Clinks Light Lunch | Issue 699 | 3rd September 2021

Light Lunch

In this week's edition...

CLINKS BLOG: finding your voice

Clinks is delighted to launch the Stronger voice training programme, bringing together a range of expert training providers across policy, campaigns and communications to support organisations of all sizes to influence decision makers. The first phase of this training, ‘Finding your voice’ is aimed largely at organisations at the very beginning of their influencing journey. This programme is being delivered as part of Clinks’ three-year Stronger voice project, funded by the Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales, aimed at helping the voluntary sector working in criminal justice to develop a unified and influential voice, at both a national and regional level. Find out more here

CLINKS BLOG: The CSTR programme in action: Northamptonshire

Third in a series of blogs on the Community Sentence Treatment Requirements (CSTR) programme, this blog by Clinks and Nacro focuses on the Northamptonshire site, looking at how it became a CSTR site, what the team has learnt, and how service users benefit from this change. For our third and final site visit in March 2021, Clinks met with Angie Kennedy, CEO of C2C Social Action, an organisation that supports people through the criminal justice system, and her team at the Northamptonshire CTSR site. This site provides a women’s specific CSTR programme with C2C Social Action running a women’s centre where they deliver the CSTRs. Read more here

CLINKS EVENT: feedback on the Day 1 call-off competitions

Our England and Wales criminal justice forums bring together partners working across the criminal justice system in each country. This month, Andreas Bickford, Senior Commercial Manager in the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) will join both forums and speak to voluntary organisations working in the criminal justice system as part of a review of the probation Dynamic Framework [7th September, online, free]. The MoJ is keen to hear the voluntary sector’s feedback on the Day 1 Call-Off Competitions and will present changes being made to the probation Dynamic Framework. This is a great opportunity to feedback directly to the Ministry of Justice on your experience, so we do hope you can join us. Book your place on the England forum here and the All Wales forum here

CLINKS NEWS: feedback on Regional Reducing Reoffending Plans

As part of Clinks' work to understand how Regional Reducing Reoffending plans have been received by voluntary organisations across England and Wales, we are inviting voluntary organisations to complete a short survey. On 9th August 2021 each of the 12 Regional Probation Directors (RPDs) published a Regional Reducing Reoffending Plan, which sets out how they will work with partner organisations to cut crime and reduce reoffending. The plans allow RPDs to highlight specific priorities and ambitions for their individual regions. The structure of this survey is based on providing a response to a specific regional plan that relates to your area of work. If you would like to provide feedback on a number of different plans, please submit a separate survey response for each area. Take the survey here

CLINKS NEWS: Alice Stapleton Evans

Alice (also known as Panda) joined the Clinks event team in the summer of 2021, off the back of her Masters in Events Design and Management. She has been working freelance in events across the UK for over a decade, with a range of experience, from production to performance to costume design. Alongside her work in events, she has also worked with many charities; including Oxfam, UNICEF and Crisis UK, and leapt at the chance to combine her two passions by taking this position. Outside of her working life, you’ll find Panda travelling whenever she can, spending time with her cat, dancing, wild swimming, campaigning for political change, or covering everything within her reach with bio-degradable glitter. Meet the team here

CLINKS MEMBER’S NEWS: health and wellbeing

The government has welcomed new members to the voluntary community and social enterprise (VCSE) Health and Wellbeing Alliance, of which Clinks is a member, alongside National Voices, Age UK, Barnardo’s, Friends, Families and Travellers, Homeless Link, Samaritans and many more. Backed by £2 million a year, the VCSE Health and Wellbeing Alliance works together to promote good health and tackle inequalities across the UK. The refreshed 19 Alliance members will ensure strong representation across a broad range of lived experiences. They will represent the views of social care workers and older people, people bereaved by suicide, children and young people, those with mental health conditions, LGBTQ+ communities and racially minoritised communities, including Gypsy, Traveller and Roma communities. Find out more here

CLINKS MEMBER’S NEWS: families of prisoners

POPS (Partners of Prisoners and Family Support Group) has published a report which shines a light on the challenges facing families with a loved one in prison during the Covid-19 pandemic. The Get it Off Your Chest report is part of a campaign launched in May 2021 which aimed to provide space for families of prisoners from across the UK to feel heard, and to be able to share their thoughts, hopes and concerns in a safe and supportive environment. The content of the report has been driven entirely by the families who contributed to the campaign. It covers lockdown, health and release, recognising the diversity in experiences of families supporting a loved one through a prison sentence. Read it here

CLINKS MEMBER’S NEWS: help women reach their potential

Working Chance is setting up an advisory group of women with experience of the criminal justice system to drive ideas about the right support for women with convictions. Women who have convictions often struggle to get a job. Many are locked out of opportunities because of stigma, DBS checks, or employer discrimination. This is an opportunity to create change, build your skills and meet new people. The group will meet for around two hours once every two months from October 2021 to October 2022. The group will meet in person at Working Chance’s London office with the option of joining in via Zoom. Find out more here

CLINKS MEMBER’S NEWS: youth justice

HM Inspectorate of Probation has published the latest in its Academic Insight series: Supporting children’s meaningful participation in the youth justice system. This Academic Insight is written by Professor Hannah Smithson and Dr Paul Gray and focuses on children’s participation in decision-making in youth justice systems. It summarises recent work across Greater Manchester which enabled the co-creation with justice-involved children of a transformative framework of practice, termed Participatory Youth Practice. Read more here

CLINKS MEMBER’S NEWS: stories, poems and articles of hope

Arkbound Foundation has published a book Writing Within Walls. Written by UK prisoners and people on probation, this collection of 20 pieces includes accounts of past mistakes and broken lives, interwoven with hope for the future, for loved ones and for a fresh start. Find out more here

CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM: engaging people on probation - timeline

The Ministry of Justice is seeking to procure a new national provider to develop its internal capacity and capability to engage with people on probation through ‘Engaging People on Probation’ services. It has recently published details of the timeline for this call-off competition, which is as follows: 10th September 2021 - issue call-off invitation to tender (ITT) via the Jaggear eSourcing system; 11th October 2021 - deadline for receipt of tender responses; 1st February 2022 - call-off commencement date. All dates are indicative at this time and remain subject to change. Further details can be found on Jaggaer under PQQ_205 > Call-Off Competition Information > Engaging People on Probation. Access Jaggaer here

CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM: pregnancy, mother and baby contracts

HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) will be holding a virtual market engagement event [2pm, 20th September, online, free] for its Pregnancy, Mother and Baby contracts at HMP New Hall, Askham Grange and Styal. Please email MoJCommercialReset@justice.gov.uk to book your place.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM: dependency and recovery and finance, benefit and debt

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is currently reviewing how it procures Dependency and Recovery (D&R) and Finance, Benefit and Debt (FBD) services and is aiming to go out to tender within the next few months. To ensure providers are onboarded onto the Dynamic Framework for future competitions, the MoJ suggests that any providers delivering D&R and FBD complete the Selection Questionnaire over the next few weeks. The MoJ will not be setting deadlines for future competitions so providers should look to onboard in the relevant service categories as soon as possible. The MoJ is holding market engagement events for these services [16th September, online, free] which will cover: estimated contract values; regional coverage; regional split; process of onboarding onto the Selection Questionnaire; and a high-level overview of initial specs. Register for the FBD webinar here and for the D&R webinar here. If you have a query, contact the team at ProbationDynamicFramework@justice.gov.uk

CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM: Local Leadership and Integration Fund

The Ministry of Justice is delighted to announce the second round of the Local Leadership & Integration Fund will open on Monday 6th September 2021. The MoJ is once again asking local organisations to come together in partnership to submit proposals for new and innovative approaches which will improve outcomes for prison leavers in their local area. The competition will be open for applications for six weeks until Monday 18th October. Successful pilots will run for a period of 16 months, and the maximum amount of grant funding available for a single bid will be capped at £1 million. From Monday 6th September2021, please register via the Ministry of Justice portal where you will be able to access further information, guidance and the documents required to submit a bid. Access the portal here

FUNDING: Devon

Grants of up to £5,000 are available from the Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Commissioner - Community Grants to help local not-for-profit groups fund projects which promote community resilience against crime in Devon, including Torbay and Plymouth. Applications under the following themes will be considered: connecting communities and policing; preventing and deterring crime; protecting people at risk of abuse and those who are vulnerable; supporting victims and witnesses; and getting the best out of the police. Find out more and apply by 13th September here

FUNDING: arts or London and West Kent

One-off capital grants of up to £5,000 are available from the Lady Neville Charity to grassroots charitable organisations in the UK that are offering a diverse range of activities and interests within one of the charity's areas of priority: local heritage, local community and performing arts and visual arts. Arts and heritage projects can be considered from across the UK, and any charitable activity can be considered in key geographic areas of the company’s interest: The City of London, Enfield, Hackney, Hounslow and West Kent. Find out more and apply by 17th September here

CLINKS MEMBER’S TRAINING: criminal justice monitoring and evaluation

The Centre for Justice Innovation and Birkbeck’s Institute for Crime and Justice Policy Research are holding a free taster session and Q&A on their upcoming short course, 'Monitoring and evaluation of criminal justice initiatives' [16th September, online, free]. The full course will run online in November 2021, and will equip attendees with knowledge about different aspects of monitoring and evaluation, including: different approaches to monitoring and evaluation of criminal justice practice; methods of data collection and analysis; using and disseminating findings; supporting creative and innovative practice through monitoring and evaluation. The taster session will provide an opportunity for interested participants to learn more about the course and see if it is the right fit for them. Register here

FEATURED VACANCY: Women's Accommodation Support Worker

Brighton Women’s Centre is looking for a female Women's Accommodation Support Worker [part time, Worthing, £24,799] to join the Women's Accommodation Support Service (WASS) team and co-facilitate women only drop-in spaces in Worthing. You will provide holistic, trauma informed, drop-in support for women who are homeless or insecurely housed. As a frontline practitioner, you will have significant experience of working with women who have experienced multiple disadvantages and have complex needs. You will be committed to working in a client-centred, strengths-based way, which recognises women as experts of their own lives. Find out more and apply by 10th September here

FEATURED VACANCY: Complex Needs and Housing Keyworker

Brighton Women’s Centre is looking for a female Complex Needs and Housing Keyworker [part time, Tunbridge Wells, £24,799] to provide in-reach and ‘Through the Gate’ support to women involved in the criminal justice system; either those on probation in the community or those in the process of being released from prison who will be working with you as part of their post sentence supervision. You will be working as part of a team of Keyworkers in your region, working one-to-one with women across individual communities. You will manage a caseload of women all with complex needs, providing them with personalised, practical and emotional support that encompasses a range of accommodation, financial, health, social and relationship needs. Find out more and apply by 10th September here

FEATURED VACANCY: Women’s Accommodation Support Service Senior Practitioner

Brighton Women’s Centre is looking for a female Women’s Accommodation Support Service Senior Practitioner [part time, Brighton, £28,785] to manage the day-to-day operations of its Women's Accommodation Support Service (WASS), support the delivery of its Weekly Women’s Hub and manage a caseload of women. As an experienced practitioner, you will have experience in providing bespoke, intensive, personalised support which encompasses a range of financial, health, social and relationship needs. Many of the women WASS support have experience of domestic abuse. The Senior Practitioner will therefore need to be independent domestic violence advisor (IDVA) qualified or willing to achieve IDVA qualification. Find out more and apply by 20th September here

CLINKS MEMBERS’ VACANCIES

Registered Mental Health Nurse with Mental Health Concern [Newcastle upon Tyne], Mental Health Outreach Support Worker with Imagine Independence [Liverpool], Policy and Public Affairs Officer with Switchback [London], Youth Violence Community Caseworker with St Giles Trust [Coventry], Female Enhancement Worker with Anawim [Birmingham], Employment Support and Partnerships Manager with Redemption Roasters [London], Engagement Team Member with User Voice [Newcastle upon Tyne], Engagement Worker with Hestia Housing and Support [London], Case Manager with Phoenix Futures [Bickershaw]. For more information about these vacancies, and many more, click here

TIPS OF THE WEEK

  • The cake and bake show at London ExCeL. £7.50. Details
  • Wireless charging alarm clock. Save 70%. Details
  • Afternoon tea for two in Manchester. £21.95. Details

EXTRA INFORMATION

 

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