Clinks Light Lunch | Issue 945 | 14 August 2026

Light lunch

 

In this issue...

 

Russell Webster has published an article reviewing Dr Sophie King-Hill’s recent evidence review for the Clinks Evidence Library on masculinity and the justice system. The article explores how socially constructed expectations of masculinity can influence vulnerability, harmful behaviour, mental health, and engagement with support. It highlights the value of gendered and trauma-informed approaches that address harmful narratives, support emotional literacy and accountability, and help boys and men develop positive identities. The article stresses that reframing masculinity is not about excusing harm, but about better understanding and addressing its underlying drivers.

Read the article here

In a personal blog, Clinks’ Director of Business Operations, Joni Emery, reflects on her first year in senior leadership and the value of bringing lived experience into positions of influence. Joni explores learning to lead with authenticity, empathy, and integrity, as well as the challenges of imposter syndrome, stigma, and the emotional labour involved in sharing lived experience. The blog sets out five lessons from her first year, including the importance of representation and making space for people with lived experience at the table. Joni also outlines Clinks’ ambition to build a network for organisations led by and for people with lived experience, and to strengthen leadership, employment, and training opportunities across the sector.

Read the blog here

Clinks has welcomed Georgia Goncalves as its new Events and Training Coordinator. In a new blog, Georgia introduces her background in the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector, events delivery, and the justice system, and shares how her role will help Clinks build capacity to deliver more events and training for the sector. Georgia outlines plans to streamline event processes, make updates more accessible, and develop training that responds to the challenges faced by voluntary organisations working in criminal justice.

Read the blog here

NATIONAL CRIMINAL JUSTICE ARTS ALLIANCE NEWS: NCJAA & Royal Literary Fund Workshop: Demonstrating Impact

Clinks, in partnership with the National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance and the Royal Literary Fund, is hosting a free online workshop on demonstrating impact, delivered by professional writer Heidi Williamson. The 2.5-hour session is designed to help charity and community group professionals communicate their organisation’s impact effectively. It will cover what impact means and why it matters, how to identify and translate evaluation data into compelling narratives, and practical writing exercises to improve storytelling skills. Participants will leave with a clearer understanding of how to craft their impact story to strengthen bids, communications, and funding applications.

This workshop is open to Clinks members who work or volunteer for a small and specialist organisation within one of Clinks’ thematic networks, including Arts, Families, Race and Justice, or Women, or who are independent or freelance arts practitioners.

[Thursday 17 September 2026 | 10:00 to 12:30 | Online | Free]

Register here

Clinks is hosting an evidence-gathering roundtable to support the voluntary sector to contribute to the Independent Review of the Prison System, led by Amber Rudd. The review is seeking views on the most significant risks facing prisons and opportunities to improve outcomes over the next 5 to 15 years. The session is open to organisations and individuals with experience or interest in prisons. Discussions will draw on frontline, service user, and lived experience insight, alongside available data, and will inform a shared voluntary sector submission to the review.

[Monday 24 August 2026 | 14:00 to 15:30 | Online | Free]

Register here

Clinks is hosting a three-hour training session for voluntary sector staff and volunteers who work, or are preparing to work, in prisons. The session will raise awareness of the prison environment and cover staffing structures, prison departments and procedures, current challenges, and the role of the voluntary sector. It will also explore how to develop meaningful and professional working relationships with prisons, while prioritising safe and responsible ways of working. Places are limited to 20 participants.

[Thursday 17 September 2026 | 10:00 to 13:00 | Online | £95 members / £150 non-members]

Find out more and book here

Clinks is inviting voluntary and community sector organisations, alongside wider partners working in criminal justice across Wales, to its Wales Area Engagement Criminal Justice Forum. The forum offers an opportunity to share learning, discuss challenges, exchange practical ideas, and build peer support with others who understand the realities of delivering services in the criminal justice system. Members and partners are also welcome to showcase their work. To present at a future forum, contact Bryn Hall at bryn.hall@clinks.org.

[Tuesday 22 September 2026 | 13:30 to 15:00 | Online | Free]

Register here

The Sentencing Act gained Royal Assent in January 2026 and represents the biggest reform of the justice system in decades, introducing a presumption of suspended sentences for short custodial terms, extending deferred sentencing periods, and updating the purposes and management of sentences. While the implementation of the Progression Model has been delayed until October, other elements of the Act are progressing. Clinks is hosting a free webinar to provide detail on how the Act will be implemented, what this means for the voluntary sector, and how Clinks can provide ongoing support. The session will be recorded and shared on the Clinks website for anyone unable to attend.

[Tuesday 18 August 2026 | 10:00 to 11:30 | Online | Free]

Register here

Clinks is inviting voluntary organisations working in the criminal justice system in the Midlands to join its Area Engagement Criminal Justice Forum. The forum brings together people and organisations from across the criminal justice system to share experiences, swap ideas, hear about government policy developments, and tackle challenges together. Whether you are a small grassroots project or a larger charity, the forum is an opportunity to make connections, stay informed, and have your voice heard. Members and partners are also welcome to showcase their work. To present at a future forum, contact Area Engagement Officer for the Midlands, Sarah-Jane Richens.

[Wednesday 26 August 2026 | 10:00 to 11:30 | Online | Free]

Register here

The Ministry of Justice has launched a consultation exploring options to introduce independent statutory regulation of probation practitioners, seeking views on how to strengthen professional standards, public confidence, and accountability across the probation workforce. Clinks is preparing a collective submission to this consultation and is hosting a roundtable to gather evidence and views from the voluntary sector. Topics will include the minimum requirements for maintaining registration, ensuring ongoing professional competence and development, setting professional standards and a code of ethics, fitness to practise processes, and the potential to confer a protected title.

[Wednesday 16 September 2026 | 10:00 to 11:30 | Online | Free]

Register here

MEMBER FOCUS: Greener Ipswich CIC

Greener Ipswich CIC delivers horticultural services to organisations in and around Ipswich while creating meaningful employment opportunities for people leaving prison. Established in May 2024 and led by four unpaid volunteer directors, the organisation employs people recently released from HMP Hollesley Bay on a part-time basis and provides practical work placements for serving prisoners on Release on Temporary Licence. Working closely with the prison’s horticultural unit, which supports plant cultivation for its projects, Greener Ipswich creates structured pathways into employment while contributing to local green spaces and community improvement.

Find out more about Greener Ipswich CIC here

Café 16, based in Newcastle Cathedral and run by prisoner rehabilitation charity The Oswin Project, is celebrating five years of creating employment, training, and volunteering opportunities for people leaving prison and others involved in the justice system. Since opening in August 2021, the café has supported 64 people leaving prison into employment and volunteering. It follows the same social enterprise model as The Oswin Project’s Café 16 at HMP Northumberland, with cakes and scones made by people in prison as part of their skills development.

Read more here

The Prison Phoenix Trust has shared a 15-minute interview with Richard, recorded for Times Radio’s Off Air with Jane and Fi podcast. Richard speaks about his experience of yoga and meditation in prison and the support he received from The Prison Phoenix Trust.

Watch the interview here

Recoop’s six-week Healthy Eating and Living Programme is supporting people in prison to make positive changes to their diet, exercise, and daily routines. Through weekly group sessions, food diaries, and practical resources, participants explored nutrition, eating habits, and ways to build healthier routines. Participants reported weight loss, improved energy levels, and greater confidence in making informed food choices, with some also taking part in Recoop’s On Track virtual walking challenge. The programme aims to build knowledge, confidence, and sustainable habits that support physical and mental wellbeing beyond the six-week course.

Read more here

The Probation Institute is hosting a free online launch for the Young Adult Probation Hub Toolkit. Developed from the evaluation of the Newham Youth to Adulthood Probation Hub and co-produced with HMPPS Yorkshire and the Humber, the toolkit provides practical guidance for probation leaders and managers developing tailored approaches for young adults. The session will explore key research lessons on trauma-informed, strengths-based practice and effective engagement with 18 to 25-year-olds. Speakers include Dr Jenni Ward of Middlesex University and Dr Jake Phillips of the University of Cambridge. The event is open to probation practitioners, policymakers, partner agencies, and anyone working to improve outcomes for young adults in the justice system.

[Thursday 1 October 2026 | 12:30 to 14:00 | Online | Free]

Find out more and register here

Westminster Insight is hosting an expert-led conference exploring whole-system approaches to tackling knife crime. The event will consider the role of policing, schools and education, local authorities, health, youth justice, communities, and voluntary organisations. It will feature evidence-based strategies, case studies, and expert speakers, with practical guidance on prevention, enforcement, and rehabilitation. Use discount code SPKR5358 to receive 20% off the booking price.

[Tuesday 6 October 2026 | London | £299 to £375]

Find out more here

Book here

The Centre for Justice Innovation is hosting a free online practice-sharing workshop for youth justice police officers involved in joint decision-making panels. These panels bring police and youth justice partners together to agree the most appropriate outcome for a child following arrest, often when a case has been referred for a diversion decision. The session will explore the youth justice police officer role, best practice for joint decision-making, effective use of the child gravity matrix, and practical partnership working, including case preparation, information sharing, and confidence to challenge. The workshop will include contributions from Richard Timson and Claire Nixon, alongside interactive questions and breakout discussions.

[Thursday 1 October 2026 | 10:00 to 11:30 | Online | Free]

Find out more and register here

The Centre for Justice Innovation, in partnership with the Agenda Alliance, is hosting a free online practice-sharing workshop on diverting girls from the youth justice system. The session will explore the distinct and complex needs of girls in, or at risk of entering, the youth justice system, and how gender-informed diversion can better respond to their experiences. It will draw on the Agenda Alliance’s Young Women’s Justice project and work on girls’ school exclusions, covering unmet needs, evidence and girls’ lived experience, diversion approaches, out-of-court resolutions, and practical interventions. The workshop is aimed at practitioners working with, or shaping services for, girls in or at risk of entering the youth justice system.

[Thursday 17 September 2026 | 10:00 to 11:30 | Online | Free]

Find out more and register here

CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM: Plan to fast-track further plans to create prison capacity to be presented to Parliament

The Prime Minister has asked the Justice Secretary to fast-track a plan for Parliament next month to create more headroom in the prison system. The plan will consider increasing the removal of foreign nationals from the prison estate to their country of origin, seeking an early resolution to Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences, and making greater use of the whole prison estate, including examining capacity in the women’s estate for men. The Prime Minister has said he hopes these measures will reduce the number of people released early and prevent early release for serious offences.

The proposals could have significant implications for voluntary sector organisations supporting people in prison and leaving custody, women in contact with the criminal justice system, people serving or affected by IPP sentences, victims, and families. Clinks will continue to monitor developments and keep the sector informed.

Find out more here

CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM: Guidance for victims on the Progression Model published

The Ministry of Justice has published guidance for victims on the Progression Model, explaining how the Sentencing Act 2026 will divide relevant standard determinate sentences between custody, an intensive period of community supervision, and a final period on licence. More than 18,000 people are outside the scope of the changes, including people serving life, IPP, extended determinate, or sentences for people of particular concern, as well as people convicted of rape and specified child sexual offences. The guidance confirms that release dates are being recalculated through September, a route is being developed for victims outside the Victim Contact Scheme to request information, and a dedicated national support helpline is expected by October. It also outlines the presumption of electronic monitoring, random drug testing, and enhanced safeguards for certain people convicted of sexual offences.

Read the guidance here

CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM: Napo members back potential industrial action over probation workloads

Napo has announced that 90.76% of members who took part in an indicative ballot backed potential industrial action over probation workloads. The union says thousands of members voted amid chronic staff shortages, excessive workloads, burnout, and reliance on overtime to keep the service running. Napo has warned that plans to expand early release from prison and implement Sentencing Act changes will increase the number of people managed in the community while probation is already struggling to cope.

Napo says the Government’s £700 million investment in probation must deliver more frontline staff, better pay, safer workplaces, and manageable workloads, rather than being absorbed by technology and electronic monitoring costs. It argues that recruitment alone will not resolve the crisis unless action is also taken to improve staff retention and working conditions.

Read Napo’s statement here

CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM: HMPPS updates prison public protection and communications frameworks

HMPPS has updated a linked set of operational policy frameworks covering prison public protection, the interception and security of prisoner communications, authorised communication controls, social video calling, and drug trace detection. While the underlying documents are not new policies, the updates may be relevant to organisations delivering family support, resettlement, substance misuse, legal advice, and rehabilitative services in custody. Organisations supporting people whose contact is restricted, or whose risk management plans affect access to support, may wish to review the revised documents.

Prison public protection policy framework

Prisoner communications policy

Secure social video calling policy framework

Interception, monitoring and security of prisoner communications policy framework

CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM: Chief Inspector calls for mental health assessments in police custody

HM Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor has called for immediate action to prevent seriously mentally ill people being sent to prison when they need urgent psychiatric assessment and treatment. The warning follows an inspection at HMP Birmingham, where an average of nine acutely unwell men each month were arriving from court without having received a Mental Health Act assessment in police or court custody. The Chief Inspector has written to the Home, Health and Justice Secretaries, warning that prisons should not become the default destination for people whose primary need is urgent mental health treatment.

Read more here

CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM: Wales Probation Service public protection review finds progress but persistent weaknesses

HM Inspectorate of Probation has published its dynamic public protection inspection of the Wales region. Inspectors found clear leadership, a coherent improvement programme, and stronger risk management planning. However, public protection work was not yet consistently good enough. Domestic abuse histories were not always explored fully, practitioners did not consistently connect behaviour to its impact on children, and analytical depth and information sharing needed to improve. The inspection reviewed 55 cases and made six recommendations, including two for HMPPS on developing a national strategic approach to information sharing with police and children’s services. The findings may be particularly relevant to voluntary sector organisations supporting people on probation and their families in Wales, as well as those delivering domestic abuse, safeguarding, and resettlement interventions.

Read the inspection findings here

CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM: Calls for independent review of public protection failures in the Simon Levy case

Following the sentencing of Simon Levy, the Victims’ Commissioner has called for an independent multi-agency review, arguing that repeated opportunities to identify escalating risk, share information, and take protective action were missed. The Commissioner warned that pressures from early release and increased community supervision could lead to similar failures unless police, probation, prosecutors, and other public protection agencies have sufficient capacity and information. Rape Crisis England and Wales has also called for consistent implementation of Operation Soteria, highlighting the need for timely, suspect-focused investigations and stronger recognition of patterns of sexual harm.

Read the Victims’ Commissioner’s response here

Read Rape Crisis England and Wales’ response here

FUNDING: Charles Hayward Foundation Main Grants Programme

The Charles Hayward Foundation is offering main grants of up to £25,000 per year for up to three years, totalling up to £75,000. Funding is available to UK registered charities working in the UK in the areas of social and criminal justice. Grants are also available for overseas projects. The deadline for applications is 26 September 2026.

Find out more and apply here

PUBLICATION: Victims’ Commissioner report finds road-crime victims are being left behind

The Victims’ Commissioner has published Forgotten Victims: Barriers to justice following a road traffic collision, drawing on interviews with injured victims and bereaved families. The report finds that many experience lengthy investigations, poor communication, court delays, and inconsistent referral to specialist support. In the year ending June 2025, 29,896 people were killed or seriously injured on roads in England and Wales, including 1,579 fatalities, more than three times the number killed through homicide over the same period. The report makes six recommendations, including stronger national standards and oversight, trauma-informed police practice, sustainable funding for specialist support, and consistent direct referrals.

Read the report here

Link Worker (Prison) with Women in Prison [£27183, HMP Bronzefield, HMP Downview, and HMP Send, Full Time]; Counsellor with Phoenix Futures [£28298, OX5 1PB, Full Time]; Group Interventions Worker (female only) with The Nelson Trust [£27000, Bristol, Full Time]; Through the Gate Worker with Phoenix Futures [£29383, HMP Pentonville, Caledonian Road, London, N7 8TT, Full Time]; CIAG Advisor with Achieve [£27015 to £30612, HMP Kirkham, Full Time]; Family Support Worker with Phoenix Futures [£29383, HMP Pentonville, Full Time]; Team Lead (Justice Services) – Maternity Cover with The Wise Group [£29077 to £31500, Durham, Full Time]; Intensive Engagement Officer with Nacro [£28851 to £29572, Hertfordshire, Full Time]; Accommodation Advisor - East Midlands with Nacro [£28851 to £29572, Derby Probation and HMP Leicester, Part Time]; Accommodation Advisor - Nottingham with Nacro [£28851, HMP Ranby and Mansfield Probation, Full Time].

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

READS OF THE WEEK:

EXTRA INFORMATION:

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