Pope Francis, God's vicar or people's Pope?

The man who's taught the world the meaning of humility: He lives in a B&B and makes sandwiches for his guards. Could Francis be the greatest Pope ever?

By Guy Adams originally published in the Daily Mail 25 12 2013

Bespectacled, modest 77-year-old from Argentina was elected in March. He has washed Muslim prisoners' feet and ridden the bus with bishops. On Christmas Eve he carried a heavy statue of the baby Jesus himself. He shuns ornate papal apartments and made a guard a jam sandwich.

Question: Who was the most talked about person in the world this year? Answer: Not Justin Bieber, Prince George or even Nelson Mandela, but a small, grey-haired man from Argentina called Jorge Mario Bergoglio.

Known since March 13 as Pope Francis, the spectacle-wearing 77-year-old was 2013’s most discussed human being, according to the Global Language Monitor’s annual survey of the internet.

The accolade lays bare his astounding ability — unique among modern religious leaders — to shape the news agenda and capture hearts and minds with a succession of charismatic speeches and colourful public gestures.

Pictured posing for a 'selfie' inside St Peter's Basilica in March, Pope Francis has seen his popularity and that of the Catholic church soar. He has been named Time magazine's person of the year

Pope Francis washed and kissed the feet of a prisoner at the Casal Del Marmo Youth Detention Centre during the mass of the Lord's Supper in March.

Yesterday, Francis drew a near record crowd estimated at 100,000 to St Peter’s Square in Rome to hear a Christmas address where he called for ‘a better world, free from conflict’.

More than two million people have flocked to such audiences since his election — four times the number his predecessor Pope Benedict drew in total in 2012.

This Pope’s headline-grabbing speeches are tweeted and televised around the world. His public gestures are YouTube gold.

And his policy statements are included in the morning briefing papers of Barack Obama, Vladimir Putin and David Cameron.

A fortnight ago, Francis was named Time magazine’s 86th Person of the Year — an honour previously awarded to Churchill, the Queen, Ronald Reagan and John F. Kennedy.

Continues....

Why we don't trust our leaders in the workplace

Reblogged from Forbes
Curated by Rachel

As the world mourns the loss of Nelsen Mandela and commemorates his greatness as a leader, we would do well to remember that one of the  many hallmarks of his leadership was trust.    The greatest leaders in the world gravitated toward Mr. Mandela because he was genuinely trustworthy and his purpose was to support peace, prosperity and unity not only in South Africa – but throughout the world.   Mandela was able to lead people in ways that many find impossible to do. As he famously said, “It always seems impossible until it’s done.”
Unfortunately, trust is in rare supply these days.  People are having trouble trusting each other, according to an AP-GfK poll conducted in November 2013, which found that Americans are suspicious of each other in their everyday encounters.   Only one-third of Americans say most people can be trusted – down from half who felt that way in 1972, when the General Social Survey first asked the question.  Forty years later, in 2013, a record high of nearly two-thirds says “you can’t be too careful” in dealing with people.
This same sentiment can be carried over into the workplace, where employees want their leaders to be more trustworthy and transparent.   Employees have grown tired of unexpected outcomes resulting from the lack of preparation.  They want to be informed of any change management efforts before – not after the fact.   Employees desire to know what is expected of them and be given the opportunity to reinvent themselves, rather than be told they are not qualified for new roles and responsibilities and can no longer execute their functions successfully.
Leaders are challenged between informing their employees of the entire truth and holding back certain realities so as not to unnecessarily scare   people or lose top-talent.   More and more leaders today are being placed into uncomfortable moral dilemmas because they are attempting to salvage their own jobs while trying to maintain the trust and loyalty of their employees.
The growing tensions between leaders and their employees are creating productivity challenges as uncertainty becomes the new normal in the workplace.  Furthermore, leaders are beginning to lose control of their own identities and effectiveness as their employees begin to lose trust in their intentions because of hidden agendas and political maneuvering – casting clouds of doubt over their futures.
Employees just want the truth.  They have learned that the old ways of doing things just don’t apply (as much) anymore and more than ever they need their leaders to have their backs.  Unfortunately, many leaders are operating in survival mode and don’t have the sphere of influence they once had; without leaders to sponsor and mentor them, high-potential employees must now figure out the changing terrain on their own.
Here are seven early warning signs to look out for so you can course-correct when employees are having trouble trusting their leaders:
1.  Lack Courage
Leaders that don’t stand up for what they believe in are difficult to respect and trust.   Too many leaders today battle the gulf between assimilation and authenticity.   They waste too much of their valuable time trying to act like other leaders in the organization – rather than attempting to establish their own identity and leadership style.   This is why less than 15% of leaders have defined and live their personal brand.
Perhaps leaders don’t believe that their employees are paying attention to this behavior – but they are intently observing.    Employees are always in tune to what their leaders are doing and how they manage themselves.   Employees know that if their leaders are not savvy enough to move themselves into a position of greater influence, it will make it that much more difficult for   them to get noticed and discovered as well.  The influence of a leader carries a lot of weight when it comes to how their colleagues judge and evaluate the potential of their employees.
When leaders lack the courage to enable their full potential and that of others, it becomes a challenge to trust their judgment, self-confidence, self-awareness and overall capabilities.
2.  Hidden Agendas
Leaders that are too politically savvy can be viewed as devious and inauthentic.  Employees want to follow leaders who are less about the politics and more about how to accomplish goals and objectives.   While being politically savvy is important, leaders must be careful not to give their employees the impression of orchestrating hidden agendas.
Employees want to believe that their leaders are focused on the betterment of the team.  If this requires well-intentioned political maneuvering to advance team goals and objectives, then great.  However, if it comes across that a leader is solely intent on protecting themselves and their own personal agendas – trust from the team will be lost quickly and difficult to recapture.
3.  Self-Centered
Hidden agendas make it difficult to trust that a leader’s intentions and decision-making are not self-centered.  When a leader is only looking out for themselves and lacks any sense of commitment to the advancement of their employees – this shuts-off employees quickly.

Great leaders are great coaches and are always looking to help their employees grow and prosper.   When leaders lack any real desire to mentor, coach and/or guide the career advancement of their employees – it becomes increasingly difficult for employees to trust them.   I’ve often said that leaders can’t go at it alone.   But when leaders are too disruptive, their employees sense that they are in it for themselves and/or don’t trust the talent around them.
Also, when leaders are self-centered their ego stands in the way of advancing others – further eroding trust.
4.  Reputation Issues
When people begin to speak negatively about their leader, it makes it more difficult for others to trust their intentions and vision.  For example, look at what has happened to President Barrack Obama since December 2009 when his approval rating was 69%.    According to the Rasmussen Reports, four years later (as of December 7th), Obama’s approval rating is now at 43%.  Nearly a 30% decline has created massive disruption to his reputation and many who have followed and supported him for years are now having troubling trusting him.
If you conducted a comparative approval rating survey in your workplace, how would your employees rate the performance of your leaders?
Every leader must be aware that they are constantly being evaluated and thus they can never grow complacent.   When they do, this begins to negatively impact their reputation and the trust employees have in their leadership.
5.  Inconsistent Behavior
People are more inclined to trust those who are consistent with their behavior.   Isn’t it easy to begin questioning one’s motives/judgment when they are inconsistent?  For example, I’ve worked with clients who appear to be on the same page – only to notice that they begin to disconnect when they believe that the direction of a project is not allowing them to mobilize their own agendas.   In order words, when everyone but the leader is on board with a strategy – you begin to wonder if their intentions are to support the organization’s advancement or their own.
Leaders who are consistent with their approach and intentions are those who can be trusted.   This is why so many leaders need to refresh their leadership style before they lose the trust of their employees.
6.  Don’t Get Their Hands Dirty
Leaders must touch the business, just as much as they lead it.    When leaders are over-delegating and not getting their hands dirty – employees begin to question whether or not their leader actually knows what is required to get the job done.    Distrust amongst employees begins to rise.
Though leaders cannot be expected to have all of the answers – they should not play at arms-length either. The 21st century leader must be more high-touch in order to effectively evaluate the business and coach-up their employees.    How else can a leader establish the standards to maintain and improve workplace performance?
Are your leaders getting their hands dirty or are they merely acting the part?
Leaders must earn the trust of their employees and stop believing that their titles, roles and responsibilities automatically warrant trust from others.
7.  Lack a Generous Purpose
When a leader doesn’t genuinely have your best interests at heart, it’s difficult to trust them.  When leaders are not grateful for your performance efforts – and are always attempting to squeeze every bit of effort they can out of you – it’s difficult to trust that they have intentions to be more efficient, resourceful and collaborative.

Employees don’t ever want to feel taken advantage of – especially during a time when everyone is being asked to do more with less.   Leaders must be more appreciative of their employees and more mindful of their endeavors.
Leaders who lack a generous purpose and are not compassionate towards their employees are difficult to trust. How can leaders expect their employees to give them everything they’ve got to increase their performance impact when they are not willing to do the same?
These seven behavioral traits are becoming much more prevalent in the workplace and if leaders fail to course-correct they will be putting their employees in positions of increased risk – disrupting their focus and the momentum of their careers.
This is what today leaders must consider: how to lead in new ways that focus less on oneself, but more on the betterment of a healthier whole. Leaders must enable positive social change through ethical innovation   – what I call “innovation humanity.”

Let’s honor Mandala’s courage and compassion by letting his leadership inspire us now as it did throughout the life he lived with such generous purpose.
Email or follow-me the author on Twitter @GlennLlopis.

Mandela-Free

"It always seems impossible until it is done." ~ Nelson Mandela

RIP Madiba

Plumber Girl

This is from our one service users as part of our "Coming Home Cardiff" program, joining women, skills, housing and employment. Thanks to the lovely team at Mears for making this happen.
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This is the first blog I have ever written but here goes...

I am a female plumber who has spent the last year trying to get funding for my NVQ in plumbing. I got nowhere. Nevertheless I plodded on carrying out plumbing jobs in the hope that one day all my hard work would pay off. Well today, it finally did!

Under the guidance of 'Coming Home Cardiff' a meeting is arranged for me to meet members of the MEARS group and discuss my future. Me, a scruffy plumber with no business mind at all, going to a business meeting.

 Can you imagine? 

Wondering how I will fit in and whether I will crumble. I take my seat at the table.  I am totally at ease. Made to feel very welcome and comfortable and not at all out of place in my silicone covered polo shirt, trousers and work boots! I even begin to enjoy it and although I don't understand everything that is said, I manage to grasp most of it. Here is a company introduced by Kazuri, that understands me and what I need. Not only that, but they are willing to help me full the gaps in my NVQ portfolio and give me the opportunity to do my gas qualification and all the help I will need to start up. 

It's all I can do not to jump out of my seat and hug every person around the table. Not sure that would have gone down well.

I feel totally secure and like a child who was lost and has just been reunited with its mother. Yes everything is going to be ok now.

 The Mears team is behind me and understands what needs to be done and will get it done. As for 'Coming Home Cardiff', well this will be a new chapter in my life. What a team we can be.

Once I am qualified I will be able to work with the girls we support. It will be a new and enjoyable challenge for me and I'm so looking forward to being able to help others. I know how difficult it was for me to find a plumber willing to take me on. 

After phoning every local plumber I could find in the yellow pages and online I had almost given up. I decided to have one last attempt by contacting my local paper and asking them to run a story about the fact no man would take me seriously. Of course once I told the college of my intentions they pulled out all the stops and found me someone. I was very fortunate as I am the only one out of my class to actually finish the course and continue plumbing. It is very difficult to find plumbers willing to take on apprentices for various reasons. Some simply don't want the competition. Others think it is too risky.

I am  ready to help out women who have an interest in construction but for whatever reason, they have been unable to find the training. It's hard enough to enter this industry as a female so I have every respect for the women who have found themselves excluded from society, but willing to give construction a go. 

I feel honored to be a part of a scheme offering help and housing to women in need.

I have a new found confidence thanks to the whole team who has helped me get to where I am now. I am so excited about the future. I have the opportunity to work alongside plumbers and gain new experiences. I have funding to complete my NVQ which will enable me to obtain insurance. I have been offered help and support in registering my business, something I never considered. And, I can
obtain my health and safety certificate which is something I hadn't even thought about.

Needless to say, I am eternally grateful to all involved and I am so looking forward to working alongside a great team.

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Creating a service based on love and community. To serve.

Getting the Truth Out

Sometimes, a sea change takes place in the minds of the public, elected officials and media pundits. Long overdue, that seems to be underway now with regard to the American prison system and the war on drugs.

For decades, politicians competed to see who could be tougher on crime - who was more in favor of locking up the most people for the longest stretches - and the public and media, for the most part, cheered them on. Now even Attorney General Eric Holder has called mass incarceration a moral and economic failure. What happened?

Tireless activists, educators and authors happened: not least of them Michelle Alexander, whose hugely influential book The New Jim Crow was championed by Truthout. But I'm proud to say I believe that Truthout's own reporting also played a part in this shift.

From Victoria Law’s coverage of long-term solitary confinement in California, to the work Dina Rasor has done on prison privatization, to Maya Schenwar's deeply personal accounts of the cruel effects of imprisonment on human beings, we've treated this as an important issue for years.

please support Truth Out. Kicking against incarceration America Incorporated.

letter to your MP. Let's talk about Transforming Rehabilitation.

The Transforming Rehabilitation Bill will pass  through the House of Commons after October 8th. We are requesting parliamentary scrutiny on  how this will affect offenders on license in the community, particularly women.  Karl Turner MP for East Hull has applied for a Westminster Hall debate  and if more MPs apply, the speaker is likely to grant the debate. We created a template letter for you to send to your MP. To find out who your MP is please enter your post code on this link and their email details will come up in the search results.

  

http://findyourmp.parliament.uk/

We are also writing to the Justice Committee today to urgently call an inquiry into Transforming Rehabilitation, when it is back from recess on October 8 2013.

Thank you for your continued support.

With best regards,

KAZURI MINDS TEAM

............

template

FROM 

(your name)

Your full address inc post code

 12 September 2013

REF: Request for a debate, Transforming Rehabilitation

Dear  (Name of MP / AM) 

We write to ask you to apply for a Westminster Hall debate on women in the criminal justice system. The Ministry of Justice are next scheduled to answer on the 14th October and the 28th October. 

Karl Turner MP has applied for a debate on this issue, and if there is enough support from other MPs who care about issues of justice and rehabilitation, the chances of securing  such a debate are increased. 

The effects of privatising a very successful 100 year old probation trust have not been discussed on their merits, have never been piloted and indeed, the government is so scared of the  outcry should the  impending devastation be known they have refused to publish the risk register and the impact assessment. This is one of the projects being carefully reviewed by the Major Project Team, senior civil servants  and Chief probation officers have grave concerns as to the risk to public safety if these reforms to allow over 70% of all offenders to be released under the supervision of private for profit companies are allowed to proceed. 

The Secretary of State for Justice still wants to push ahead.  Our concerns are that the Transforming Rehabilitation bill does not take into account the very different needs of women, although HMG have proposed an amendment on the face on the bill. We don't consider it to be enough of a palliative or protection  against the drastic  effects upon women prisoners or those forced to take up services of the  newly  privatized probation service, as proposed. 

“Arrangements under subsection (5) shall make provision for the delivery of services for female offenders which take into account of the particular needs of women.”

There is no compulsion or mandatory requirement of the said providers, and questions arise as to whether this is enforceable in the law. What defines a requirement?

We do hope you will consider supporting this request for a debate.

 The Justice Committee’s  recent report, Women in the Criminal Justice System  claims NOMS and the Ministry of Justice consider women as an afterthought. Let’s put this firmly on the agenda and give women  who offend at least half a chance to reintegrate by ensuring that interventions are sensitive and gendered. 

Yours sincerely

(YOUR name)

Thank you to the Chairman of the Criminal Bar Association, Michael Turner QC

MTQC has taken the threats of further legal aid cuts beyond chalk striped suits  and the rarefied meadows of Lincoln's Inn. His battle beyond the bar, which is all of our battle has been brought home  hard to the slow awakening of the wider public. 

While justice sleeps...

These  disastrous proposals will affect the most vulnerable people in our society. 

MTQC gives courage   to those who have none left and brings together the unlikeliest of factions to save justice. 

And for that we thank him and ask him to stay close, the wise old general, to keep a hawkish  eye on the troops, the biggest battle is still to come.

Thank you for all that you do. For today's Monday Message see

https://www.criminalbar.com/latest-updates/news/q/date/2013/08/26/monday-message-26-08-13/

do you know an inspiring woman who works in housing?

Nominate her here!


Women in Housing Awards 2013

The inaugural Women in Housing Awards will celebrate and recognise the achievements of female professionals from all disciplines, working within the Housing sector across the UK.

The ethos of the awards and its specific aims are to:

Celebrate women’s achievements in the Housing sector

Promote the innovative contribution of women

Encourage women to work and flourish in the housing sector

Network with like-minded peopleBreak down the barriers

The awards have already garnered signficant support and endorsement from leading national housing industry organisations and professional bodies including the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH); the social housing sector’s leading provider of performance improvement services, HouseMark; TPAS, the largest tenant-led organisation in Europe; and WISH, the national business networking group for women in both the public and private housing sectors.

The awards, of which there are nine in total, will be open to women and organisations in the housing sector from across the UK.

Timeline

May 2013 – September 6th 2013 – awards open for entries

September 2013 – Shortlist announced

November 6th - Inaugural Women In Housing Awards ceremony, Hilton Hotel, Manchester

click here to nominate any fab femmes you think deserves this award

http://www.womeninhousingawards.co.uk/

building a new world

From the Nurture Development website which you must explore at your leisure http://nurturedevelopment.org/

NURTURE DEVELOPMENT HAS DEVELOPED A UNIQUE APPROACH TO BUILDING STRONGER COMMUNITIES THAT HAS BEEN SUCCESSFULLY EMPLOYED THROUGHOUT EUROPE AND IN AFRICA.

“Cormac Russell and Nurture Development have made Asset Based Community Development come alive in Ireland as a basic community building strategy.”

John McKnight, ABCD Institute

12 DOMAINS


There are at least 12 domains that are uniquely within the competencies of people and by implication, cannot happen without People Powered Change.

Our well-being is decisively more determined by our community assets than by any other health and well being determinants. Tragically community building hardly features as a priority in the current sickness model. And so, for example, older people are dying of loneliness in a sea of neighbourliness that does not know how to express itself.While it is true to say we are creeping towards a change in focus in this regard, it is also economically and ethically a pivotal time where the need to accelerate this portion of the public health agenda and to elevate the status and the function of ‘connected communities’ as agents of health production, has become all at once both critical and possible.

Everyone’s health and well being depends on this fundamental shift; this shift depends on everyone choosing to co-create a shared health seeking future. The same can be said for raising connected children, caring for our environment, sustaining our local economies, and promoting more inclusive societies.

Health and Wellbeing

Our health and wellbeing is mainly determined by the extent to which we are positively connected to each other, our environment and local economic opportunities.

Safety and Security

Increased police presence does not lead to enhanced safety and security in the same way that a connected community can.

Caring for the Environment

Imagine what is possible if people become more intentional and collective about their decisions around transport, heating and lighting their homes and how they manage their waste.

Nurturing the Local Economy

Most enterprises start small and local, in garden sheds, attics and at the kitchen table and in return they become the heart blood of local economies and one of the most reliable sources of employment for many communities.

Mindful Food consumption and Production

Local food chains enhance outcomes in the areas of health, environment and local economic well being.

Raising Powerful Connected Children

Children need to believe in their families and community. Children do not grow powerful in institutions; their power grows the closer they are to the centre of family and community life.

Ageing Well in Place/Locale

The type of care required to age well across the life course is the kind that sees both the gifts and needs of older people, in that order . This kind of care is only located among communities who have a central place for older people.

Building Communities

Communities grow from inside out, evolving from the place where ‘I’ live, to the community where ‘we’ grow. They can only grow through the deepening of human relationships.

Civic Action for Deeper Democracy & Just Society

Civic action for social, environmental and economic justice provides the rudder for keeping governments honest and on track, democracy meaningful, and people engaged in civic life.

Respond to Natural Disaster/Climate Control

No where is people power more apparent than in the face of natural disasters and the consequences of climate change; ashuman beings, when pu t to the pin of our collar we dig deep, pull together (self organise), and respond by building community.

Lifelong Learning and Sharing Wisdom

Knowledge and wisdom are hatched in the nest of everyday life a nd more particularly in associational life, not in educational, commercial or professional institutions.

Changing the World

"Change doesn’t happen because of how we invest our money . Change happens because of how we invest our human energy, and it always has since we came down from the trees." Daniel Taylor–Future Generations

Kazuri shortlisted for Centre for Social Justice Awards

"The annual CSJ Awards programme recognizes effective poverty fighting groups from across the UK. Cash prizes of £10,000 are awarded to charities, small voluntary groups and other local projects that display innovation and effectiveness in addressing the root causes of poverty, turning lives around and reversing social breakdown."

Kazuri is delighted to be one of only 18 organisations picked from  over 200 entrants  from  across the UK to have been shortlisted for this year's prestigious awards, to be announced in September. We have invited the CSJ panel to come and see our women's resilience center in Whitechapel and also the construction workshop for vulnerable women and ex offenders , our Coming Home, Cardiff project.

Stefan Bobolecki, Director of Regeneration and Planning says "I am pleased to see all Kazuri's hard work is being recognized through being shortlisted for this prestigious award by the UK's leading think-tank."  

Peter Cobrin, Director of Innovation and Skills says, "It's great to see innovation and imagination in this most complex of sectors being recognized." 

Farah Damji, founder of Kazuri Properties CiC says, "Thank you to all people who have been part of Kazuri. Someone clever told me when I started this three and a half years ago that  this venture  would be like taking a train to Glasgow - some people would stay for the duration and others would be  there for part of the journey and get off at Edinburgh. All I can say is  to  everyone who has had anything to do with Kazuri since its inception is I'm grateful to have shared part of the journey with you and thank you. Even being shortlisted is an honor."  

We look forward to welcoming CSJ  staff at our projects in London and  Cardiff. 

The Kazuri ethos that sustainable housing and resilience are at the core of a stable lifestyle  leads to cohesive communities and are aligned with the Center for Social Justice's  own values of empowerment, redemption and creating a better society.

Kazuri statement against G4S in social services

"Kazuri  will oppose and block every opportunity  sought by  G4s  to provide public services contracted out by the state, which affect vulnerable women and children. This includes access to legal services and the proposed privatization of probation services.  G4S are not fit to run public services until they receive a clean bill of health from the Serious Fraud Office, the National Accounting Office, the Public Accounts Committee  who are all currently investigating G4S. 

The social services market is ripe for exploitation and profiteering  but we will prevent this  through  determined and committed community action and legal challenges  upon every  last contract  G4S attempts to secure which affects vulnerable people.  Kazuri along with many others,  do not sanction child killers running children's homes, funded through the public purse. 

Perhaps the government might look to their own recently appointed Social Value Ambassador Chris White MP, for more equitable solutions on procurement which don't damage our community and traumatise the most vulnerable people in our society. We need a  global movement to shift into gear a system which does not reward murder and the state sanctioned corporate rape of the sector. We need to redefine our economy so that it adds social value, cooperation and resilient business models in which we can live cooperatively. 

This existing destruction vulture capitalism only  benefits G4S shareholders,  greedy Whitehall mandarins  who want directors' seats on the boards of global behemoths to satisfy raging egos and hungry and disappointing politicians like Lord Reed and Lord Condon who have desecrated  the public trust placed in them by accepting directorships on G4S board."

Kazuri
Sanctioned 23rd July 2013 at a general meeting of the board, London.

Implementing the Public Service (Social Value) Act 2012

 View Chris White MP's talk at the Justice Academy last month here

Chris White MP first introduced the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 as a private member's bill in June 2010, it came into effect in April 2013 and for the first time  all public bodies in England and Wales  are requited to consider  howthe services they commission might improve the economic, environmental and social well being of the area.

In this talk, Chris discusses how the Act is being implemented and how it seeks to change the way that public bodies design contracts. Chris also discusses  how the Act is aimed at benefiting social enterprises, charities and community organisations, as he believes these organisations can provide maximum public  benefit to the local community.

Resilience training Cardiff. Be the best YOU!

Resilience and trauma in the criminal justice system
Venue: Ocean Academy, Central  Cardiff, 24 July 13 00 – 17 00 hrs

In conjunction with Diverse Cymru, challenging discrimination in all its forms to create a more equitable future.

By invitation only, free to third sector organisations and public service employees,  providing services to people affected by the criminal justice system.“I know that I need to deal with it to heal,” says a woman we’ll call Ramona. “But sometimes I just have to take a step away from it too. I have experienced very painful flashbacks. The memories get so vivid; I literally, physically feel the pain again.”

Many people working in third sector organisations think of trauma as something that will affect others. Prisoners, survivors of domestic violence, asylum seekers and  recovering addicts all display signs of post traumatic stress disorder. The increase in direct exposure to violence or through the coverage of 24/7 events across the world by the media and the impact of hearing the experiences of  traumatised people are resulting in creating traumatised communities.  This is  already having significant social, economic and infrastructural impacts. The predicament of the  War Child  refugee and the direct correlation in the increase in violent gang crime is but one example.

This simple 4 hours training will introduce you to the concept of secondary trauma or compassion fatigue and provide you with a tool kit to overcome mixed emotions. We explore incorporating resilience into your core day. It is led by Flo Krause and Farah Damji.

Flo Krause a leading human rights barrister is on the frontline of changes in the criminal justice system. She represented prisoner John Hirst ,  Hirst v UK in which the actions of the UK government in denying the vote to serving prisoners were deemed to be illegal. Flo deals with parole boards and is in prisons almost on a daily basis and practices transactional analysis.

Farah Damji is a former offender whose life was shattered as a result of early life trauma and whose self destructiveness, mental illness, depression and substance dependency precluded living an authentic life. This came to a halt in 2005 when she was sent to prison. She set up a company in 2010, Kazuri which works with former offenders and other traumatised women to house them and provide safe pathways to employment and resilience training.

The topic of resilience, it seems, provides a solid platform for identification and for the education of the public on what constitutes good psychological health. As a result, individuals can put together their own strategies for building resilience, depending upon their individual strengths, styles and cultural differences. Resilience can even apply to organisations faced with significant pressures and challenges. After all, turning adversity into opportunity--a potential by product of resilience--is critical for organizations to thrive. Without question, building resilience is currently an important strategy as we deal with significant budget pressures and staffing shortages . But if we can draw on our strengths and build our resilience, we will most certainly "bounce back" from present difficulties.

 For more information please contact Kazuri on 020 7 377 5791. Places are limited and if you would like to attend please email info@kazuri.org.uk

Third sector and public sector: FREE, private  sector organisations £110

"Be like water."

Carers or Captors - follow up

Thanks to everyone who attended a successful and important meeting held in Committee Room 12 on Tuesday evening. The meeting started well, Mr Grayling was in the corridor surrounded by a bevy of spads, no doubt avoiding the Save Justice campaign taking place outside the Ministry of Justice by our learned friends and Bianca Jagger.

Geoffrey Robinson gave a brief overview of his involvement as the MP for Coventry North. Jeremy Corbyn explained his interest and said what he had seen pertaining to the way people are being treated under  COMPASS Contract between the home office and G4S was "disgusting and appalling."

Farah explained Kazuri's locus in the issue, as a social enterprise which works with women who have suffered trauma and provides housing and resettlement support to vulnerable women.  She spoke of her fear of the rapid march of the privatisation of public sector services, based on dogma,  not rational evidence and how people, women in particular,  were subject to abuse.

Flo Krause explained briefly that while the contract between  the Home Office, G4S and Serco cannot be challenged as it is a matter between two parties, the fact that public funds are being misused can be reviewed. Flo raised the issue of a public inquiry. She also stated that the Home Office had asked for a list of the women who had complained to Kazuri and their addresses in order to investigate.  The case of Chi Mati, a whistleblower was mentioned.  Chi dared to speak out against G4S and substandard housing conditions. She was threatened not only with eviction by G4S but also with deportation by the Home Office. Not until Guardian journalist Zoe Williams stepped in and intervened with an online petition did the government and G4S back off. Chi was allowed to stay.

Flo explained we would not be revealing the identity of the women who have suffered at the hands of G4S as there are competing interests. Flo explained that frequently in her work as a human rights barrister who takes parole cases for prisoners, they need to be moved through the process to open conditions to progress their sentence plan. This will be blocked by prison security with the reason there is intelligence that someone's life will be in danger if that prisoner is allowed to move and that no further information will be shared.

We find ourselves in the same dilemma. We would like to share the information with G4S, who did not attend the meeting, however there are real and present dangers in the way they treat women and indeed men who dare to complain and we cannot be complicit in any way in the repeated traumatisation of already traumatised people. Flo confirmed we would happily give the information to an independent inquiry but not to G4S or the home office. Anyone who is a taxpayer and effectively funding this waste of  public funds has legal standing to bring a case such as this for review. Her back of an envelope calculation of contracts let to G4S in the financial year to 2012 added to more than £1billion. This is just with the Ministry of Justice.  G4S also have contracts with the Home Office the Foreign Office, the DWP, the MoD, and the Department of Health. You can see the MoJ ones here

Geoffrey Robinson supported the prospect of a public inquiry however he stated we would need to gather evidence and present that to Jeremy and his office,  then they would ask other sympathetic MPs of whom there are many to support a request for a public inquiry into the way public funds are being misspent and services are not being delivered.

The meeting was opened up for questions.  Steven Hirschler whose PhD at York University is on the COMPASS contract said that he could provide many case studies to support the inquiry and would like to help compile the body of evidence.

"Sarah" also shared her story about the horrors of being housed by G4S and Cascade, their local housing contractor. She has been moved 5 times in 6 months and most recently 3 weeks ago she faced eviction because G4S had not paid her landlord rent for four months before she moved into the property. G4S denied this in a statement to Alan White the journalist who wrote about this on Monday for the New Statesman. We also have a letter from the home office confirming that no one has lost their home or been evicted. We now have rent statements which show amassed arrears and that both G4S and the home office is misrepresenting the facts. G4S and the Home Office are lying.

Sarah told Jeremy Corbyn that every time she was moved it caused her and her 11 month old baby huge disruption. She also said G4S staff entered the property at any time without prior notice.  She has been told they are "allowed to do that." Housing law clearly states a landlord has to give 24 hours notice prior to entry except in the case of an emergency. We have since had sight of a letter from Sharon Holmes to John Grayson claiming G4S make the women sign agreements which allow G4S access unannounced at any time for any reason. Essentially this is unlawful and violates a tenant's right to peaceful enjoyment. Sarah also told of the substandard properties she was living in,  and how she found cock roaches in her baby's milk.

Two voluntary organisations which work with asylum seekers and refugees confirmed their clients' experiences of bad practice and one raised an important issue.  G4S have a long history of human rights abuses and blood on their hands including the death of Jimmy Mubenga who was killed while being deported by G4S guards on a British Airways flight because they held him in a restricted position which forced him to stop breathing. The G4S term for this is carpet karaoke. It is an illegal restraining position. Women have suffered broken limbs, limbs, a pregnant woman was tipped out of her wheel chair. They have no experience of social housing.

Richard Johnson who is the former director of the Work Programme for Serco and now an eloquent and outspoken critic of his former employer stated the issue was in the terms of the contract and that is the real issue, not the provider.

Heather Petch formally CEO of HACT, a housing charity expressed concerns about the fact that housing associations were proposed as  alternatives for managing these contracts for providing housing rather than care and justice providers. She thought housing providers would not be able to sustain contracts which had cut costs to the bone.

A Scottish MP gave the example of how Glasgow City Council  had brought Serco in line through a local umber body of housing associations and suggested connecting with them to share their experiences.

Representatives from 4 government departments including the Home Office and the Cabinet Office attended and expressed an interest to stay informed with regards to developments. Women in Social Housing, the UNHCR which monitors the way the home office treats migrants and displaced people and journalists from Not Shut Up, the prison magazine, the FT and the New Statesman attended. The meeting was well received by grass roots organisations, policy makers and law shapers.


We are in the process of working out the best and most efficient way to compile the data for a public inquiry with a view to a follow up meeting in October. If you have  any suggestions we'd be delighted to hear them.

All that remains is for Kazuri to thank Nanki Chawla and Flo Krause for their hard work in compiling an important report, the consequences of which could change not just policy but also procurement practice and Geoffrey Robinson, Jeremy Corbyn, Sarah Teather and Julian Huppert for kindly supporting the event. Our thanks also to Elizabeth, Nicolette and Omar from the MPs offices.

The full report is available here


http://kazuri.org.uk/images/PDFs/Carers_or_Captors_and_complaints.pdf

G4S fit for purpose or a public liability?

Press release London  June 2 2014
Embargoed till  00:00 Monday 3 June 2014

Invitation to follow

Carers or captors? Is G4S fit for purpose or a corporate rapist profiteering from pain.

Kazuri Properties is a social enterprise which works with women who have suffered trauma and provides housing and resettlement support including resilience training. Kazuri commissioned a report to the Home Affairs Select Committee inquiry into asylum focusing on housing and pastoral care provided by G4S. The report by leading human rights barrister Flo Krause and others scrutinises the COMPASS Contract between the home office and G4S. 39 women gave evidence to the report and complaints ranged from peeling paint to allegations of rape and sexual violence by G4S staff.

The report will be published at a panel discussion moderated by Imran Khan the human rights solicitor in parliament at an event hosted by Jeremy Corbyn MP and Geoffrey Robinson MP on Tuesday 4 June at 17 30 hrs in committee room 12 in the House of Commons, co authors of  the report are director at Kazuri Properties Farah Damji and LSE master's degree student Nanki Chawla.

Women in particular have been subjected to trauma, harassment and in 3 cases allegations of sexual abuse.  These women who are fleeing trauma have to suffer G4S staff entering their homes unannounced,  however the women's complaints are being ignored.

Extract:

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1      This submission examines asylum through a gendered lens, with a focus on housing as a human right. Through our interactions with the women tenants of G4S  we propose policy recommendations with regards to both housing and the contracts and subcontractors in charge of this.

2      We conclude that the current asylum system fails women as a particularly vulnerable group, and must be overhauled in its entirety in order for gender mainstreaming to take place. We assert that housing contracts should only be given to housing associations, rather than for profit corporations, and suggest the Housing First model as an alternative to the current system.

3.    We urge an immediate review of the current contractors, in order to assess their capabilities in fulfilling their current mandate, and to ensure that the vulnerable are not being ignored. We also point out that accountability mechanisms and transparency processes are vital to ensuring a fairer, more inclusive new system. We call for trauma sensitivity training for the officials which interact with this group of vulnerable people.

Exract ends

 Report now available here  http://kazuri.org.uk/images/PDFs/Carers_or_Captors_and_complaints.pdf


*        The COMPASS Contract is worth over £620 million however women are being evicted because although G4S was paid over £300million, to provide the service, they do not pay the landlords of the property rent. Repeated  failings to provide decent accommodation and to treat women with respect have been frequently evidenced of G4S yet they continue to win lucrative contracts providing public services. The report asks for transparency in the procurement process in the letting of large contracts to private for profit companies.

*      Lord John Reid the former home secretary and Lord Paul Condon former Metropolitan Police Commissioner are paid advisors to G4S. This abuse of trust and power by senior public servants for their personal gain must be reviewed urgently.

*     The role of successive governments in the corporatisation of state duties has lead to the wholesale betrayal of the most vulnerable people in our society.  Companies such as G4S and Serco who are hoovering up contracts worth hundreds of millions of pounds  to deliver services in a way that denigrate the most basic expectations of human rights should be subject to the same stringent regulations as other players in the same market. There is no regulation imposed by established bodies such as the property ombudsman or the HCA upon global outsourcing companies with little or no experience of social housing and pastoral care. Any similar commercial activity by a registered provider regulated by the HCA would be subject to monitoring and sanctions.These questions are important in light of the Lord Chancellor's plans to privatise over 70% of probation services.  Who will carry the risk and the responsibility?

Kazuri are challenging the recent decision to award the contract for the sexual assault and rape crisis centres in the West Midlands to G4S who have no experience of working with traumatised women. A freedom of information request has been submitted. 30 years of learning and a gendered approach to women who are surviving sexual abuse have been thrown out for profiteering and privatisation. Positions to work at these centres have recently been advertised at £12.50 per hour which precludes any qualified or experienced staff coming forward.

For further information or a full copy of the report, please contact info@kazuri.org.uk or call 020 7377 5791.

notes to editors:

Flo Krause and Imran Khan are available for interview.

letter to the home office regarding COMPASS CONTRACT

http://www.scribd.com/doc/142776876/html5

letter requesting information on G4S SARC contract to provide services to victims of rape and sexual assault

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/g4s_contract_to_run_sarc_centres

Labour's PRS strategy.

Housing problems and statistics

A large part of the document is talking about how awful it all is (with quotes) and how some of the worst standards are to be found in the private rented sector (PRS).  For example:

The PRS represents 16.5% of the total households in England

Nearly 1/3 of all PRS households have children and nearly 15% of all couples with children live in the PRS

The proportion of private rented stock which is ‘non decent’ is 35%, compared to 22% owner occupied homes and 17% of social housing

Safety hazards are in 21% of PRS homes compared to 7% in the social sector

In 2010/11 local authorities received over 86,000 complaints and have said in the past that they are aware of 1,477 serial bad landlords

The report goes on to point out the problems that local authorities have with enforcement issues, and the fact that many PRS landlords are well meaning but lack knowledge of their legal obligations.

The report also refers to the ‘retaliatory eviction’ problem and the general costs to society of poor housing.

To find out what the main suggestions are to resolve these problems you have to read to the end.  They are:

1. A national register of landlords

Which will

Assist local authorities identify landlords

Allow distribution of information to and communication with landlords

Help with deal with the problems of tax evasion (apparently costing the Treasury some half a billion pounds)

Item 4 below also indicates that the right to operate as a landlord will be linked to being on the register.

2. A new national private rented property standard

Which would include current minimum standards on

Tenancy deposits
Energy efficiency
Property conditions
Response times and repairs
The report goes on to say that this will be linked to incentives which will only be available to properly registered landlords (including with HMRC)

3. Improved local enforcement

This will

Remove red tape and make it easier for local authorities to introduce licensing schemes

4. Tougher sanctions on bad landlords

Which will involve

reviewing penalties and sentencing guidelines (presumably by making them less derisory)
assessing how they can stamp out retaliatory eviction
removing bad landlords from the national register so they can no longer operate as landlords
There is also an interesting paragraph which follows this which refers to potential benefits to compliant landlords:

supplying renters from local housing registers (probably not much of an incentive in the current housing shortage)

direct payment of benefit to PRS landlords and
an improved legal process to help landlords evict non paying tenants and tenants who commit anti social behaviour including criminal damage.

Via Tess Shepperson

Violets and violence

Forgiveness is  the essence of the violet that is shed by the heel of the one that crushes it.

Just pretty words.  Forgiveness is the calming rage after the storm and betrayal,  It's the same old story isn't it, illusion / delusion. You think you think, therefore you are.  You live with that disappointment like a broken promise, and a shattered mind. 

But the violence  perpetrated on our streets, the anger unfurled against  the innocent and the outpouring of hatred for the perpetrators, the murderous act and the grief are united in their emotional DNA. What makes a man take a machete and lacerate another human life? What has happened to fragment   that man's psyche into such separateness  that he can commit an act such as this in the name of god? This is not my God.

It is around us  more and more everyday. Acts of selling out, encroaching controls that take away our taken for granted freedom, less choice.  Occasionally there are  big grand gestures, a threat, a house of cards of lies come crashing down, a gratuitous physical act such as snatching  the sleeping bags and the food parcels of the homeless in Redbridge that makes one  physically ill and want to hurt the people who cause the pain.  But grief is like fingerprints, that stain your once pure soul.

Seeking that empty, carved out purity.

RIP  Soldier. 

Carers or Captors?

Report to the Home Affairs Select Committee Inquiry on asylum

By Flo Krause, Farah Damji and Nanki Chawla

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1      This submission examines asylum through a gendered lens, with a focus on housing as a human right. Through our interactions with the women tenants of G4S  we propose policy recommendations with regards to both housing and the contracts and subcontractors in charge of this.

2      We conclude that the current asylum system fails women as a particularly vulnerable group, and must be overhauled in its entirety in order for gender mainstreaming to take place. We assert that housing contracts should only be given to housing associations, rather than corporations, and suggest the Housing First model as an alternative to the current system. We urge an immediate review of the current contractors, in order to assess their capabilities in fulfilling their current mandate, and to ensure that the vulnerable are not being ignored. We also point out that accountability mechanisms and transparency processes are vital to ensuring a fairer, more inclusive new system. We call for trauma sensitivity training for the officials which interact with this group of vulnerable people.

 “The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned.”

Maya Angelou 

This is an extract from a report to the Home Afairs Select Committee on asylum, that will be published  in parliament on June 4 2013 at an event hosted by Jeremy Corbyn MP. For further information please email info@kazuri.org.uk

Joint Committee on the draft Voting Eligibility (Prisoners) Bill

A new Joint Committee has been appointed by both Houses of Parliament to conduct pre-legislative scrutiny of the draft Voting Eligibility (Prisoners)Bill. The Joint Committee comprises 6 MPs and 6 Peers. It will take oral and written evidence and make recommendations in a report to both Houses. The Joint Committee invites interested organisations and individuals to send written submissions by 5 pm on Thursday 13 June 2013as part of the inquiry.

CALL FOR EVIDENCE

The Joint Committee on the draft Voting Eligibility (Prisoners) Bill invites interested organisations and individuals to submit written evidence as part of its inquiry.

The draft Bill

The Joint Committee is particularly interested in receiving evidence on the three options for changes to the law set out in the draft bill. They are:

a.       Disqualifying prisoners sentenced to 4 years or more in prison from voting.

b.      Disqualifying prisoners sentenced more than 6 months in prison from voting.

c.       Disqualifying all prisoners serving custodial sentences from voting – a restatement of the existing ban. 

Please state your opinion on all or any of these options giving clear reasons as to why you, or your organisation, hold that particular view. 

The Joint Committee would also welcome evidence on whether approaches beyond these options should also be considered.

Additional questions

The Joint Committee would also be grateful to receive evidence on the following specific questions. It is not necessary to address every question.

1.      What are the historical and philosophical justifications for denying prisoners the right to vote?

2.      Why is the right to vote considered to be a human right? 

3.      Is disqualifying prisoners from voting a suitable part of their punishment?

4.      What are the financial implications of maintaining the current ban in terms of claims by prisoners for compensation?

5.      Is sentence length a legally robust basis on which to retain an entitlement to vote?

6.      What would be the likely legal consequences, both domestically and internationally of:

a) keeping the law as it is?

b) passing legislation giving some prisoners the right to vote, but in a way that maintains a form of blanket restriction?

c) seeking to comply by enfranchising the minimum number of prisoners possible consistent with our international legal obligations?

7.      Would giving prisoners the right to vote have any significant administrative impact on either the prison system or the Electoral Commission?

8.      Is there any evidence to suggest that allowing prisoners to vote would have a significant impact on particular constituencies?

9.      What lessons can be drawn from the experience of other countries regarding prisoner voting?

Written evidence should be submitted through the submit evidence form on the committee’s webpage:

Committee Webpage: http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/joint-select/draft-voting-eligibility-prisoners-bill/

Submit evidence form: http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/joint-select/draft-voting-eligibility-prisoners-bill/inquiry/submit-evidence-form/