Clinks Light Lunch | Issue 328 | 24th January 2014

In this week's edition....

CLINKS REMINDER: Are you a member?

Remember, just because you receive Light Lunch doesn’t mean that your organisation is a member of Clinks. Certain Clinks events such as our upcoming AGM are for members only, so make sure you don’t miss out. Members receive great benefits such as exclusive policy briefings, access to the GRANTnet funding database and discounts on events and training. Check here to see if you are a member, and if not, sign up today.

CLINKS EVENT: tackling women's health inequalities

'The role of women’s specialist services in tackling health inequalities in the North East' is a joint Clinks, VONNE and North East Women’s Network event [14th February, Durham, free] that will bring together voluntary sector organisations working with women and commissioners of health services to discuss the role of women’s specialist services in tackling health inequalities in the North East. The day will enable you to discuss the importance of specialist services and how commissioning models could be more responsive to this. It will also provide the opportunity to discuss how these models could be used to draw on good practice to tackle broader health inequalities. Book your place here

CLINKS RESOURCE: two months left to access our evaluation helpline

The Clinks and NPC Improving your evidence project is providing a free ‘evidence helpline’ whereby we will speak with organisations about their priorities, identify ways in which we can help, and provide unbiased support informed by knowledge of what commissioners and researchers are looking for. We can provide up to a day of support to each organisation and the support is available until the end of March 2014. To book an initial appointment contact Jessica.mullen@clinks.org

CLINKS RESOURCE: Evaluation and research glossary

This glossary, produced by Clinks and NPC’s Improving your evidence project, briefly outlines some of the words you might come across when looking at evaluation and research. Download it here

CLINKS SURVEY: let us know what you think of the Arts Alliance

The Arts Alliance have designed a quick five minute survey for their members to help determine what they are doing well and what they could be doing better. Your feedback is important in shaping the future of the Arts Alliance, so please share with any relevant colleagues and interested parties. Take part here

CLINKS MEMBERS OFFER: training your volunteers to work with offenders

Would you like to learn how to support and train staff and volunteers working with offenders in prisons? Clinks’ members save £30 on our one day Volunteering in Prison course [19th February, Birmingham, from £120]. The course has been designed to support trainers and volunteer co-ordinators, managing and supporting volunteers and mentors. Modules include: The role of the volunteer or mentor in supporting offenders in prison, volunteers/mentors’ skills and qualities, handling difficult situations and much more. If you would like to join Clinks to enjoy the discounted rate, click here.  Or for further information and bookings, click here

CLINKS MEMBER'S NEWS: education proven to reduce reoffending

The Justice Data Lab recently published data on 3,000 prisoners who had been funded by Clinks Member Prisoners Education Trust (PET) to study distance learning courses in prison and found a reduction in reoffending when compared with similar prisoners. Figures show that the one-year reoffending rate for prisoners who received PET’s support was over a quarter lower at 19% compared to 26% for the matched group, and proved that studying a wide range of courses in prison makes people less likely to reoffend when they are released. Read the full press release here

CLINKS MEMBER'S NEWS: a year supporting families of prisoners

POPS have published their latest annual review. Editor, Rebecca Cheung, says: "Normally POPS' annual review takes the form of a booklet but this year we have taken a slightly different approach and have embraced technology, publishing the review on our website. The review, entitled 'All the Right Ingredients', takes you on a journey through a busy and challenging year, using the POPS kitchen, where it all began, to illustrate the many areas of work which we deliver." View it here

CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM: Justice Select Committee report on TR

The Justice Select Committee have published the interim report from their Crime Reduction Policies inquiry. Clinks submitted evidence to the inquiry and is pleased to note the report highlights; our concern about the low number of voluntary sector organisations that have signed up to provide services under TR (Transforming Rehabilitation); our questions regarding how the current payment mechanism would incentivise service provision that prioritises intermediate outcomes; and our support for the MoJ’s efforts to provide greater transparency in the contractual arrangements. Clinks will continue to work on behalf of the sector to ensure voluntary sector providers in TR are treated fairly. Read the Justice Select Committee report here and Clinks’ submission to the inquiry here

CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM: new focus on education for young offenders

In April 2013 Clinks responded to the Transforming Youth Custody Consultation, recommending the Government define education in Secure Colleges as broadly as possible; recognising that young people in the youth justice system also need to develop skills including resilience and self-confidence and that each Secure College develops and maintains strong links with voluntary sector organisations. The MoJ have now published a response to the consultation and it is positive to see many of these recommendations have been accepted. However, it remains unclear how voluntary sector led activities will be included in the new Secure Colleges and whether arts based interventions, that often act as a pathway to more formal education, will be delivered in these institutions. Read Clinks’ submission to the consultation here and the Government’s response here

COMMISSIONING: debt advice service for offenders in the Midlands

Staffordshire and West Midlands Probation Trust are seeking the provision of a two year offender Debt Advice Service. The aim of the service will be to reduce the incidence and impact of debt amongst offenders and to enable as many individuals as possible to achieve financial stability and an improvement in their ability to manage income, contributing to improved life skills and attitudes and a reduction in their risk of reoffending. The provider must have a Consumer Credit Licence to provide this service. The deadline for applications is 11th February; find out more here

FUNDING: core funding to support disadvantaged people

Charities that are located in either England or Wales can apply for grants for between one and three years from the Lloyds Bank Foundation's Community Programme. The Community Programme focuses on funding core work that helps disadvantaged people to play a fuller role in the community. The Foundation is particularly interested in work that achieves this through: Improved social and community involvement; Improved life choices and chances; Helping people to be heard. The deadline for applications is 14th February; more information here

FUNDING: to transform a local public service

Locality are running the 'Our Place' project, which offers grants of up to £33,000 to help areas working to transform local public services. The purpose of the programme is to support neighbourhood areas to work collaboratively to address a shared priority or local service area – for example healthcare, or employment. The fund opened this week and has a finite number of grants available. They recommend applying as soon as possible here

FUNDING: supporting young entrepreneurs

Non-profit organisations based and operating in the UK with a track record of providing enterprise support to young people can apply for the RBS Inspiring Youth in Enterprise fund. Projects should focus on assisting young people aged 13-30 years old to explore enterprise, explore the option of self-employment and, ultimately, set up in business. Projects should be delivered within a 12-18 month period. A total of £500,000 of grants will be available across two funding rounds in 2014 to support organisations that will help young people to start up and succeed in business. The deadline for the next round is 31st January, details here

FUNDING: free advertising to 1 million Londoners

Startups, the online resource for people starting and growing a business, is running a Taxi-top digital advertising competition. The competition will award a package of ad slots to be displayed across a fleet of five London taxis to broadcast the winner's campaign from their iTaxiTop high definition LCD roof-mounted, double-sided screens. The winner will get coverage across a two week period to an estimated 1 million people. Bit of a strange opportunity, but might be of huge value to a creative thinking Light Lunch reader. The deadline to submit an entry is 31st January, details here

CLINKS MEMBER'S EVENT: supporting women leaving custody in London

'Moving On' is a Pecan event [6th February, London, free] being held to raise awareness of the work they have been doing with young women leaving custody over the past year. Moving On is a pan-London mentoring programme which uses paid mentors to support young women aged 18-25 as they leave prison. Pecan work with women for at least one year (from pre-release, through the gate, and post-release), supporting them practically and emotionally across all nine resettlement pathways. In the past year they have supported over 65 women, and worked with HMP Bronzefield, HMP Downview, HMP East Sutton Park and HMP Holloway and the London Probation Trust. Find out more about the project and the women they support; RSVP here (password: 123pecan)

NON-MEMBERS' EVENTS & TRAINING

  • 'Children and Families-Coping with Custody' | 26th February, HMP & YOI Askham Grange, York, £50 | Details
  • 'Explore the current health agenda' |10th February, Newcastle, free | Details
  • 'How to do Judicial Review' | 13th February, Sheffield, £118.80 | Details

PUBLICATION: response to women's custodial review

'Road to Reduction? Response to the Women’s Custodial Estate Review' is a Women in Prison report that outlines the changes proposed in NOMS’ Women’s Custodial Estate Review and contains a recommendation by recommendation analysis of the reforms. Download it here (direct download)

PUBLICATION: TR under the microscope

The latest edition of the British Journal of Community Justice is dedicated entirely to articles related to the Transforming Rehabilitation proposals and covers issues including measuring outcomes, occupational cultures and practitioner skills. Articles also consider how the reforms are likely to affect minority groups, namely women and those from Black and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities. Download articles free for a limited time here

RESOURCE: prison doesn't work

In the latest of the Howard League's U R Boss project's blogs, Young Advisor Sully challenges the 'prison works' argument. He says "we need to address the issues of our young people collectively rather than sending them to prison and that only by giving them a voice will we be able to save our young people and stop them entering the criminal justice system; an inhumane place for any of our citizens". Read the full post and respond here

RESOURCE: TR - a dream solution or a nightmare scenario

Frank Curran of RedQuadrant (which has been helping probation mutuals to establish themselves and bid for Transforming Rehabilitation contracts) is the latest contributor in Russell Webster's TR video interviews. Frank questions whether there is sufficient funding for voluntary sector providers to do more paid work with offenders, and sees the possibility of either a dream outcome with more personalised services embedded in local communities, or a nightmare where provision is of lower quality than is currently the case. View the short (5 minutes) video here

OFFENDER HEALTH: essential changes in mental health

'Closing the Gap: Priorities for Essential Change in Mental Health' is a new DoH report that shows how changes in local service planning and delivery will make a difference to the lives of people with mental health problems over the next two or three years. It also sets out 25 priority areas identified as needing the fastest changes, tackling issues that current programmes are beginning to address and where the Government's strategy is coming to life. The document calls for the support and involvement of partners, charities and representative organisations - as well as employers, families and carers, to improve service delivery and improve mental health services. Download it here

CLINKS MEMBERS' VACANCIES

Member vacancies this week include: a Client Support and Monitoring Officer with ISSA Wales [Cardiff], 6 x Senior Family Support Workers with Spurgeons [Various], Trustees at Safe Ground [London], 2 x Relief Project Workers [Bury and Lancaster] and a Horticultural Worker [Winchester] at Langley House Trust, an Operations Manager with KeepOut [HMP Coldingley], a Trainer Assessor [HMP Huntercombe], a Housing Caseworker [HMP Bullingdon], and a Chair, Treasurer-elect and Trustees with Prisoners Abroad [London]. For more information about these vacancies, and many more, please click here

TIPS OF THE WEEK

  • Tip of the week I: 8th March is International Women's Day. Find out how you can be involved and what's happening in your area here
  • Tip of the week II: Take a free stress test to see how stressed you are and any areas you can work on. Details
  • Tip of the week III: 70% off in the January sales at Laura Ashley, House of Fraser and Office

EXTRA INFORMATION

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Contact Us www.clinks.org | info@clinks.org | 0207 248 3538

 

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Clinks

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