 years of breaking down barriers, Sara will talk about some of the highlights, sharing three short films which showcase some of its work in prisons and in the community with former prisoners. Sara will also talk about how Irene Taylor Trust has continued to work with prisoners to make music during lockdown and how these programmes will be integrated into its strategy moving forward. Get tickets here

CLINKS MEMBER’S EVENT: Leicester Frontline Network

The St Martin in the Fields Frontline Network is running its first Leicester local network event which is open for anyone working with people experiencing homelessness in Leicester to attend [17th December, online, free]. Staff from Mayday Trust will present about their Personal Transitions Service work and how to use strengths-based approaches when supporting people. There will also be an opportunity to ask any questions that you might have about this work. Joe from the Frontline Network will also give an overview of the Frontline Network’s work and what the team wants to achieve by setting up a local network in Leicester. Find out more and register here

FEATURED VACANCY: Interim Support Manager

Clean Break is looking for a warm, caring Interim Support Manager [£30,000 pro rata, London, part time] to identify and manage the varied support needs of the women at the heart of its programmes. This is an 11-week contract from January-March 2021 to cover a staff sabbatical. Clean Break is open to this being a seconded role from a peer organisation. You’ll bring at least three years’ experience of working in social care, welfare or mental health services, and have a well-established trauma-informed approach. Clean Break is a women's theatre company, and therefore all of its positions are only open to women (exempt under Equality Act 2020 Schedule 9, part 1). The deadline for applications is 16th December. Find out more and apply here

FEATURED VACANCY: Interim Impact Manager

St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity is looking for an Interim Impact Manager [£34,000 - £37,000, London (currently home based), 9 months fixed-term, full time] to manage the day to day running of its funding programmes (Vicar's Fund Relief and the Ideas Fund), and develop them to ensure that they respond to need as highlighted by frontline workers and people experiencing homelessness. The post holder will need experience of people management, monitoring and evaluation, and grant administration and/or management. The deadline for applications is 3rd January. Find out more and apply here

CLINKS MEMBERS’ VACANCIES

Peer Support Coordinator with Together for Mental Wellbeing [London], Service Manager with Imagine Independence [East Lancashire], Housing Management Worker with Changing Lives [York], Enhanced Engagement Support Worker with Women in Prison [London], Recovery Navigator with Humankind [Barnsley], Contracts Administrator with Nacro [Flexible], Children and Families Senior Caseworker/Facilitator with St Giles Trust [London], Employability Support Officer with Working Chance [London]. For more information about these vacancies, and many more, click here

TIPS OF THE WEEK

  • Up to 30% off selected takeaways at Just Eat. Details
  • Microsoft Windows 10 Home or Pro Edition. £16.99. Details
  • Refurbished Apple Watch. From £99. Details

EXTRA INFORMATION

About Clinks Light Lunch

This edition of Light Lunch has been sent to the inbox of 13,541 people working (or with an interest) in the criminal justice system of England and Wales.

Click here to manage your subscriptions. For assistance, email info@clinks.org

Clinks logo

Get involved Become a Member | Follow Clinks on Twitter | Terms and conditions

Contact us www.clinks.org | info@clinks.org | 020 7383 0966

© Clinks, 2020