Clinks Light Lunch | Issue 811 | 01 December 2023

Light Lunch Clinks

In this issue...

MEMBER FOCUS: Ormiston Families “Breaking Barriers” wins an award

Ormiston Families' “Breaking Barriers” service was delighted to be presented with the Early Intervention Award at the national Children & Young People Now Awards this week. Breaking Barriers works with children and young people affected by the imprisonment of a family member. Working across the East of England, the service reaches around 200 families every year.

The initiative was found to have intervened early and most effectively with children and young people at risk from problems such as poor health, dropping out of education, homelessness, crime or substance misuse, and prevented the transmission of poor outcomes from one generation to the next.

Judge Annemarie Hassell praised the "fantastic, unique service to support the invisible children who have parents and carers in prison." She said: "Often these children are invisible in society and school - it's so good to see a specialist project giving them a voice and listening ear explaining a very complex real-life situation." Find out more about Breaking Barriers

CLINKS MEMBER’S NEWS: The Prison Phoenix Trust

Three new trustees have been appointed to the Prison Phoenix Trust, a charity which supports prisoner rehabilitation through meditation and yoga across the UK and Ireland. Joyce Borg, Judith Unwin and Liz Wheen, bring to the 11-strong board a wealth of experience including prison education, fundraising and digital development. Find out more

CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM: Innovation grants for 2023 – 25 have been awarded 

His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) has awarded grant funding under the Innovation Grants Programme for 13 new projects to support partnerships with prisons and probation areas nationwide. 

Organisations were asked to submit bids within four themes linked to key HMPPS priorities:

  • Families and relationships
  • Improving mental health and wellbeing
  • Improving safety
  • Protected characteristics

Improving support for families and significant others:
Nepacs

Improving mental health and wellbeing:
Change Grow Live; London Friend; No Place Productions; Playing ON CIO; and The Women’s Centre Cornwall (TWCC)

Improving safety in custody:
St Giles Trust; and Wales Restorative Approaches Partnership

Protected Characteristics:
Changing Lives; Lancashire Women; Spark Inside; Support when it matters; and The Clink

CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM: Reforms to IPP licence

Thousands of people serving long-since abolished IPP (imprisonment for public protection) sentences will become eligible to have their licence period terminated earlier as part of new reforms.

People released from prison on licence while serving Imprisonment for Public Protection sentences currently have to wait a minimum of 10 years before they can have their licence reviewed by the Parole Board.

The new changes will mean people on licence in the community are referred for review three years after their first release. This should mean licences will immediately end for around 1,800 people once the legislation comes into force. Full details on eligibility are not yet clear. Find out more here

FUNDING: Grants available at HMP Ranby

HMP Ranby have launched two grants open to voluntary sector organisations. One grant is for Arts and Crafts provision, to the value of up to £10,000. The second is for Theatre and Drama activity, to the value of up to £10,000. Both grants are live on Find a Grant. Applications can be made directly on the Find a Grant website. [The closing date is 23:59, 8 December].

To apply, please visit this link and search ‘HMP Ranby’. If you have any questions, please contact HMPPSGrants@justice.gov.uk

NON-MEMBER’S EVENTS: The Oxford Brain Story

The HMPPS Academy for Social Justice is hosting a seminar 'The Oxford Brain Story', the science of brain development [17 January, online, free]

In this seminar speakers will discuss the core themes of the Brain Story which are a key public health message, similar to our community understanding about the importance of diet or exercise for our physical wellbeing. Register here

PUBLICATION: Rebuilding Lives: Young Muslims from the Criminal Justice System to Community Resettlement

Osmani Trust and Barrow Cadbury Trust have published a report highlighting the specific experiences and needs of young Muslim men aged 18-25 in the criminal justice system, setting out a number of recommendations that aim to provide actions and solutions to address unequal treatment and outcomes from prison to resettlement. The report can be found by clicking here

PUBLICATION: Elimination of Violence Against Women

Marking International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, which was on the 25 November, the Centre for Justice Innovation has published two new briefings to improve outcomes for victims.

‘Implementing Domestic Abuse Protection Notices and Orders’ gives an overview of the current landscape of protection orders and recommends the development of a clear framework for the operation of the new protective orders, as well as the proper resourcing and supporting of practitioners, and the establishment of a national monitoring and evaluation framework and data collection mechanism. Download here

'Improving data gaps for victims of crime' identifies a range of gaps, limitations and problems in how we collect data on victims & offers recommendations to fix these data gaps within the Victims and Prisoners Bill. Download here

PUBLICATION: A Call to Action

This blog by Russell Webster shares "A Call to Action", a new briefing from Agenda Alliance and Alliance for Youth Justice. The briefing has revealed young women are the worst affected by skyrocketing rates of self-harm in women’s prisons.

Agenda Alliance’s analysis shows that young women are self-harming more than any other age group in women’s prisons, and on average, are harming themselves every 10 days. Self-harm among this age group has been consistently rising over the last four years. Read the blog here

PUBLICATION: How to tell if social media is harming your Mental Health

This is a simple guide to see if social media is harming your Mental Health. The following is uncovered:

  • Positive and negative impacts of social media on mental health 
  • Effective ways to balance social media usage and mental health 
  • Importance of reaching out for help 

Also included is an expert recommendation from Psychologist Sterling on checking out the emotional state before and after using social media. Find the guide here

FEATURED VACANCY: Chair of the Board of Trustees

Clinks' chair has completed two terms and will be stepping down at our AGM November 2024, therefore we are currently recruiting for a Chair of the Board of Trustees. We are looking for a chair who can lead that team well and work with the leadership team to steward a vibrant and vital voluntary sector. Our new chair will be committed to voluntary action, our organisation, our values, and anti-racism. The Chair is pivotal in creating the conditions for overall board and individual director effectiveness, both inside and outside the boardroom. We aim to onboard our new chair as a trustee from April 2024 to ensure efficient handover, ahead of them taking over the role as Chair following the AGM. We welcome applications from across society and we aim to have a diverse board representative of the communities impacted by criminal justice and the challenges they face.  

Click here for more information and how to apply 

CLINKS MEMBERS’ VACANCIES:

Financial Wellbeing Coach (x3) with St Giles Trust [£25,500, South Wales, full time]; Wellbeing Hub Coordinator (IRS North) with Back on Track [£31,400 - £33,650, Manchester, full time]; Domestic Abuse Health Advocate with ADVANCE (Advocacy and Non-Violence Community Education) [£26,000 - £32,000, Hammersmith, full time]; Approved Premises Manager - Female Only with Hestia Housing & Support [£44,762, Wandsworth, full time]; Service Manager with ADVANCE (Advocacy and Non-Violence Community Education) [£35,000 - £40,000, Finsbury Park, full time]; Service Administrators x2 with ADVANCE (Advocacy and Non-Violence Community Education) [£22,000 - £24,000, Stratford and Finsbury Park, full time]; Settling in Facilitator with St Giles Trust [£27,000 - £28,500, HMP Cardiff, full time]; Intervention Worker - Out of Hours with Hestia Housing & Support [£27,073, Islington, full time]; Intervention Worker with Hestia Housing & Support [£27,073, Islington, part time]

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

READS OF THE WEEK:

EXTRA INFORMATION:

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