Clinks Events | March 2025

Clinks events and training

March 2025

Welcome to our latest events update! At Clinks, we are dedicated to supporting voluntary organisations within the criminal justice system through engaging events and training opportunities.

Promote your events with Clinks! Find out more about how Clinks’ voluntary organisation members can promote paid events on our website for a small fee.

NCJAA Writing Development Workshop: Writing Complaints
10:00, 11 March | online | free

This year the National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance (NCJAA) will be working in partnership with the Royal Literary Fund to deliver free writing development training for individuals and organisations delivering services and projects in the criminal justice system.

If you are a member of one of Clinks’ thematic networks, or an independent artist or freelancer in the NCJAA network, these workshops are for you.

Our writing complaints workshop will help you develop skills and techniques including:

organising your thoughts and deciding what you want to say
structuring what you write in a clear, logical way
making your writing easy to understand, and what you say easy to follow
writing in a way that's appropriate and will help achieve a resolution.

The first part of the workshop will be structured around writing, or helping someone to write, an effective complaint. The second part will focus on dealing with external complaints, including those made in a public forum such as Facebook or other social media platforms.

We will look at multiple examples and use discussion and writing exercises to practice complaint writing skills. At the end of the workshop, participants will have a better understanding of how to approach a complaint. Book your place here

Why gender matters in the criminal justice system – 2 part workshop
10:00, 11 & 12 March | online | from £95

Do you have frontline staff or volunteers who are new to working or volunteering in your organisation and want to increase their understanding of why gender matters for women in the criminal justice system? Are you a Clinks member? If so, join us for this two-part entry-level workshop.

The workshop aims to develop understanding of women’s gendered experience of the criminal justice system and raise awareness of ‘a whole system approach’.

Please note: this is not a skills-based course but develops knowledge. Topics covered: policy context; whole system approach; prevention and diversion; community supervision; custody; and resettlement.

It will be delivered online across two sessions on two consecutive days (Part One over 2 hours, Part Two over 3 hours) and uses a range of learning methods, some interactive. Book your place here

Art of the Matter
09:30, 19 March | Rich Mix, London | free (additional tickets £100)

For 2025 Clinks Family Network and the National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance (NCJAA) Anne Peaker Lecture are joining forces to bring you an in person event.

Clinks launched its family network in 2023 and has worked to bring the voluntary sector together to influence policy and practice. The network have highlighted the need for more funding for family work; consistent approaches to visits and the impact stigma has. This event will spotlight how organisations offer a creative approach to supporting children and families affected by the criminal justice system. It aims to bring together voluntary organisations, art practitioners, researchers, and stakeholders to listen to and discuss how the arts have been used as a vital tool to support families.

This event will celebrate the work of the voluntary sector working to support children and families of those in the criminal justice system by creating opportunities to share learning and good practice, network and consider future opportunities.

This event has been coproduced with All Things Considered Theatre who will be showcasing their fantastic performance, '8 Hours There and Back', following the stories of Ruby, Jake and Grace as they navigate a world that they shouldn't be in and a system that has forgotten about them. Told through a fusion of dance, projections, and words '8 Hours There and Back' examines how a system set up by adults is failing the children. This piece is inspired by the stories from children. Every story belongs to someone.

Anne Peaker was a pioneer of arts for, and by, people in the criminal justice system. This event honours her work and legacy, which forms the basis of the work NCJAA do today. Book your place here

Women’s Network Forum
10:00, 26 March | online | free

Our quarterly women’s networking forums, hosted in partnership with the Agenda Alliance, provide support, information and networking opportunities to those working with women in contact with the criminal justice system. They also provide updates on policy, member activity and host speakers on relevant topics. The forums provide an opportunity to gather feedback and key issues raised by organisations working with women in contact with the criminal justice system, enabling Clinks to reflect these to national government at Reducing Reoffending Third Sector Advisory Group (RR3) meetings.

We will also get a policy update from Clinks and Agenda, and there will be an opportunity for members to feedback on issues the women they work with are facing. Come along to the women’s network forum to learn more about creating change for women. Book your place here

Other upcoming events you might have missed

NCJAA Writing Development Workshop: Writing Funding Applications (up to £10,000): 25 February | online, free

Working with young adults in contact with the criminal justice system: what the evidence tells us: 25 February | online | free

Breaking Barriers Conference (Member event): 26 February | Ipswich | from £25

Justice and Women: A New Direction: Grant funded opportunity to advise the Weavers: 26 February | online | free

Do you have ideas for events or training that could benefit you or your organisation? We would love to hear from you! Send your suggestions to events@clinks.org.

See all our upcoming events here

-----------------------------------------------------------

Clinks logo

You are receiving this email because you subscribe to Light Lunch.

Get involved Become a Member | Follow Clinks on Twitter

Click here to manage your subscriptions. For assistance, email info@clinks.org

Registered office: 82A James Carter Road, Mildenhall, Suffolk, IP28 7DE

Registered charity: 1074546 | Company limited by guarantee in England & Wales: 3562176