Clinks Light Lunch | Issue 730 | 22 April 2022

Light Lunch

In this week's edition...

CLINKS VACANCY: Sector Support, Members and Networks Manager

We have an exciting opportunity to join our Support and Development directorate in this new role as Sector Support, Members and Networks Manager [£39,772, full time, home based]. The role will lead on Clinks’ work to provide consistent and effective support to voluntary organisations, developing and overseeing the support and engagement that Clinks provides to help voluntary organisations better meet their aims. This includes developing resources (including advice, guides and tools), growing and developing Clinks’ membership offer and events programme, and developing and overseeing Clinks’ specialist thematic networks that respond to the specific needs of organisations working in specific ways or with specific groups of people. Find out more and apply by 9am 9 May here

CLINKS VACANCY: PA to the CEO

We’re seeking a PA to the CEO [£27,539 FTE, part time, home based] to provide support to the CEO with diary management, brief writing, preparation of reporting documents and other administrative tasks. You will work closely with the Governance and Executive Manager to ensure deadlines are met. Clinks is an equal opportunities employer and individuals with direct experience of the criminal justice system and/or with protected characteristics are actively encouraged to apply. This post is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Clinks' recruitment policy is that there is no requirement to disclose any convictions. Find out more and apply by 9am 3 May here

CLINKS EVENT: effective practice when people have a sexual conviction: what the evidence tells us

Professor Belinda Winder will discuss the latest evidence on the 13 key factors that are relevant in creating effective practice to reduce sexual recidivism and promote community integration [25 May, online, free]. This is the fourth in our ‘A matter of fact: what the evidence tells us’ series giving you the chance to ask leading academics questions about their latest research on an important criminal justice topic. Belinda Winder is Professor of Forensic Psychology at Nottingham Trent University. She has summarised the evidence base on effective practice when people have a sexual conviction in a review for our Evidence Library, which you can read here. Book your place here

CLINKS EVENT: navigating the criminal justice system workshop

Are you new to working or volunteering in the criminal justice system? Do you have volunteers or staff members who want to increase their understanding? Join us at this three-hour workshop for voluntary sector staff and volunteers in which we aim to increase awareness of and provide the opportunity to explore and discuss how the criminal justice system is organised, the complexities within it, and how it works [12 May, online, from £50]. The workshop will explore the different elements of, and the various structures within, the criminal justice system, including government departments, regional and local statutory agencies, and the role of the voluntary sector, the services they provide and its work in supporting people. Book your place here

CLINKS NEWS: mental health support for prisoners

Clinks has signed an open letter from The Independent Advisory Panel on Deaths in Custody to the Department of Health and Social Care and the Ministry of Justice, calling for immediate additional mental health support for people in prison and support for frontline health and justice staff. The letter has been signed by Royal Medical Colleges, scrutiny bodies, unions, and health and justice voluntary sector organisations. The letter writes that “it is time for a thorough review of the impact of this form of extreme imprisonment on the mental and physical health of people detained by the state” following the impact of two years of severely restricted regimes in the face of the pandemic. Read the letter in full here

NATIONAL CRIMINAL JUSTICE ARTS ALLIANCE NEWS: core skills in coaching for leaders and managers

Interested in receiving coaching training? The NCJAA is excited to be partnering with Guildhall School of Music and Drama to offer free and subsidised places on its Core Skills in Coaching for Leaders and Managers programme [April-June, online, £50]. The online programme takes place across April, May and June on Zoom and is ideal for leaders or managers interested in creating new ways of thinking and developing employees’ skills. For more information and to apply click here

CLINKS MEMBER’S NEWS: call for evidence - Being Well Being Equal Campaign

Spark Inside has launched a campaign looking into the health and wellbeing needs of young men and especially young Black men in prison. Young people in prison have untapped potential, but have different needs to older people in prison, and are often unable to access the support they need to flourish and build new lives. To help with this, the campaign is looking for primary evidence regarding the health and wellbeing experiences of young men in prison to inform a policy brief. Spark Inside are aiming to hear from people with lived experience of the criminal justice system as well as individuals who work in the criminal justice system in some way. If you would like to contribute, please get in touch with spencer.bundschuh@clinks.org by 14 May.

CLINKS MEMBER’S NEWS: award for enterprise

Clean Sheet has been honoured with a Queen’s Award for Enterprise. Announced on 21st April 2022, Clean Sheet has been recognised for its excellence in promoting opportunity through social mobility and is one of nine winners in this category. Clean Sheet creates social change by helping people with convictions to find work. Speaking about the award, Chief Operating Officer, Samantha Graham, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to have won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise. Helping people to move forward positively after prison so that they don’t go on to reoffend or go back to prison is a win for everyone – it breaks the cycle of reoffending and helps to create a safer society.” Find out more here

CLINKS MEMBER’S NEWS: magistrates’ experiences

The Magistrates Association and Transform Justice have published a report on magistrates' experience in criminal courts during the pandemic. Canvassing the views of 865 magistrates, this new report concludes that audio and video links used during the pandemic in magistrates' courts negatively impacted communication and effective participation. Particularly so for vulnerable court users, with 89% of magistrates saying that defendants with mental health conditions were less able to participate effectively through remote links. Overall, over 75% of magistrates opposed continuing to use remote links as extensively, with unreliable technology cited as a key issue. The report recommends the use of more reliable technology, clearer guidance for remote hearings and increased collection of data on the impact of such technology. Read the full report here

CLINKS MEMBER’S NEWS: supporting women into employment

If you are working with a woman with experience of the criminal justice system, Working Chance currently has capacity to take on more clients for its tailored employability programme. 90% of the women who use its service get a job. Working Chance helps women with convictions to develop the confidence, skills and self-belief they need to overcome any barriers to their employment, find jobs and build careers. Working Chance works with organisations of all sizes across all sectors to find opportunities for women that align with their skills and aspirations: it currently has access to over 4,000 vacancies. Working Chance welcomes referrals for anyone who identifies as a woman or non-binary. No questions asked. Contact lizzy@workingchance.org

CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM: funding awarded for prison leavers

On 13 April, the government confirmed it will support a further four projects through the Prison Leavers Project’s Local Leadership and Integration Fund (LLIF) Round 2. The initiative aims to reduce reoffending by tackling drivers of crime such as addiction, unemployment, housing problems and social isolation. Seven pilot projects received funding in June 2021 including: Bounce Back, Catch22, Change Grow Live (Cheshire), Change Grow Live (Midlands), The Innovation Unit, NEPACS, and the New Futures Network/Antz Junction. A further four pilots have been awarded funding to begin in May 2022: Office of the Police & Crime Commissioner for the Thames Valley (OPCCTV), Llamau, Nelson Trust, and St Giles Trust. Read more about the fund in our blog from last year here. Read more on Round 2 recipients here

CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM: strategic grants – Prisoners Abroad

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is holding a market engagement event [10am 3 May, online, free] for a Prisoners Abroad grant. The purpose of this grant is to provide an advice and support service for people who are in prison outside the UK through the first weeks of their return to the UK; liaising, where appropriate, with relevant criminal justice and other agencies. While the grant is primarily intended to fund services in the UK, it is likely that contact with people in prison abroad will need to be established prior to their return. The total value of this grant fund is up to £265,000 per annum (up to £795,000 in total). You can register you interest for this event by emailing MoJCommercialReset@justice.gov.uk

FUNDING: reducing reoffending and young people

The Dulverton Trust is open for applications from UK registered charities in England (excluding London), Scotland or Wales who work within the criminal justice system.  The Trust is particularly interested in funding work that engages young people and has a strong evidence base for reduced recidivism. This could include, for example, charities which have submitted to the Ministry of Justice Data Lab. Applications are open to charities with an annual income between £200k-£10m and those with an income of below £3m are prioritised. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, with Board meetings in February, June and October each year. Potential applicants are welcome to call the office in advance of a formal application on 020 7495 7852 or email grants@dulverton.org with any questions. Find out more and apply here

CLINKS MEMBER’S EVENT: last chance to get in-person tickets

Tickets for all remaining in-person events at HMPPS Insights festival close on 22 April so book now to avoid disappointment [9-20 May, online and in-person, free]. The Insights22 Festival is for people working in the criminal justice system to learn, share, connect and celebrate important work. Over 9000 tickets have been snapped up so far. Tickets for online events will continue to be available up until two days before each event. Browse all available events here

CLINKS MEMBER’S EVENT: concert

Irish Chaplaincy is hosting a ‘Celebration of Irish Music and Dancing’ [7 May, London, £15]. The event will include an exciting line up of singers and dancers to create a warm and enjoyable evening. Book your place here

CLINKS MEMBER’S EVENT: yoga and meditation

The Prison Phoenix Trust is highlighting the benefits of yoga and meditation for people in prison as part of 52 challenge events being held across the prison estate in May. It is inviting the prison community to come together for 52 minutes of meditation to experience together the power of silence and the breath [13 May, online, donation to cover costs]. The charity, which has been supporting yoga and meditation in prisons for over 30 years, points to improved sleep, stress management and emotional resilience as important effects of yoga for men and women in prison. It provides free yoga CDs, books, hand-outs (and soon, DVDs) to anyone living or working in a secure setting. It also trains qualified yoga teachers to work safely and respectfully in prisons. Book your place here

CLINKS MEMBER’S EVENT: Invisible Sentence

Invisible Sentence is a new verbatim play based on the experiences of real women with a son, daughter or partner serving a prison sentence [17 and 18 May, Hove, £17]. It returns to The Old Market, Hove as part of the Brighton Fringe Festival. The play has been developed through partnership with Uninterrupted Theatre Collective, Sussex Prisoners Families, Culture Shift and The Old Market in Hove. Written by Brighton playwright Dinos Aristidou as a result of interviews with women with a son, daughter or partner serving a prison sentence, their experiences speak of the stigma, hardship and challenges that families face when someone they love is sentenced.  As one of the women says, "We do the sentence with them". Book your ticket here

CLINKS MEMBER’S TRAINING: capacity building course

Upskill your volunteers with Mybe’s Level 2 Capacity Building Course. The course is being offered for free to new and existing adult volunteers residing in County Durham who are volunteering with organisations that provide services to disadvantaged people, groups, and local communities they are connected with. Volunteers may or may not have a lived experience in the setting they are working in, or may be volunteering because they have spare time or want to put something back into their community. Volunteers might be supporting service users touched by the criminal justice system or recovering from a lived experience of complex circumstances. Want to know more or request a place on the course? Email: help@mybe.org.uk or call 0191 925 0106

NON-MEMBERS’ EVENTS AND TRAINING

  • Holistic Defence in the UK | 27 April | Details

FEATURED VACANCY: Caseworker (x2 posts) Whole System Approach

Safer Wales is looking for two Whole System Approach (WSA) Case Workers [£23,594 to £25,076, Cardiff Bay Police Custody Suite, full time]. The WSA Project forms part of the Future 4 consortium remit and is part of the Women’s Pathfinder. The service is designed to deliver a woman specific integrated approach to supporting women who come into contact with (or are at risk of) the criminal justice system in South Wales and Gwent. If you want to make a difference to women’s lives, by providing holistic, trauma-informed support that meet individual’s needs, then find out more and apply by 26 April here. Safer Wales has a number of additional vacancies available which you can see here

FEATURED VACANCY: Prison Link Worker

Brighton Women's Centre (BWC) is looking for a Prison Link Worker [£24,799, HMP Bronzefield and HMP East Sutton Park and BWC offices/hubs across Sussex with some home working, full time]. BWC is looking for experienced candidates who can provide trauma-informed, strengths-based, collaborative support, to empower women in prison to move forward in their goals and break cycles of trauma, disadvantage, and abuse. If you want to play a key role in a women-centred support service that advocates for systems change, then BWC wants to hear from you. Find out more and apply by 6 May here

FEATURED VACANCY: Head of Services

Abianda is looking for a Head of Services [£40,800, London, full time]. Abianda is an award-winning social enterprise that works with young women and girls affected by gangs and county lines and delivers training to the professionals who work with them. This is an integral role in the organisation on the senior management team, line-managing a small number of senior practitioners. You will have knowledge of contextual safeguarding and experience in youth work or Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) services. You will have the autonomy to influence cross-organisational policy, quality assurance and systems change to ensure we are delivering services of the highest standard. Find out more and apply by 15 May here

CLINKS MEMBERS’ VACANCIES

Health and Wellbeing Coach with Rethink Mental Illness [Durham and Cleveland], Hostel Night Project Worker with Langley House Trust [Rochdale], Liaison and Diversion Practitioner with Well Women Centre [Wakefield], Recovery and Wellbeing Practitioner with Phoenix Futures [Huntingdon], Public Affairs and Policy Lead with Switchback [London], Prison Facilitator with Shannon Trust [HMP Bullingdon], Recovery Co-ordinator with Humankind [HMP Holme House], Equality Diversity and Inclusion Lead with Second Step Housing Association [Bristol], Administrator with Clean Break [London], Trustees and Board Fellows with Spark Inside [remote], Finance Administrator with HACRO [home based]. For more information about these vacancies, and many more, click here

TIPS OF THE WEEK

  • Online photography course. £10. Details
  • Perennial garden mix. Save 47%. Details
  • Rotary clothes airer. Save 54%. Details

EXTRA INFORMATION

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