Evaluation of Sixteen Women's Community Justice Services in Scotland - Research Findings

Developing women's community justice services

Reconfiguring or establishing new services was not a quick process; most projects experienced delays in recruiting staff and setting up new premises. Critical elements for successfully developing services included establishing effective partnerships (e.g. with health, welfare, private and the public sector), employing the 'right staff' (with the necessary skills, attributes and experience), and creating an environment in which there was commitment and flexibility to trial new ways of working.

Centres and teams worked well in urban areas because of their concentrated populations, whilst delivering multi-disciplinary support from hubs was appropriate in areas with dispersed populations. Across all WCJS models, flexibility to do individual outreach was important, particularly in rural areas, at the early stages of a woman's involvement, or for women who experienced difficulties engaging.