Clinks Light Lunch | Issue 936 | 12 June 2026

Light lunch

 

In this issue...

 

In partnership with BM4C, we have some exciting work lined up as we look to progress on the racial justice agenda. As a result, we would welcome the involvement of any organisations led by and focused on racially minoritised people. To learn more about how your organisation can get involved in this work, please contact our Director of National Influencing & Networks, Sam Julius on sam.julius@clinks.org

Clinks is recruiting for a National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance (NCJAA) Coordinator to lead and develop the NCJAA, the leading national network of over 500 individuals and organisations delivering creative interventions to support people in prison, on probation and in the community. The Coordinator will work with the NCJAA Advisory Group, HMPPS and the wider membership to improve policy and practice in relation to arts-based work across the criminal justice system. Responsibilities include developing and delivering the annual work plan, coordinating the quarterly arts forum, managing stakeholder relationships and supporting income generation to ensure the long-term sustainability of the network. The role sits within Clinks’ National Influencing and Networks directorate. A Q&A session for prospective applicants will be held on 16 June at 13:00 via Microsoft Teams. Salary: £29,433 (£36,791 FTE) [Deadline: 26 June at 12:00] Apply here

The next Clinks Families Network Forum will focus on the untapped potential of family contact in prisons. HM Inspectorate of Prisons will present the findings and recommendations of their recently published Families Thematic Review, Safety, Well-being and Hope, with an opportunity to hear directly from the team and to consider how the findings can help shape future services. There will also be an opportunity to discuss the impact of the Sentencing Act on families. The forum provides support, information and networking opportunities for those supporting families in contact with the criminal justice system, as well as a broader network of agencies, academic institutions and community support services with an interest in the needs of families. Please note that Families Network Forums are only open to network members. [23 June | 10:00 - 12:00 | Online | Free] Register here

MEMBER FOCUS: Progress to Change

Progress to Change is a registered charity in association with the Diocese of West Yorkshire and The Dales. The charity provides high-quality, trauma-informed support for men and women in the criminal justice system, working with people on release from prison and, in some cases, those living in the community under court-imposed bail conditions. Their approach is psychologically informed and grounded in the belief that people can change when offered both support and appropriate challenge. Through dedicated staff, positive engagement and strong partnerships, Progress to Change creates a safe, supportive and enabling environment that empowers individuals to rebuild their lives, reduce reoffending and positively contribute to their communities. Find out more here

Clinks member, Recoop, has written a blog on the Sentencing Act and what it means for older people in custody. 

It highlights how older people, explicitly recognised as a distinct group within the prison population by the Independent Sentencing Review, require targeted intervention to meet their needs. This includes designing the new progression model with older people in mind, ensuring that appropriate resettlement support is in place, and increasing the use of compassionate release. 

Read the blog here. 

Many older people provide significant care for partners, relatives or friends, yet do not identify as carers and often miss out on financial support as a result. At the same time, key benefits such as Pension Credit and Attendance Allowance remain significantly underclaimed, leaving many older households without the help they are entitled to. This free webinar explores the intersection between ageing, caring responsibilities and benefit entitlement, highlighting common barriers older people face and practical ways professionals can support them to access the help available. [17 June | Online | Free] Register here

As part of HM Prison and Probation Service’s Think Child Campaign 2026, this free online session from Birth Companions explores why the first 1,001 days - from conception to a child’s second birthday - is such a critical window, and how practitioners can “Think Child” when working with families pre-birth and during early motherhood. Kirsty Kitchen, Director of the Birth Companions Institute, will be joined by Director of Services Tanya Tracey and Sam, a member of the Birth Companions Lived Experience Team, to examine how probation, prisons and partner agencies can better recognise and respond to the needs of pregnant women, mothers and their infants. [1 July | 13:30 - 14:30 | Online | Free] Register here

St Martin’s Charity is inviting frontline workers who work with people experiencing homelessness to its ninth annual Frontline Network Conference. The conference supports frontline workers across the UK and across sectors, bringing together diverse speakers and sessions on topics including mental health and homelessness, frontline worker wellbeing and supporting traveller communities. The event will recognise frontline worker voices and experiences from across the four nations. The conference takes place entirely online, with ten interactive sessions running throughout the day. Participants can register for between one and four sessions depending on what works best for them. [23 June | Online | Free] Register here

HMPPS Insights and the Prison Service Journal are hosting an online panel event exploring what the research tells us about supporting people through key moments of transition in the custodial journey. Transitions into custody, between establishments and regimes, and back into the community are central to safety, wellbeing and rehabilitation, yet are often overlooked in policy and practice. The event will bring together colleagues from HMPPS, the Prison Service Journal, academics and external partners. Attendees can also apply for an exclusive VIP opportunity to meet the Prison Service Journal editors to learn more about the journal and how to submit an article, taking place on 10 September.

[Online event: 6 July | 14:00 - 15:00 | Free]
[VIP Prison Service Journal event: 10 September | 11:00 - 12:00]

Register and apply here

CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM: Expansion of Intensive Supervision Courts

The Ministry of Justice has announced an expansion in the number of Intensive Supervision Courts (ISCs), supported by an extra £9 million in funding. The expansion will see the number of ISCs rise from 5 to 11 sites across the country, with a specific focus on 'prolific offenders', women and those with substance misuse issues. 

The new additional investment will fund six new courts, alongside up to £10 million to continue funding the original six pilot sites, as well as a new 'female offender-focused' court in Liverpool, due to open in the autumn. 

The confirmed sites for new Intensive Supervision Courts, which will 'open before the end of 2027', include:   

  • Leeds Magistrates’ Court ('female offender' focused)  
  • Newcastle Magistrates’ Court ('female offender' focused)  
  • Swansea Magistrates’ Court ('female offender' focused)  
  • London Thames Magistrates’ Court ('female offender' focused) 
  • Inner London Crown Court ('prolific offender' focused)  
  • Cambridge Crown court (substance misuse focused) 

Clinks' CEO, Dr Summer Alston-Smith, commented on the announcement: "We really welcome this additional investment into Intensive Supervision Courts, particularly given the vital role our members play in delivering the wraparound support that sits alongside them.

We know that access to the right support at the right time can help people address the challenges that contribute to repeat contact with the criminal justice system. This investment recognises the importance of tackling need in the community as part of an approach that reduces the use of custody and improves societal outcomes, wherever possible."

CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM: AI technology to deliver smarter justice for victims

The government announced on 9 June that new artificial intelligence projects are being developed to tackle the court backlog and speed up justice. The initiatives include AI legal assistants to support legal professionals with routine casework, and a new AI tool to assist judges in identifying trial-ready cases and grouping similar hearings together. Additionally, every probation officer in England and Wales has been equipped with Justice Transcribe, an AI tool that automatically records and transcribes conversations with people on probation, which the government states will free up the equivalent of 18,750 calendar days of probation officers’ time every year. Read more here

CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM: Improving care for imprisoned women with severe mental illness

Researchers from Keele and Durham Universities presented findings at the House of Lords on improving primary care for women in prison with severe mental illness. The NIHR-funded research, co-designed with women with lived experience, found that the prison regime, including short sentences, limited time out of cells and staff shortages acts as a significant barrier to addressing health needs. The team is developing a framework to support prisons in offering more person-centred and ethnically sensitised care. Read more here

CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM: Criminal Bar Association opposes jury trial restrictions

The Criminal Bar Association issued a statement on 8 June expressing fundamental opposition to proposed restrictions on the right to jury trial contained in the Courts and Tribunals Bill. The CBA argued that juries are not the cause of the Crown Court backlog and remain the best mechanism for a fair justice system free from bias. The CBA also expressed deep dissatisfaction with the Ministry of Justice’s stance on additional funding for the Advocates’ Graduated Fees Scheme. Read more here

CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM: Prison fire safety concerns raised in Parliament

The Justice and Home Affairs Committee held an oral evidence session on 9 June regarding fire safety in prisons, questioning senior HMPPS officials on current levels of fire risk. The session followed reports that 19,000 prisoners are still held in cells that do not meet legal fire safety standards, and examined the rollback of the commitment to install Automatic Fire Detection equipment in all cells by the end of 2027. Read more here

FUNDING: Henry Smith Foundation - Equity in Justice 

Henry Smith Foundation are pleased to announce they are opening a fund for organisations delivering specialist services supporting racially minoritised young men, aged 18-25, in contact with the criminal justice system. 

They have written a blog outlining why they decided to create the fund. Read it here.  

For additional information on the fund. Read here. 

FUNDING: AB Charitable Trust - Unrestricted Grants

The AB Charitable Trust is open for applications for unrestricted grants from small to medium-sized charities and community interest companies supporting people who are marginalised and vulnerable in UK society. The Trust works with organisations that support individuals and communities who are in contact with the criminal legal system, or at imminent risk of coming into contact, particularly those focused on harm prevention. Grants are available for between £10,000 and £40,000 for one to three years. The Trust wants its funding to support work with a clear intent to bring about change, that puts equity at the centre and that has an impact on the most marginalised and excluded communities, particularly racialised communities and those facing intersecting disadvantages. [Deadline: 31 July] Apply here

FUNDING: CPF Trust - One-year Grants

The CPF Trust is open for applications for one-year grants of between £1,000 and £3,000, supporting charities operating within education, support for carers and older people, early intervention projects for disadvantaged children and young people, and health and disability. Grant applications are only accepted via email. [Deadline: 30 September] Find out more here

FUNDING: Henry Smith Foundation launches Equity in Justice Fund

The Henry Smith Foundation has announced a new £2.6 million Equity in Justice Fund opening on 10 June. The fund aims to support organisations working with racially minoritised young men aged 18 to 25 who are in contact with the criminal justice system, offering 13 grants of £200,000 each over three to five years. Priority will be given to smaller, led by and for organisations providing culturally appropriate, person-centred support. [Deadline: 5 August] Read more here

FUNDING: West Yorkshire Community Safety Fund

The West Yorkshire Community Safety Fund is now open for applications, welcoming projects that support any of the three priorities within the 2024-2028 Police and Crime Plan: Supporting Victims and Witnesses, Keeping People Safe, and Safer Places and Thriving Communities. All applications must align with policing, tackling crime and community safety. [Deadline: 3 July at 12:00]

Read the Police and Crime Plan

Apply here

PUBLICATION: Probation Quarterly Issue 40

Issue 40 of Probation Quarterly is now available to download for free. This issue brings together a diverse range of voices to explore how technology and artificial intelligence may shape the future of probation and criminal justice, the human realities of practice including burnout, menopause, leadership and professional identity, and supportive meaningful change across desistance, Community Payback, youth justice, domestic abuse and community partnerships. Download here

PUBLICATION: Jagged Justice: Prisons, Probation and Rehabilitation in Wales

The Welsh Affairs Committee published a major report on 9 June titled Jagged Justice: Prisons, Probation and Rehabilitation in Wales. The report highlights severe overcrowding, population pressures and chronic staffing challenges undermining safety and rehabilitation in the Welsh prison estate. The committee called on the Ministry of Justice to confirm plans for the Swansea Residential Women’s Centre, noting that Welsh women are currently held in England far from home. The report also recommends a joint academic review into why the imprisonment rate in Wales is consistently higher than in England, and calls for better Wales-specific justice data. Read more here

OPPORTUNITY:  Invitation to tender - Evaluation of WYCCP Resettlement Service

West Yorkshire Community Chaplaincy Partnership is seeking proposals to undertake an evaluation of its Resettlement Service, with particular emphasis on the Fresh Start project. The evaluation should cover the first two years of the project, examining challenges and barriers to participation, strengths and weaknesses, and providing recommendations for future delivery. An objective assessment of the volunteer programme, family support work and counselling service is also sought. The evaluation must be undertaken between August and December 2026, with a final report submitted in January 2027. A budget of £7,000 is available.

To receive a brief for the work, email kelly.manton@wyccp.org.uk. Informal queries can be directed to Jane Daguerre at jane.daguerre@wyccp.org.uk or 0113 387 4581. [Deadline: 29 June]

StandOut is seeking a dynamic individual to join their team [Full time, £39,000, London]. In this role you will be responsible for shaping and leading our support of participants as they leave the prison gates and begin life in the community. From managing and supporting a team of passionate coaches, working with participants, to programmes leadership and setting the strategy/direction of the community team. This is ideal for someone with previous experience managing a team, overseeing and driving a delivery area and a good understanding of the challenges faced by those caught up in the criminal justice system, gained either by working in prison or through a range of work outside prison. Find out more and apply here by 19th June 2026

Community Keyworker Hertfordshire with ADVANCE (Advocacy and Non-Violence Community Education) [£23000 to £27000, Hertfordshire, full time]; Housing Support Worker with Nacro [£27807, Colchester, full time]; Housing Support Worker with Nacro [£27807, Thurrock, full time]; Housing Support Worker with Nacro [£27807, Southend, full time]; Prison Facilitator - Bank Staff with Shannon Trust [£17, South Central (HMP Bullingdon and HMP Aylesbury), part time]; Community Manager with StandOut [£39000, Vauxhall, London, SE1, full time]; Bank Support Worker – Domestic Abuse (Female Only) with The Nelson Trust [£24500, Swindon, part time]; Prison Employment Adviser with Achieve [£27015 to £30612, HMP Lancaster Farms, full time]; Early Help Inside Out Family Outreach Worker with Jigsaw Visitors' Centre [£27711 to £22168, Bradford (with travel to Jigsaw office at HMP Leeds once per week), part time]; Fundraising & Communications Manager with Prisoners Abroad [£50551, London N4, full time].

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

READS OF THE WEEK:

EXTRA INFORMATION:

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