Clinks Light Lunch | Issue 677 | 26th March 2021

Light Lunch

In this week's edition... 

LIGHT LUNCH NEWS: Easter bank holiday

There will be no Light Lunch next week due to the Good Friday bank holiday on 2nd April 2021. Light Lunch will resume as normal on 9th April 2021.

CLINKS NEWS: new RR3 members

We are delighted to announce the appointment of three voluntary sector leaders to the Reducing Reoffending Third Sector Advisory Group (RR3) after an open recruitment process. Alasdair Jackson, Chief Executive of Recycling Lives, has been appointed to the employment specialist seat; Vicki Markiewicz, Executive Director at Change Grow Live, has been appointed to the substance misuse seat; and Ellie McNeil, Chief Executive at YMCA Liverpool and Sefton, has been appointed to the medium-sized organisation seat. The RR3 is a formal voluntary sector advisory group to the Ministry of Justice and HM Prison and Probation service that Clinks chairs and coordinates. We would like to thank outgoing members Richy Cunningham and Nicky Park for their contribution to the group. See all members of the group and their seats here

CLINKS MEMBER’S NEWS: new deadline for Koestler Awards

The deadline for the 2021 Koestler Awards has been extended to 1st June and up to ten entries per person will now be accepted, rather than the usual five. The annual awards from Koestler Arts welcome artists of all levels and art forms from prisons, secure hospitals and probation services. They offer cash awards of between £20 - £100, written feedback, certificates, mentoring, and publication, exhibition and sale opportunities. Around three and a half thousand people enter yearly, providing a creative outlet and wider recognition for their work. The Themed Category for this year is ‘Together’. Every entry to the Koestler Awards is in with a chance of being selected for the Koestler Arts annual UK exhibition at the Southbank Centre in London. Find out more here

CLINKS MEMBER’S NEWS: workloads in probation services

HM Inspectorate of Probation has published a new Research and Analysis Bulletin on caseloads, workloads and staffing levels in probation services. For the first time, the research concludes that the quality of probation delivery falls when practitioners manage more than 50 cases. Other key findings include that just under half of probation staff say they have a reasonable workload and that high workloads lead to stress, anxiety and sickness. Read it in full here

CLINKS MEMBER’S NEWS: Hear Me Out

Music in Detention has changed its name to Hear Me Out to reflect its mission of providing a platform for people held in UK immigration detention centres to share their music and life stories with the outside world. The new Hear Me Out website features music created as part of the organisation’s work over the years, as well as the stories of the people behind the music. Read more on the new Hear Me Out website here​

CLINKS MEMBER’S NEWS: who to call with urgent concerns

The National Prisoners’ Families Helpline, run by Pact, has added a new useful feature to its website which helps families and loved ones of people in prison find who to call if they have urgent concerns. The new portal allows users to select from a list of all prisons in England and Wales, presenting the phone numbers to call in different situations and further information. Find it here

CLINKS MEMBER’S NEWS: humane justice podcast

Khulisa has partnered with Prison Radio Association to produce a podcast with a selection of contributions from the Humane Justice book. The podcast examines the place of kindness, hope and compassion within the justice system and tells personal stories that show how these very values are saving lives on a daily basis. Each episode is a chapter taken from the Humane Justice book, published by Khulisa as part of the Monument Fellowship. The first two episodes are available to listen to now, including Jayne Richards from Catch22 and Tanjit Dosanjh OBE from the Prison Optician Trust. Listen here

CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM: parliament education and engagement service

UK Parliament’s education and engagement service is offering free online workshops for community and youth groups which explain how UK Parliament works and how members of the public can have their voices heard by those in power. The workshops are suitable for a range of audiences, but the service is particularly keen to work with those less likely to engage with parliament including those in the criminal justice system. Find out more and request a workshop here or contact engage@parliament.uk to get in touch with your Regional Education and Engagement Officer.

FUNDING: social and economic disadvantage

Grants of up to £25,000 are available from the Steel Charitable Trust to registered charities in the UK working in the areas of arts and heritage, education, environment, health, or social and economic disadvantage. Grants are generally made as single payments between £2,500 and £25,000. Applicants may apply for support towards: capital projects; specific projects; research programmes or core costs. Find out more and apply by 20th April here

FUNDING: creativity and mental health

Grants of between £10,000 and £40,000 are available from the Baring Foundation’s Arts and Mental Health Programme. This new fund is for projects that promote the role of creativity in the lives of people with mental health issues from ethnically diverse backgrounds. The foundation is looking to fund projects that find ways to attract participatory artists from ethnically diverse communities into this area of work and to support them. Examples might include shadowing, internships or apprenticeships, or mentoring or free training opportunities. The fund is also for projects that offer creative opportunities to members of specific ethnically diverse communities who have mental health issues. Find out more and apply by 21st April here

CLINKS MEMBER’S EVENT: youth justice

The Howard League for Penal Reform is holding a panel event to launch the research report, Making Youth Justice: Local penal cultures and differential outcomes – lessons and prospects for policy and practice, written by Professor Barry Goldson, Professor Emeritus at the University of Liverpool and Dr Damon Briggs, Head of Curriculum at Frontline [30th March, online, free]. The panel will include speakers from the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales, the Alliance for Youth Justice, the University of Liverpool, the University of South Wales and more. Register for your place here

CLINKS MEMBER’S TRAINING: trustee training for women with lived experience

Beyond Suffrage, Women in Prison, Clean Break, Working Chance and Hibiscus have co-designed and developed a trustee training programme for women with lived experience of the prison system [from 13th May (Thursday evenings), online, free]. A group of fifteen women will be selected to take part in the programme, with at least half of the participants being from black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. No prior experience/knowledge of trusteeship is required. During the training programme, which will run for 6-weeks, participants will be supported with finding a trustee role - either on the board of one of the partners (Women in Prison, Clean Break, Working Chance or Hibiscus), or another charity working in the criminal justice system. Find out more and apply here

NON-MEMBERS’ EVENTS AND TRAINING

  • Webinar: Lived experience on non-profit boards | 15th April | Details

FEATURED VACANCY: Senior Practitioner and two Case Workers

Brighton Women’s Centre is looking to appoint a female Senior Practitioner [£28,785 pro rata, Sussex, part time] and two female Case Workers [£24,799 pro rata, Sussex, part time] to be based in three locations across Sussex. The Senior Practitioner will manage the day-to-day operation and work with the two Case Workers to deliver a targeted case-work intervention for women before and on the day of attendance at court due to breach of sentence conditions to reduce the number of women entering prison for custodial sentence. These roles are part of a new project - ‘From Court to Support’, with the aim of diverting women away from custodial sentences. The deadline for application is 6th April. Find out more and apply here

CLINKS MEMBERS’ VACANCIES

Drug and Alcohol Recovery Outreach Officer with Anglia Care Trust [Ipswich], Tenancy Sustainment Officer with Humankind [Bowburn], Service Manager with Imagine Independence [East Lancashire], Programme Manager with Pact [HMP/YOI Isis], Trustees with Well Women Centre [Wakefield], Floating Domestic Assistant with Changing Lives [Newcastle], Communications and Marketing Officer with Restorative Justice for All International Institute [London], Gangs Groupwork Facilitator and Mentor with St Giles Trust [Suffolk], Trustee with Clean Break [London], Personal Health and Wellbeing Practitioners with Social Interest Group [London], Prison Liaison Peer Mentor with Shelter [Birmingham]. For more information about these vacancies, and many more, click here

TIPS OF THE WEEK

  • Lint and fur remover. £2.99. Details
  • Wildflower seed packs. 33% off. Details
  • 4-seater rattan garden furniture set. £59% off. Details

EXTRA INFORMATION

About Clinks Light Lunch

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