In its entirety, this is the latest news bulletin from Safer Future Communities with updates about the work of the project and useful information for the local Safer Future Communities networks and others interested in community safety and working with police and crime commissioners (PCCs).

Safer Future Communities is supporting the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) Sector to engage with and influence PCCs and the new commissioning landscape in which they will operate.

In this newsletter

Support and resources
Events
PCC and local Safer Future Communities network news
Policy updates
News from our partners
News from Home Office

Support and resources

Police and crime commissioners and the changing health policy agenda briefing

We have produced a briefing to explain the links between the new local commissioning arrangements for policing and crime and health and social care. Many local and national priorities are relevant both to the policing and crime prevention agenda and to the health and social care agenda: violence and substance misuse are obvious examples, where either the perpetrator or the victim – or both – may require the intervention of health services as well as the police.

Making the case for substance misuse needs in your local area – coming soon

Safer Future Communities partner Drugscope has worked with four local Safer Future Communities networks to develop business cases for substance misuse services in their areas. They are also developing a briefing and template for other areas to use to develop their own business case. This will be available from the resources section of our website soon at www.clinks.org/services/sfc/sfcresources

Briefing on Safer Future Communities for police and crime panel members

We have written a briefing on the role of local Safer Future Communities networks for police and crime panel members. This is being distributed through the District Councils Network and can also be found at www.clinks.org/services/sfc/sfcresources

Governance in the new commissioning landscape

On 5th November 2012, New Philanthropy Capital and The Clothworkers’ Company held a seminar for charity trustees to understand more about the new commissioning landscape. Attendees explored risks and opportunities, and their role as trustees in steering their charity through this complex and changing environment. This report highlights key themes discussed during the seminar, looking at recent changes in commissioning, the consequences for charities, and how they can best respond.

Events

Arts Alliance annual meeting & conference

FREE – Thursday 14th March, 2013 – 10:00 to 3pm, Millennium Centre, Wales
Key aims:

• To bring together arts, criminal justice sector practitioners and policy makers in Wales
• To deliver peer learning workshops using arts interventions in criminal justice settings (Including performance, visual arts, creative writing and music workshops)
• To provide networking opportunities for criminal justice sector and arts practitioners

To book a place please visit the Arts Alliance website

Clinks – Providing employment and training opportunities for offenders – an Open Space Event

FREE – Wednesday 20th March 2013 – 10.30 to 3.30pm, London

Clinks, together with Social Firms UK, has been commissioned by the Home Office to investigate just what is required to develop the role of social enterprises that provide employment and training opportunities for both young and adult offenders.  To find out more and to book a place read on

Local commissioning, local partnerships – are we ready?

We held a successful event on 20th February to explore how different forms of collaboration can ensure that the specialist services and innovative approaches of the voluntary and community sector are made available to police and crime commissioners and other commissioning bodies. If you missed the event you can read a summary of live tweets from it here http://storify.com/Clinks_PCCs/local-commissioning-local-partnerships-are-we-read

PCC and local Safer Future Communities network news

Reducing crime by reducing crisis events, Norfolk

These events, organised by the Norfolk Safer Future Communities network, will look at the relationship between health & wellbeing and crime & anti-social behaviour.  How services that support a range of vulnerable people also contribute to reductions in crime & anti-social behaviour will be explored.  There will be presentations from Dr Marcus Roberts, Policy Director at DrugScope, the Police and Crime Commissioner and his Deputy: Stephen Bett and Jenny McKibben and workshop opportunities will help inform their plans for engaging with voluntary and community organisations and groups.  Further details can be found here

PCCs engaging with young people and working to tackle youth crime

In Merseyside PCC Jane Kennedy met with members of the Safer Communities Merseyside Voluntary, Community and Faith Sector Network in a meeting co-ordinated by Sefton CVS to discuss the Merseyside Youth Charter as well as Transforming Rehabilitation and Welfare Reform, read more here

A group of around six PCCs are to work closely with the Early Intervention Foundation, which is due to launch shortly, to help widen the use of preventative projects for young people at risk of getting in trouble with the law.  Read more here

In Kent PCC Ann Barnes is advertising for a Youth Police and Crime Commissioner, offering a 1 year paid internship.  Read more here

Policy updates

Important change to PCCs Community Safety Funds

We have previously advised, on the basis of information from the Home Office, that the PCCs Community Safety Funds are ringfenced. This information has now been revised. The Community Safety Fund is un-ringfenced, which means PCCs have total freedom to use it as they wish. However, the Home Office advises that the PCC role is much wider than just policing, and PCCs will be seeking to establish their wider crime prevention role.

Social Value Act 2013

Clinks has produced a briefing on the introduction of this new legislation.  The Act requires local authorities and other commissioners of public services, including PCCs, to consider how their services can benefit people living in the local community.  Under the legislation, procurers must now consider how they can improve the social impact of their public service contracts before they start the procurement process.   The Act also requires commissioners to consider consulting on the services to be procured.  More information on this can be read on the Cabinet Office website You can also read Cabinet Office guidance on the Act for procurers and commissioners

Commissioning Academy

A new initiative, which brings together commissioners from across the public sector and aims to transform how public services are delivered has been announced by Minister for the Cabinet Office, Francis Maude.  Open to all public sector commissioning organisations the Commissioning Academy will help senior commissioners learn from the example of the most successful and innovative commissioning groups.  More information can be found here

News from our partners

Have your say on support and solutions to help you to deliver criminal justice payment by results programmes?

Clinks want to find out what challenges the VCS is currently facing, and what practical support and solutions they would need in order to be able to deliver payment by results (PbR) programmes in the Criminal Justice System. We want to hear the views of VCS organisations of all sizes and from all regions of England and Wales. We are working in collaboration with 3SC, Third Sector Research Centre, Candour Collaborations and Common Capital – a partnership commissioned by the Ministry of Justice – to design a capacity building action plan to support VCSE organisations to successfully participate in upcoming justice sector PbR programmes. Your response will help shape future capacity building services available to the VCS, so by telling us your needs, they are more likely to be met in the future. If you’re a VCS organisation working in England or Wales, please take our short survey

Subscribe to Clinks weekly ebulletin

Light Lunch is Clinks’ weekly ebulletin. It provides readers with a round up of news and developments from the VCSE working in the Criminal Justice System. Light Lunch also features funding opportunities, resources, events, training and sources of support. Light Lunch is received by 9,000 professionals working in the Criminal Justice System, with a diverse audience including senior civil servants, probation and prison staff, and funders, in addition to the Voluntary and Community Sector. 83% of readers say it’s their primary source of information on the VCS working with offenders. Light Lunch is completely free to subscribe to, and Clinks Members can submit copy free of charge. Subscribe here

News from Home Office

Crime and policing policy news update

The Home Office’s latest crime and policing policy update includes information on the latest crime statistics, the extension of the definition of domestic violence so that young people aged 16 and 17 would be included, the alcohol strategy consultation and a speech given by Policing minister Damien Green to the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners.   You can read more the update here

Follow us on Twitter: @Clinks_PCCs

This project is funded by the Home Office and managed by Clinks, registered charity no 1074546, Company limited by guarantee, registered in England no 3562176