Clinks Light Lunch | Issue 694 | 30th July 2021

Light Lunch

In this week's edition...

CLINKS BLOG: a way forward on drug treatment and recovery

This blog from Clinks’ Policy Officer Franklin Barrington, looks at part two of Professor Dame Carol Black’s independent review of drugs - focussed on prevention, treatment and recovery - and highlights the key issues relevant to voluntary organisations working in the criminal justice system and the people they support. Clinks welcomes Dame Carol’s focus on diversion, supporting people in the community, and continuity of care for people leaving prisons. Moreover, we support Dame Carol’s desire for a more holistic, joined-up set of services to support people, in recognition that drug misuse can often be related to a set of interconnected issues, such as homelessness and rough sleeping, and poor mental health. Read more here

CLINKS RESPONSE: mental health in prison

We have published our response to the Justice Committee’s Mental Health in Prison Inquiry. The response focusses on the scale of mental health issues within prisons in England and Wales, and whether enough is in place to determine the scale of the problem, and the effect of Covid-19 on prisoner mental health, including access to services. Clinks recommends that voluntary organisations delivering mental health services to people in prison need to be seen as strategic partners, that a ‘whole prison’ approach should be taken towards mental health and wellbeing, and that officials should look at good practice examples from the voluntary sector, such as RECONNECT, to ensure a continuity of care from prison to the community. Read more here

CLINKS MEMBER’S NEWS: #Stopthe500

70 voluntary sector organisations and campaigners, including Clinks and many Clinks members, coordinated by Women in Prison, have signed a joint letter to the Justice Secretary calling on the government to halt its plans for 500 new prison places for women, and invest in community solutions instead. The plans, announced in January 2021, contradict the intentions of the government’s own Female Offender Strategy. You can support the campaign to #Stopthe500 using Women in Prison’s email template to write to the Prisons Minister. Take action here. Read the joint letter here

CLINKS MEMBER’S NEWS: reshape release

Switchback has launched acampaign, calling on the government to #ReshapeRelease for people leaving prison, to reduce reoffending and give people a real chance to change. The campaign, which has been developed with Switchback’s Experts by Experience Board, aims to raise awareness about the challenges facing people leaving prison and the support needed. Switchback is calling for three urgent actions to reduce reoffending and enable prison leavers to make a new start: guarantee accommodation on release; provide basic smartphones when needed; and add shopping vouchers and a travelcard to the new Subsistence Payment. You can support the campaign using #ReshapeRelease on social media. See the campaign webpage and video here

CLINKS MEMBER’S NEWS: prisons after lockdown

Francesca Cooney, Head of Policy at Prisoners' Education Trust, has written a series of three blogs about prisons after lockdown – how they are recovering and what we can do to make them a better place for learners. The blogs focus on changes to the regimes, the core day, and creating a positive environment for studying. Read them here

CLINKS MEMBER’S NEWS: impacts of Covid-19 on the youth justice system

A literature review by the Alliance for Youth Justice, in partnership with the Manchester Centre for Youth Studies at the Manchester Metropolitan University, details how Covid-19 has devastatingly exacerbated the issues faced by children affected by the youth justice system. The review looks at the impacts of Covid-19 across the youth justice system, on children in the community, court and custody. It makes a number of conclusions, including that the majority of children in penal establishments have been subjected to awful conditions for months on end, deprived of education, visits and contact. It suggests that the harms to children in custody, and the impacts on their longer-term health and wellbeing, must be fully assessed and effectively supported. Read it here

CLINKS MEMBER’S NEWS: cell street repeat

Nacro has renewed its #CellStreetRepeat campaign calling for all people leaving prison to have somewhere to live. Around a thousand people are released from prison homeless every month, held back from accessing support, getting a job, or moving on in their lives and away from crime. For people released homeless, the risk of committing another crime is significantly higher. Nacro has renewed the campaign ahead of this year’s spending review, to push for long-term funding to be rolled out nationally with a guarantee that everyone leaving prison will have somewhere to live. You can support this campaign by sending a letter to your MP. Find out more here

CLINKS MEMBER’S NEWS: police and crime plans

Revolving Doors Agency has produced 10 key points for Police and Crime Plans, in partnership with the Transition to Adulthood Alliance. The 10 points, developed with young adults with lived experience of the criminal justice system, highlight the need for Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) to ensure policing plans include a distinct approach to young adults in order to support them away from crime. Revolving Doors is urging PCCs to adopt these 10 points to improve diversion, facilitate the prevention and reduction of crime among young adults, and support them to develop and create positive adult identities. Read more here

CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM: strategic approach to cutting crime

The government has launched a Beating Crime Plan in which it sets out its strategic approach to cutting crime. Key announcements include that the government will hold a summit to bring employers together to encourage more prison leavers to enter employment. It commits to the expansion of Project ADDER – which combines law enforcement with increased provision of treatment and recovery services – allocating £31 million to encompass eight more local authorities. The plan also includes the trialling of the use of alcohol tags on prison leavers in Wales with the aim “to help change behaviour and reduce violence and other alcohol-related crime.” The plan details the launch of the second part of the Police and Crime Commissioner Review. Read the plan in full here

CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM: schemes to support prison leavers at risk of homelessness

Two schemes have been announced to support prison leavers at risk of homelessness. Community Accommodation Service Tier 3, administered by HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS), is now operational in five regions providing transitional housing for people who are leaving prison and at risk of homelessness. Separately, over 140 councils in England have been awarded a share of more than £13m as part of a Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) scheme to help prison leavers find suitable accommodation. Continued partnership working will be vital to the success of the schemes and local authorities and the Probation Service will be keen to engage constructively with the voluntary sector at a local level as the schemes are taken forward. If you have questions please e-mail CommunityRASS@justice.gov.uk. Read the press notice here

CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM: independent review of drugs

The government has published an initial response to Professor Dame Carol Black’s independent review of drugs. The government will respond in full and set out its long-term strategy to tackle drugs by the end of this year. The initial response details that HMPPS has secured an additional £700,000 for 10 health and justice partnership coordinator roles within probation. It also indicates that the Ministry of Justice is funding £1.3m in delivering telemedicine in 86 prisons to enable prisoners to contact treatment providers in the community, putting in place arrangements for them to continue the treatment after release. The government has committed to an annual report to Parliament and has appointed Dame Carol as ongoing independent advisor. Read more here

FUNDING: London

Grants of up to £5,000 are available from London Catalyst for voluntary sector organisations working in Greater London to support new initiatives and service developments targeted at people disadvantaged as a result of long term ill-health, disability and poverty. Charities and voluntary and community organisations working within Greater London (within the M25 orbital motorway) can apply as long as their work is legally charitable. Priority is given to small or medium-sized organisations with an annual income of around £500,000. Find out more and apply by 7th August here

FUNDING: homelessness

The St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity has made £500,000 available for up to five voluntary organisations that support its mission to support frontline workers as they empower people experiencing homelessness to secure and keep a safe place to live. St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity is looking to enter a working partnership that could stretch over a minimum of three years. Organisations focusing on one or more of the following areas are particularly welcome to apply: immigration and homelessness; health and homelessness; hidden homelessness; safe, inclusive spaces and practice; older people experiencing homelessness; or leaving secure settings. Find out more and apply by 13th August here

CLINKS MEMBER’S TRAINING: fully-funded self-employment support

RIFT Social Enterprise has a number of fully-funded places available on its 12-month self-employment programme for people in prison who are interested in becoming self-employed on release. The support includes preparation for self-employment pre-release and unlimited support from a RIFT Business Start-Up Advisor for 12 months on release, including access to RIFT’s e-learning platform, weekly webinars and support from a host of specialist partners. Participants must have less than nine months left to serve and have a clear business idea. No convictions are excluded. For more details and to make a referral please contact Andy Gullick, CEO: agullick@riftse.co.uk

CLINKS MEMBER’S TRAINING: working with people who have sexually harmed

Circles South West's training 'Working with people who have sexually harmed' [5th August, Bournemouth, £120] is designed to increase delegates’ knowledge and understanding of theories around why people sexually harm, the prevalence of such behaviour, risk assessment and management, and provide some takeaway tools. Discounts are available for group bookings and volunteers. Find out more and register here

CLINKS MEMBERS’ VACANCIES

Older Prisoners Project Officer with Age UK Isle of Wight [Isle of Wight], Employment Navigator with St Giles Trust [Cardiff], Community Keyworker with ADVANCE [London], Personal Navigator with Derventio Housing Trust CIC [Eastwood], Senior Support Worker with Changing Lives [Chester-Le-Street], Senior Support Worker with Nacro [South West], Care Experienced Resettlement Coach with NEPACS [HMPYOI Deerbolt], Restorative Justice Development Officer with Why me? [London], Intensive Support Transition Resettlement Manager with Browns Community Services CIC [Windsor and Maidenhead], Female Enhancement Worker with Anawim [Birmingham], Service Manager with EDP Drug and Alcohol Services [Newton Abbot]. For more information about these vacancies, and many more, click here

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EXTRA INFORMATION

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