Napo HQ Blog

Following a request from several branches, a further round of NEC Reps nominations were sent out to members in branches with vacancies still. These branches are:

• Cheshire Greater Manchester
• Cumbria & Lancashire
• East Anglia
• East Midlands
• Essex
• Family Court Section
• Hampshire & Isle of Wight
• Kent, Surrey & Sussex
• Napo Cymru
• Northern Ireland
• Northumbria
• Thames Valley

Branches are being asked to ensure that any interested members in these branches return a nomination form by the deadline of 28th February.

Any member interested in this  role should contact their branch for more information.

Providing a stable and secure accommodation for ex-offenders helps reduce the risk of re-offending. Housing is fundamental to helping re-establish life in the community and live life away from crime. This half day briefing will take place in London on Thursday 28^th February 2019.

Expert speakers include:

• Rob Owen, Chief Executive Officer, St Giles Trust (Chair)
• Anita Birchall, Head of Threshold, Threshold Housing Project
• Helen Clipsom, Outreach Manager, City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council
• Joanne Casson, Service Manager, Wigan Council
• Angelina Morgan, Head of Operations, Look Ahead
• Mike Trace, Chief Executive, Forward Trust

The Resettlement and Housing Support for Ex-Offenders Briefing provides an opportunity to learn about the latest strategies and practices around developing an effective housing support for offenders. This practical event is designed to showcase examples of providing a quality pre-release housing support, developing tenancy support and effective monitoring of housing needs after release.

Suited to organisations from the housing sector, probation, local authorities, health, community, voluntary organisations and private sector. This briefing will leave you better placed to support offenders into a stable accommodation and re-integrate them in society.

This event will be insightful for all those involved in housing. Here's what some of our previous housing delegates had to say about our events:

“Very Good & Informative – enjoyed the range of speakers” - Elizabeth Rowland, Housing Services Manager, Octavia Housing

"Really informative" - Kate Sullivan, Tenancy Enforcement and Support Manager, Jigsaw Homes Group

"Excellent" - Marian Wilson, Investigations Officer, Octavia Housing

Briefing Highlights:

• Hear the most effective ways of supporting women offenders with complex needs into accommodation
• Discover how specialist, forensic services help ex-offenders with mental health issues resettle within their local community
• Explore how to develop effective partnership working with the Private Rented Sector (PRS)
• Work with your partners to develop an effective tenancy support and provide effective advice and assistance about housing options

Conference Details:

Thursday 28^th February 2019

09:00 - 12:30

Central London

Book your place | View the agenda

Westminster Insight are offering a discount of 10% off our regular rates (below) to Napo members and 20% if you book two places or more. Contact Editorial at Napo for the promotional code details.

Promotional codes will expire at 9pm, Wednesday 13^th February 2019.

Pay with a Credit or Debit Card and receive a further 10% off*

Material for Napo's Reunification of Probation Campaign is going out to branches now.  We are asking all members to send a card to their own MP, with a personalised message, asking them to support the campaign. So contact your branch for a copy of the 8 Reasons Postcard or we can send you one direct (campaigns@napo.org.uk)

Download a poster

Expert speakers include:

• (Chair) Helen Berresford, Director of External Engagement, Nacro
• Katie Lomas, National Chair, Napo
• Ian Bickers, Deputy Director, Education, Employment and Accommodation Group, Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service, New Futures Network
• Sean Duggan, Chief Executive, Mental Health Network, NHS Confederation
• Chris Edwards, Chief Executive, Merseyside and Greater Manchester Rehabilitation Company
• Steve Gillan, General Secretary, Prison Officer’s Association (POA)
• Matthew Tilt, Governor, Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service, HM Prison Onley
• Anita Dockley, Research Director, The Howard League for Penal Reform
• Mike Trace, Chief Executive, Forward Trust
• Jason Stewart Head of Reducing Re-Offending, Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service, HM Prison Onley
• Matthew Randle, Assistant Director, Catch 22
• Geeta Subramaniam-Mooney, Head of Public Protection and Safety, Lewisham Council
• Sam Sanderson, Project Manager, Women in the Criminal Justice System Sussex Police
• Mignon French, Programme Manager, Community Sentence Treatment Requirements
• Paul Bullen, Director for Delivery Office of Northamptonshire Police and Crime Commissioner
• Mick Stamper, Chief Superintendent, Northamptonshire Police
• Sean Scannell, Strategic Delivery Manager, Northamptonshire Police
• Simon Allcock, Head of Projects, Riverside

With almost half of all crime committed by people who have already been through the criminal justice system, the cost of reducing re-offending is rising and is now costing the taxpayer around £15 billion per year.

 The Education and Employment Strategy, launched by the Government earlier this year sets out new measures to boost skills of ex-offenders and help them secure employment. A creation of a new body – New Futures Network which will work alongside employers, aims to provide a key role in linking local businesses directly with their local prisons.

Westminster Insight’s new Reducing Re-offending Conference brings you the latest approaches and strategies to support and rehabilitate offenders and reduce re-offending. Digest the keynote from the Director of Youth Justice & Offender Policy Directorate at the Ministry of Justice. Phil Douglas will talk about the Government’s initiative to help offenders get the right skills for employment, as well as delivering more effective and tailored interventions for offenders who are vulnerable.

Conference Highlights:

• An update on the cross-government approach to reducing re-offending
• How a prison is leading the way in helping to transform the lives of offenders by getting them into employment
• Discussion on effective partnership working across all agencies to reduce re-offending
• The ‘Whole Systems Approach’ (WSA) model to supporting women offenders
• Successfully diverting offenders from criminal justice into treatment through Community Sentence Treatment Requirements
• Prevention and early intervention of offending behaviour through the mitigation of the negative impacts of adverse childhood experiences (ACE)
• The importance of provision of a stable and secure accommodation in reducing re-offending

Westminster Insight are offering a discount of 10% off our regular rates (below) to Napo members and 20% if you book two places or more. Contact Editorial at Napo for the promotional code details.

Pay with a Credit or Debit Card and receive a further 10% off*

BOOK A PLACE

Workers at Historic Royal Palaces (HRP) are set to show management they mean business by walking out tomorrow (Wednesday 6) in a row over pensions.

Staff across Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace, the Banqueting House, Kensington Palace, Kew Palace and Hillsborough Castle voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action after attacks being made by management to their pension scheme. The workers belonging to PCS and GMB unions are being forced onto a defined contribution scheme that would leave them significantly worse in retirement.

PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: “This show of strength by HRP workers from both our union and the GMB will send a clear message to management that they must give their staff a decent pension in retirement.

“It is incumbent on HRP management to get round the table and negotiate properly with both unions to come to a fair deal.”

In a message of solidarity, Napo's own GS wrote: "I wanted to convey a message of support from Napo members to our brothers and sisters working in the Historic Royal Palaces.

Their struggle shows that the recent platitudes from this government about the importance of trade unions are just words, and demonstrates why such action is still necessary to oppose the continuing onslaught on the living standards of working people."

Show your support for the HRP workers with the hastag #PCSHRPpensionfight  

At the most recent Trade Union Engagement meeting (where the Unions meet with the NPS Employer) the NPS confirmed that 400 people had been overpaid by SSCL in error. They had only just been informed themselves and were still investigating how this had happened. They agreed this was unacceptable.

Napo raised concerns about asking people to repay and recent experience in other cases where communications from SSCL had been aggressive. We particularly emphasised that SSCL are not the employer and that responsibility cannot be abdicated by the NPS. Read the full story

Justice Secretary David Gauke announced in a speech at Women’s Aid that community services supporting vulnerable women have been awarded £1.6 million funding, as part of the Government’s commitment to reduce the number of women entering the criminal justice system.

Just sharing a communication Ian Lawrence received today from TUC General Council from Frances O'Grady, TUC General Secretary ...

Dear General Council Member

Following my conversation with the Prime Minister last week, representatives from my office and other trade union officials were today invited to meet with the Cabinet Office, Beis and Defra.

The TUC set out our tests that any Brexit deal must protect jobs, rights, and peace in Northern Ireland. We pointed out that since the Prime Minister is keen to reopen negotiations on the backstop in the Withdrawal Agreement, we would expect her to also to seek to make improvements to provisions on workers’ rights in the deal.

The Prime Minister’s commitment to legislation on workers’ rights (along the lines of the Mann amendment) was confirmed. However, details have yet to be worked through by officials and remain subject to the usual consultation and likely delays. It was however clear that any government plans for changes at a domestic level will in no way compensate for the loss of workers’ rights that would result from leaving the single market, and will certainly not act as a bulwark against any future right-wing governments.

The TUC reminded officials of the need for government to address the many of the drivers of the Brexit vote and set out our new deal for working people priorities.

Finally, we advised that ad-hoc and one-off meetings are no substitute for structured consultation. We encouraged future engagement with the TUC on both Brexit and the domestic agenda to ensure that the voices of working people and trade unions are heard.

I have this afternoon written to the Prime Minister to reiterate our position. I will keep you up to date with developments.

Napo is a long-term affiliate to Show Racism the Red Card and members attending Napo's AGM will know all about them from their stall their and various fringe meetings they have organsied for us.

The campaign contacted us this week to let us know that there is still time to register for the annual Show Racism the Red Card School Competition, please follow the link to your specific region - England, Scotland, and Wales.

Also the Show Racism the Red Card 2018 Annual Review is available to view online, as is the trailer for the new educational film.

Has there been an overhaul or reset of Universal Credit?  Despite some fanfare over the latest tweaks to the policy, the answer is no, it is business as usual with Universal Credit. The TUC has published a briefing for trade unionists - CLICK HERE TO READ MORE

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