Stronger voice: Introduction to parliament (England)

About the training

This training is designed to support people working for voluntary organisations in the criminal justice system to increase their awareness and understanding of parliamentary processes and how to work with them to influence change.

The training will cover:

• The respective roles of the government and parliament, with a specific focus on how legislation is made
• The House of Commons and House of Lords and how to engage with them
• Select committees and All-Party Parliamentary Groups.

The training is delivered by the Parliamentary Outreach team, that works across the whole of the UK to support community groups and schools in discovering how parliament works and how they can get their voices heard on issues that matter to them. All sessions are free and they particularly work with groups who are less likely to have engaged with parliament previously.

Who this event is for

This is a beginner's event, for organisations working in the criminal justice system who rarely engage with policy and want to learn how they can influence decision makers.  

For example, you have sent a letter to a Member of Parliament but don’t know how to follow it up; you are interested in legislation but don’t know how it is made and passed through parliament; or you have seen the work of a Select Committee or an All- Party Parliamentary Group but don’t know how you can engage with it.

Training opportunities for organisations more experienced in policy and influencing will be made available later in the Stronger voice programme.

Eligibility criteria:

As Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales is funding this programme of work, we are asking for the following criteria to be met:

• These events are open to any voluntary organisation working in the criminal justice system, though each event has a different capacity of attendee numbers to ensure the training is effective
• Places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis, subject to eligibility and availability, though Clinks will reserve specific spaces for organisations working with people in contact with the criminal justice system that are led by and focussed on racially minoritised people
• Please only book one ticket per organisation as we expect there to be high demand for these events.

About the trainer

Nikki Luke is UK Parliament’s Outreach Officer for London. She has worked at parliament for six years engaging the public in its work in an accessible and relevant way.

About Stronger voice

The Stronger voice training programme brings together experts across policy, campaigns and communications to support organisations of all sizes to influence decision makers. This programme is being delivered as part of Clinks’ three-year Stronger voice programme, funded by the Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales, and aims to help the voluntary sector working in criminal justice to develop a unified and influential voice, at both a national and regional level.