Clinks Light Lunch | Issue 782 | 12 May 2023

Light Lunch

In this issue...

CLINKS NEWS: Yorkshire and the Humber Rehabilitation Partnership

The Yorkshire and the Humber Rehabilitation Partnership, in conjunction with Clinks, would like to invite voluntary sector organisations working in the criminal justice system to this regional event. The session will provide organisations working across Yorkshire and the Humber with an update on current workstreams and priorities. It will also aim to provide organisations with contact points to support and enable information sharing and further opportunities for partnership and collaboration. To attend the Yorkshire and the Humber Rehabilitation Partnership event, book your place here.

CLINKS MEMBER'S NEWS: we "over-use" prison

Make sure you read the speech by Sir John Major: “We over-use prison and under value alternative sentences”. The speech has been published by the Prison Reform Trust and you are in for a treat. 

The former Prime Minister, Sir John Major delivered a speech at the Old Bailey on 9 May 2023, in which he set out his case for penal reform. Sir John acknowledged that the problems now being faced within the penal system have intensified over many governments and that he, his predecessors, and his successors should all share responsibility for this. A copy of his speech is reproduced here.

CLINKS MEMBER’S NEWS: The Business Incubator - Manchester

Entrepreneurs Unlocked CIC has recently launched an innovative project in Salford, Greater Manchester. The Business Incubator project will support 25 people on probation this year to develop their entrepreneurial talent, gain experience on how to set up a business, test trade in a supportive environment which will enable them to take that knowledge forward to register a business and to start trading. They will also be mentored in the early stages of their start up, to maximise the chance of their enterprise succeeding.

They are seeking people on probation to join the programme, so if you or your organisation supports someone in the Greater Manchester area, and would like to be considered, please drop their Founder and Director – David Morgan an email at david@entrepreneursunlocked.org or visit their website www.entrerpreneursunlocked.org and complete the contact form.

CLINKS MEMBER’S EVENT: conversations on self-forgiveness

Join The Forgiveness Project for the second of five conversations on self-forgiveness [18 May, 18:00 - 19:00, online, £8]. The speakers for this second session will be Dunia Shafik and Jacob Dunne, they will be joined by Sandra Barefoot to explore how guilt and grief can play an essential role in forgiving yourself.

“Self-forgiveness is the hardest because it’s so bound up with regret, self-pity, shame, with guilt that it’s very very hard to move beyond that. You don’t just feel pain, in a way you are the pain. You’re the cause of the pain.”

Marina Cantacuzino, Founder of The Forgiveness Project.

Join the conversation and book your place here.

CLINKS MEMBER’S TRAINING: understanding stress and mental health

Going from under pressure to being stressed can affect us both physically, mentally, and emotionally. Recognising the signs of stress and managing your reaction to it can help you improve your wellbeing. Are you confident you really understand what mental health is? Do you feel you have sufficient understanding to support people with their mental health?

This training session [18 May, online, £106.80] from Society Matters CIC provides a practical introduction to the concepts of stress; resilience and mental health combined with practical exercises and materials that can be used immediately. This training also lays out the basics about mental health and challenges some of the stereotypes and assumptions. Book your place here. See below for more training offered by Society Matters CIC.

CLINKS MEMBER’S TRAINING: Universal Credit training

This highly interactive, quality accredited, Universal Credit training course [22 May, online, £106.80] is designed to help support organisations involved in all aspects of social welfare to get to grips with Universal Credit. You will learn about:

  1. The detail of each of the six Elements of Universal Credit, and the circumstances that will determine whether each element will apply.
  2. The Universal Credit journey for the people behind the process, including the challenges, risks and practical steps involved in making a claim, how to manage a claim day-to-day to avoid sanction, and how to respond if things do not go to plan.
  3. The changes in circumstances that will (and will not) lead to "natural migration" to Universal Credit from one or more of the six main "legacy benefits": Housing Benefit, Income-based JSA, Working Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, Income-related ESA and Income support.
  4. The impact of migration to Universal Credit on the claimants (positive and negative).
  5. The hundred year journey to Universal Credit – through the evolution of the welfare state.

Book your place here.

CLINKS MEMBER’S TRAINING: overview of 16 welfare benefits in the UK

Since the introduction of Universal Credit and PIP in 2013; with the objective of simplifying the welfare state, there are still multiple "legacy" benefits that are being claimed by millions of people. This short course [24 May, online, £106.80] provides newcomers to welfare benefits with an overview of 16 welfare benefits that are currently being claimed in the UK.

Through a combination of case studies, exercises, quizzes and insights from a welfare benefits expert, you will be helped to become familiar with current welfare benefits, so by the end of this training you will know:

  • The 16 current welfare benefits being claimed in the UK (including Universal Credit and PIP).
  • Eligibility criteria for each of these welfare benefits and the payments that apply.
  • Factors that might affect those claims in the future.

Book your place here.

CLINKS MEMBER’S TRAINING: Personal Independence Payment (PIP)

'Get to Grips with Personal Independence Payment' (An Introduction) [30 May, online, £106.80] is designed and delivered by experts in their field.

Only around 14% of initial Personal Independence Payment (PIP) applications are successful first time round, and 1 in 4 people with a long-term health condition or disability are believed to give up on their PIP application due to a lack of support or because the application process has made them feel worse.

Attend this training so you can make your positive contribution towards improving these statistics. Book your place here.

NON-MEMBER’S EVENTS AND TRAINING: National Youth Work & Racial Justice Conference

Join youth workers and leaders in the sector for the 3rd National Youth Work & Racial Justice Conference [8 June, London, £57].

Learn, reflect and network with others committed to challenging systemic racism. Hear from individuals and organisations driving change through: strengths-based practice; therapeutic interventions; and promoting the rights of young people. The conference will showcase how good youth work tackles racism. Conference panellist and speakers include:

  • Ife Thompson, BLAM UK CIC
  • Curtis Worrel, Class 13
  • Ben Lindsay, Power The Fight
  • Zara Manoehoetoe, Kids of Colour

Take part in a series of stimulating workshops and find out more about the National Youth Agency’s ambitions to catalyse best practice across the sector. Book your place here.

PUBLICATION: Turned Away – prison leavers and primary healthcare

Nacro’s new report; Turned Away, highlights the challenges people leaving prison and other disadvantaged groups face registering with a GP and accessing primary healthcare.

The team undertook a mystery shopping exercise which found that not having an address or ID continued to be a barrier to registering with a GP. Two-thirds (66%) of GP surgeries they contacted said they required proof of address and 43% said they required ID in order to register the person recently out of prison. This is despite there being no regulatory requirement for this. Nacro has made a number of recommendations to NHS England particularly focused on communication and training with GP surgeries. Read the report here.

OPPORTUNITY: VCSE Barometer Survey

The VCSE Barometer Survey is now open. This quarterly "temperature check" of the sector highlights real-time issues and trends with partners in regional and national VCSE infrastructure. By completing the survey, you will be feeding your views directly into the government as it reviews which organisations will keep getting help with their energy, and makes further decisions on public spending in the Autumn. This State of the Social Sector Survey is backed by all the major membership bodies, and carried out by the independent experts at Pro Bono Economics and Nottingham Trent University’s National VCSE Data and Insights Observatory. Complete the survey here.

CLINKS MEMBERS’ VACANCIES:

Digital Fundraising and Communications Officer with Brighton Women's Centre [£27,000 FTE, Brighton based with some visits to other BWC premises, part time]; Progression and Pathways Coordinator with Synergy Theatre Project [£30,000 FTE, part time]; Wellbeing Practitioner with Catch22 [£24,001, Dorset, full time]; Project Manager, Prisons and Community with Finding Rhythms [£30,000, hybrid, London and home working, full time]; Casual Visits Centre Assistant with Prison Advice and Care Trust (Pact) [£23,302 FTE, HMP/YOI Feltham, part time]; Visits Centre Assistant (3.5 hours) with Prison Advice and Care Trust (Pact) [£21,255 FTE, HMP Portland, part time]; Personal Wellbeing Advisor (Family & Relationships) with Prison Advice and Care Trust (Pact) [£25,500 FTE, Sandwell, part time]; Family Support Worker (16.25 hours) with Prison Advice and Care Trust (Pact) [£23,303 FTE, HMP Pentonville, part time]; Volunteer Coordinator with Prison Advice and Care Trust (Pact) [£28,500 FTE, homebased – London, part time]; Implementation Manager (3-month FTC) with Social Interest Group [£50,000, HMP Altcourse, Liverpool, full time]

For more information about these vacancies, and many more, click here

READS OF THE WEEK:

EXTRA INFORMATION:

About Clinks Light Lunch

This edition of Light Lunch has been sent to the inbox of 13766 people working (or with an interest) in the criminal justice system of England and Wales.

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