Speakers
Bettina Crossick
Parallel Workshops
Across the justice system, a wide range of third sector organisations are already delivering services and holding deep insight into the needs of the people we serve. Yet too often, decisions are designed and commissioned without fully drawing on that expertise leading to duplication, inefficiency, and missed opportunities for impact. If we are serious about outcomes and rehabilitation, this has to change.
Effective commissioning and partnerships are not just about contracts, it’s about collaboration. When third sector partners are engaged early and meaningfully, it strengthens strategic direction, reduces duplication of effort and funding, and creates more coherent, person-centred pathways across the system. No singular organisation can deliver this alone, but together and through a comprehensive approach to partnerships, we can deliver more.
By the end of the session, participants will be equipped to differentiate between partnerships that merely exist and those that achieve measurable results. Including recognising the essential conditions for successful collaboration, such as shared outcomes, early engagement, and defined roles. They will identify and address common barriers like fragmented commissioning and duplication, gain practical strategies to enhance continuity between custody and community services, and leave with clear, actionable steps to foster more integrated, outcome-focused partnerships within their own settings.
Bettina Crossick is responsible for Third Sector Partnerships and Programmes and Lived Experience for His Majesties Prison and Probation service.
After gaining her Certificate of Qualification in Social Work (CQSW), Bettina joined the Probation Service, where she worked for over 20 years. She joined HMPPS in 2003 and has had a variety of roles including advising on high-risk and high-profile offender cases, working in the CEO's office, and in the office of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice, as Private Secretary.
In her current role she is responsible for managing HMPPS’ relationships with the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise - which are referred to collectively as the ‘Third Sector’ or VCSE. It explores and develops new strategic opportunities for MoJ and HMPPS to harness the expertise of the Third Sector to support its policy objectives. She also has responsibility for the oversight of the HMPPS grants, supporting colleagues in providing rehabilitation and care opportunities through the award and management of grants to organisations working in a range of specialisms including education, the arts and health, and well-being.
Her interest in this area began in 2012 when she was managing Volunteering, Mentoring, Service User Engagement and Learning Disability and Difficulties and somehow the job morphed to become responsible for the MoJ and HMPPS third sector strategic engagement across England and Wales alongside the management of HMPPS’ grants programme.
