Criminal Justice Forum Event
Wednesday 10th July, 10am - 3pm, Dryden Centre, Gateshead

Come along to hear the latest local and national developments in criminal justice, and use your experiences to inform Clinks’ national policy work. The forums allow you to step back from your crucial day-to-day front-line work to see the bigger picture and context in which you are working.

The forum will provide an update from the Clink's policy team and there will also be an opportunity to hear the challenges and opportunities facing voluntary sector organisation's from across the North East. You can read about the last forum on my blog.

The forum is free to attend for Clinks members so why not use this as an opportunity to join too.

Clinks State of the Sector
Closing Date: 5th July

This survey aims to get a picture of the current challenges facing voluntary sector organisations working with people in contact with the criminal justice system and/or their families in England and Wales. We will use the survey to inform the range of support Clinks provides to voluntary organisations and how we work with others including government departments and agencies, funders and donors.

It would be great to get as many organisations from the North East as possible to complete the survey to support the Development Officer with her work. 

Enhancing arts and culture in the criminal justice system: A partnership approach

The publication outlines the complex nature of the criminal justice system and the value of arts and culture in these settings. It includes step-by-step guidance and principles of best practice – putting individuals with complex needs at the heart of effective interventions, encouraging partnership work and ensuring artistic quality.

The Future of Probation - Briefing
Market Engagement Events

Clinks has published a briefing to summarise the key points from the government’s response to both the Strengthening probation, building confidence consultation and the recently published The Proposed Future Model for Probation: A Draft Operating Blueprint. From spring 2021, all offender management will become the responsibility of the National Probation Service. The briefing looks at the Ministry of Justice’s decision to reunify offender management, the timescales, the priorities, future structure, who will be delivering services, procurement, funding and equalities.

The MoJ are also holding a services of market engagement events on the Dynamic Framework throughout the summer, with the nearest to the North East being held in York.

This month I have caught up with colleagues in User Voice, Homeless Link and Fulfilling Lives and I have also been having conversations with partners in Sunderland to discuss how best to take forward their MEAM approach. I am inputting into the year 2 evaluation of the MEAM approach, with a finalised version expecting to be published in July.

Last week I held a roundtable with smaller, specialist women's organisations discussing their challenges and support needs. The event gave me a lot of food for thought and I hope to develop more opportunities for joint working in the near future. This week I will represent the sector on the Durham and Darlington Reducing Reoffending Group before going on leave next week. My first week back I will be holding my criminal justice forum and hope to see some of you there.

Cleveland PCC launches Police and Crime Plan 2019/20

Police and Crime Commissioner Barry Coppinger has published his vision for policing and community safety in Cleveland.

Exploring the use of drones in preventing and solving crime, improving digital standards in policing and developing new approaches to drug misuse all play a central role in his refreshed seventy-point Police and Crime Plan.

All PCCs are required by law to develop a plan setting out their key objectives for policing and community safety in their area. It is then the responsibility of the Chief Constable to incorporate the PCC’s priorities in their operational planning.

Northumbria PCC Elections
Thursday 18th July 2019

The role of Police and Crime Commissioner has been undertaken by Dame Vera Baird since November 2012 and following her recent appointment as Victims Commissioner for England and Wales a new PCC will be elected on 18th July. 

Details of canditades standing for election are:

- Georgina Emma Rowley Hill (Independent)
- Cara Kim McGuiness (Labour Party)
- Robbie Moore (Conservative and Unionist Party)
- Jonathan Wallace (Liberal Democrats) 

Durham and Darlington Liaison and Diversion Launch Event 
Tuesday 9th July 2019, Mercure Darlington Hotel, 9am - 12noon

Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust are now in partnership with Spectrum and Humankind to provide L&D service in Co Durham and Darlington.

They will be using a whole care pathway approach working collaboratively in a multi-agency approach to address health and social care needs and offending behaviour for vulnerable people in the criminal justice system.

The service remains an All Age Service provided at Voluntary Attendance settings, Police Custody Suites, Magistrates courts, Youth Courts. They will offer assertive follow up to ensure access and support to attend treatment and rehabilitation appointments.

Halo Regional Conference: Transforming Public Sector approach in tackling illegal cultural harms 
Tuesday 11th July 2019, Cleveland Community Safety Hub, 10am - 3.30pm

The Conference aims to overcome the challenges involved in safeguarding and promotes partnership working to minimise the risks of illegal cultural harms and abuse within the BAME communities. Improving awareness of forced marriage, honour based violence and FGM, highlighting good practice in case management. 

It aims to enhance and improve partnership working and to examine how adopting a stronger multi-agency response can enable prevention, as well as early intervention and support for victims and those at risk of forced marriage, FGM and honour based violence.

Sexual Violence in Further Education
Tuesday 16th July 2019, New College Durham, 12 noon - 4.45pm

The aims of the this half day conference are:
1. To highlight the potential contributions of the Further and Higher Education sectors in the prevention of sexual violence
2. To reflect upon best policy and practice for increasing reporting rates to universities and colleges
3. To consider how such work at educational institutions sits within what we think we know about sex offenders including their health and social care conditions
4. To identify new research and service directions on tackling sexual violence

This conference is stimulated by a new book by Prof Graham Towl and Dr Tammi Walker on ‘Tackling Sexual Violence at Universities’ that argues for increasing recognition of the incidence of such offences, the need for more understanding of its causes and perpetrators, and more focus on the safeguarding of victims.

Cleveland PCC Community Safety Funding
Closing Date: 1st July 2019

The Police and Crime Commissioner receives funds from central government to distribute to organisations and groups who are committed to improving community safety in Cleveland.

In accordance with Section 143 of the Antisocial Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, all awards from this fund must address one or more of the following:
•Crime and disorder reduction, including antisocial behaviour, in communities and neighbourhoods
•Reducing the misuse of drugs, alcohol and other substances
•Reducing re-offending
•Helping victims, witnesses or other people affected by crime and antisocial behaviour (where services are not already being commissioned by the PCC)

Youth Endowement Fund - Up to £200,000
Closing Date: 23rd July 2019

The first round of a new fund that aims to put early intervention at the heart of efforts to tackle youth offending is now open for applications. Grants will be available to support programmes and community partnerships working with children aged 10 – 14 who are at risk of being drawn into crime and violence.

Charities and social enterprises, public sector agencies (including schools, local authorities, police forces) and for-profit organisations are invited to apply. Applicants need to have experience of working with young people (directly or indirectly in a way which improves their outcomes) and if the funding is sought for an existing intervention, it must be used to expand this work.

Interventions need to have a clear theory of change which explains how they reduce offending, informed by the available evidence. 

Clothworkers Foundation - Up to £100,000
No Closing Date

Grants are awarded towards capital projects (total cost less than £100k) within the following areas:

Alcohol and substance misuse.
Disadvantaged minority communities.
Disadvantaged young people.
Domestic and sexual abuse.
Homelessness.
Older people.
People with disabilities.
Prisoners and ex-offenders.
Visual impairment.

At least 50% of service users benefiting from the capital project must be from one or more of these groups.

Grants may cover the cost of the following:

Buildings: purchase, construction, renovation or refurbishment.
Fittings, fixtures, and equipment: including (but is not limited to) office equipment/furniture, sports/gym equipment, digital/audio visual equipment, garden equipment, specialist therapeutic (excluding medical) equipment.
Vehicles: including a minibus, car, caravan, people-carrier, or 4X4 (new vehicles are unlikely to be funded).

Applicants are asked not to request a specific amount; the Trustees will take into consideration a number of factors when deciding the size of grant to award.

Forward Enterprise Fund - £25,000 - £150,000 (unsecured)
No Closing Date

The Forward Enterprise Fund provides loans and business support to enterprises and charities that create employment opportunities for ex-offenders and people in recovery from addiction, to help them grow their business.

The fund is a partnership between Social Investment Business and The Forward Trust backed by Access – The Foundation for Social Investment, The National Lottery Community Fund and Big Society Capital as part of their wider Growth Fund initiative.

The Fund provides access to unsecured loans between £25,000 - £150,000 for revenue and/or capital projects (typical interest rate 7.5%) for up to a five-year term.
Eligible organisations will also have access to grants to pay for up to 10 days of pre-investment business support. Organisations who receive investment will also be able to apply for post-investment business support. Individuals or start-up enterprises with a bright idea can also access Crowdfunder support with match funding available from The Forward Trust.

Organisations must also either (or both)
• work with, or intend to work with, ex-offenders or people in recovery from addiction and create employment opportunities for people from these communities.
• be led by ex-offenders or people in recovery from addiction.

Organisations are encouraged to apply as soon as possible; the fund is planning to be open for new applications until 2020, provided that is has not committed all its capital before then.

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