Evaluation of Sixteen Women's Community Justice Services in Scotland

Annex E: Descriptions of the 16 Women's Community Justice Services

Connections Women's Centre (Aberdeen) / Centre

Criminal Justice Social Work

Target group: Women aged 18+ in the criminal justice system living in Aberdeen city

Aberdeen CJSW has been delivering and developing the Connections Women's Programme for approximately 10 years. The additional funding (October 2013 - March 2015) was used to establish a centre to deliver services for women distinct from CJSW premises. The Connections Centre offers support, supervision and interventions for women at all stages in the criminal justice system.

The Connections' team includes a service coordinator, social workers, support workers, Caledonian women's workers. The Connection's team delivers holistic support through outreach, groupwork (e.g. Connections programme), 1:1 support, and weekly drop-ins (e.g. Connections Cafe and Craft Café). The team works closely with HMP Grampian Community Integration Unit, the police (e.g. arrest referral project for women involved in on-street prostitution) and Caledonian women's service (domestic abuse) and a range of other partner agencies (e.g. APEX, Sacro, health services).

Tomorrow's Women Glasgow / Centre

Glasgow City Council

Target group: Women aged 18+ in the criminal justice system with complex and high needs at high / very high risk of reoffending, and women released from short term prison sentences

Glasgow City Council and partners used the funding (May 2013 - March 2015) to establish Tomorrow's Women Glasgow, a multi-agency women's centre distinct from CJSW premises for women of high/very high risk or need. Although part of CJSW, attendance at the centre is voluntary; women's court orders are supervised by social workers in local CJSW teams.

The TWG team includes a team leader, social workers, social care workers, mental health nurses, housing advisor, consultant psychologist, and an SPS prison officer. TWG work closely with SHINE mentors. TWG provide holistic support through outreach, groupwork (e.g. HOPE, an introductory programme on trauma), 1:1 support, group activities, and drop-in facilities during opening hours. TWG works from a three-stage trauma model and adopted a service-wide co-production approach to include women as far as possible in the Centre's operation.

Willow Centre (Edinburgh) / Centre

Criminal Justice Social Work, NHS Lothian and third sector partners

Target group: Women aged 17+ at any point of contact with the Criminal Justice System

The Willow Service was established in 2009 and is now a partnership between the City of Edinburgh Council, NHS Lothian and third sector partners. Willow works with women on a statutory and voluntary basis. Referrals are received from a wide range of professionals and women can self-refer. The additional funding (May 2013 - March 2015) was used to open new dedicated centre in central Edinburgh; deliver additional services with new partners; develop new referral pathways (e.g. courts, HMP Edinburgh, mental health); and support the development of new and existing services for women across Lothian and Borders.

Willow's team includes a manager and senior social worker, clinical psychologists, social workers, support workers, occupational therapist, nurse, nutritionist, psychology assistant and administrator. Willow provides holistic support through outreach, 1:1 support, psychological therapies, a wide range of group work (e.g. a stage 1 trauma intervention, "Stepping Stones", a Health and Wellbeing programme, capacity building groups, mindfulness), post-programme support, and user-led groups. Staff provide training and professional development to a range of partners.

Dundee women's community justice service / Team

Criminal Justice Social Work

Target group: Women aged 16+ in the criminal justice system

Dundee's women's team offers support, supervision and interventions for women at all stages in the criminal justice system. The additional funding (October 2013 - March 2015) was used to further enhance the well-established multi-disciplinary women's team (e.g. to add a senior officer, a further mental health nurse, and welfare rights officer). Services are delivered largely from CJSW premises or third sector partner premises.

All female CJSW cases are supervised by the women's team. The team includes a team manager, social workers, senior officer, support workers two nurses, welfare rights officer, administrative support. The team delivers holistic support through outreach, group work (e.g. Beyond Trauma), and 1:1 support. The team work closely and liaise with other agencies and services to help address risks and needs (e.g. HMP Cornton Vale, HMP Edinburgh Tayside Intensive Support Service, Drug Treatment and Testing Order team, Housing agencies, East Port House, Dundee Women's Aid, Dundee Women's Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre, Vice Versa, Social Work Children's Services, Police Scotland, Venture Trust, Apex, TCA Mentoring for Women Service, Shine, and Circle mentoring services).

North Lanarkshire women's community justice service / Team

Criminal Justice Social Work

Target group: Women aged 18+ in the criminal justice system

North Lanarkshire's women's team offer support, supervision and interventions for women at all stages in the criminal justice system. The additional funding (October 2013 - March 2015) was used to establish a new CJSW multi-disciplinary team to deliver services for women in a centralised location (drawing women from across six CJSW localities). The team complete all new CJSW reports for women and typically supervise women's court orders such as unpaid work placements and other activities (though existing orders remain with local CJSW teams).

The service is located outside CJSW premises. The team provides intensive support to women from both North and South Lanarkshire on release from custody and intensive support is provided to women subject to statutory throughcare on release before transferring them to South Lanarkshire CJSW. The women's team includes a senior social worker, social workers, support workers, administrative staff, welfare rights worker and addictions nurse. The team delivers holistic support through outreach, groupwork, 1:1 support, and weekly drop-in sessions.

Renfrewshire/East Renfrewshire women's community justice service / Team

Criminal Justice Social Work

Target group: Women aged 18+ in the criminal justice system

Renfrewshire's women's community justice service offers support, supervision and interventions for women at all stages in the criminal justice system. The team, with an all female staff, is co-located in premises alongside other services such as Renfrewshire Drugs Service, Integrated Alcohol team and DTTO, and is in close proximity to housing services and the Court. The women's team supervises most women who are subject to statutory orders such as CPO and Parole Licenses. The team undertakes CJSW reports, Home Background reports, Home Detention Curfew, and Diversion Assessments, and work with women as part of Bail Support as an alternative to remand.

The women's team includes a service co-ordinator, social workers, social work assistants, a volunteer coordinator, and colleagues from Turning Point Scotland, Circle and Shine Mentoring service. The team delivers holistic support through outreach, group work, 1:1 support, and drop-in sessions. The team links with partner agencies to help meet complex needs of women in the service.

Fife's women's community justice service / Team with community hubs

Criminal Justice Social Work

Target group: Women aged 16+ in the criminal justice system

Fife's multi-disciplinary women's team offers support, supervision and interventions for women at all stages in the criminal justice system. The additional funding (October 2013 - March 2015) was used to develop and deliver holistic services from community hubs ('one stop shops') and to sustain the role of an addictions/mental health nurse in the existing team. The team delivers support from CJSW premises and from weekly drop-in sessions held in four locations (hubs) across Fife (e.g. community halls, church). All female CJSW cases are supervised by the women's team.

Attendance at local hub's drop-in sessions is voluntary but may part of a supervision plan or used towards unpaid work hours. The women's team includes social workers, social work assistants, nurse, housing officer, and Sacro mentors. The team delivers holistic support through outreach, 1:1 support, group work (including self-esteem, adult numeracy and literacy in partnership with Community Learning and Development), and drop-in sessions at community hubs.

South Lanarkshire's women's community justice service / Team with community hubs

Criminal Justice Social Work

Target group: Women aged 16+ in the criminal justice system

South Lanarkshire's WCJS coordinates holistic support for women subject to court orders across four CJSW localities. The funding (October 2013 - March 2015) was used to establish a women's team to deliver multi-agency support at weekly drop-in sessions in seven local community hubs (e.g. from community or leisure centres). Social workers in local CJSW teams continue to supervise women's cases and deliver offence-focused work (e.g. Connections groupwork) from CJSW premises, while additional holistic support may be accessed from the women's team at the local hub's drop-in session. Attendance at the drop-in sessions is voluntary but may part of a supervision plan or used towards unpaid work hours.

The women's team includes a team leader, social worker, and social work assistant. The women's team provide holistic support through outreach, 1:1 support, group activities, and drop-in sessions. A dedicated social work assistant provides 1:1 intensive support to all women in their justice service. The team works closely with local CJSW case managers and multi-disciplinary providers (e.g. Keep Well nurses, third sector partners).

Glen Isla Project (Angus) / Team with community hubs

Criminal Justice Social Work

Target group: Women aged 16+ in the criminal justice system

Glen Isla Project supports and supervises women who are subject to court orders or returning to the community following a custodial sentence or period of remand. The additional funding (October 2013 - March 2015) was used to establish a new CJSW multi-disciplinary team for women and to deliver services from premises outside CJSW, on an outreach basis. All female CJSW cases are supervised by the women's team.

The team includes a team leader, social worker, NHS nurse, and third sector support worker. The team carry out supervision of orders, outreach, 1:1 support and group work. The Glen Isla Project team work closely with the Sheriff's, Procurator Fiscals, the Police, health services including Drug and Alcohol support services, Children's services and third sector agencies.

Highland women's community justice service 'LIFT' (Inner Moray Firth area) / Women's Worker

Criminal Justice Social Work and Woodland Trust

Target group: Women aged 16+ in the criminal justice system (resident in Highland - excluding north of Dingwall and South of Aviemore)

Highland WCJS's women's worker supports and supervises women who are subject to court orders or returning to the community following custody (including those on day release from HMP Inverness Community Integration Unit). The additional funding (April 2014 - March 2015) was used to sustain their existing women's social worker role located in the newly established Substance Misuse Team, and develop and sustain their existing outdoor-based rolling group work programme in partnership with the Woodland Trust at Abriachan. Activities are delivered from a mixture of CJSW premises, third sector premises and the Woodland Trust outdoor area. All female CJSW cases are supervised by the women's worker (as capacity allows).

The women's service delivers holistic support through outreach, group 'taster' sessions (e.g. Women's Aid, Benefits Agency, 'Horses in Clover'), 1:1 support, and group work (e.g. SMART recovery, offending awareness programme co-facilitated with Action for Children).

Inverclyde women's community justice service / Women's Worker

Criminal Justice Social Work and Action for Children

Target group: Women aged 16+ in the criminal justice system

Inverclyde WCJS's women's worker supervises, coordinates and delivers support for women subject to court orders, in partnership with Action for Children support workers (1.5 FTE). The funding (April 2014 - March 2015) was used to establish a dedicated women's service coordinator role in CJSW, extend their drop-in facilities, and to simplify pathways of support for women in the criminal justice system. Women with CPO programme requirement must engage with the women's service (e.g. individual support or drop-in depending on individual needs). Action for Children delivers a weekly drop-in session in premises outside of CJSW.

Attendance at the drop-in is voluntary, but it may form part of supervision plans, supervised by workers in CJSW. Workers provide holistic support through outreach, weekly drop-in sessions, and information 'taster' sessions.

West Dunbartonshire, Helensburgh and Lomond women's programme

'Women moving forward, life skills and well-being service' / Women's Worker

Criminal Justice Social Work

Target group: Women aged 16+ in the criminal justice system, residents of West Dunbartonshire Council, Helensburgh and Lomond

Argyll, Bute and Dunbartonshire's CJSW partnership used the additional funding (April 2014 - March 2015) for a social work assistant to develop and deliver their existing group work programme. The programme takes a holistic welfare approach and includes a combination of theory, practical activities, life skills, information sessions and short courses. Groupwork is delivered from CJSW premises.

Attendance at group work is voluntary but it may form part of supervision plans supervised by social workers in local CJSW teams. The social work assistant provides or coordinates holistic support through outreach, intensive 1:1 support, advocacy and mentoring.

Aberdeenshire Women's Service - Development Project / Project

Criminal Justice Social Work

Target group: Women aged 16+ in the criminal justice system, staff and partners

Aberdeenshire CJSW funding (April 2014 - March 2015) was for one Senior Practitioner Social Worker to develop a criminal justice social work service for female offenders, to be operational for the end of the funding period. The project focused on identifying gaps in service provision and ways to address these with new provision, developing existing good practice, strengthening existing links with partner agencies and services, and writing Practice Guidance that would ensure that social workers embed gender responsive and trauma informed practice into their day to day work with women. An additional focus included raising awareness of the specific needs and risks of women offenders with partner services and agencies, and deliver multi-disciplinary training to a small number of staff within each service.

Aberdeenshire Council's Women's Service is embedded in generic Criminal Justice Social Work provision, supported by one Apex-employed Women's Support Worker, who works with women in the community and in prison.

Forth Valley Criminal Justice Link Nurse / Project

Criminal Justice Social Work and Signpost Recovery

Target group: Women aged 16+ in the criminal justice system

Falkirk, Clackmannan and Stirling councils with assistance from the Fife and Forth Valley CJA used additional funding (October 2013 - March 2015) to introduce a registered mental health nurse to supplement existing services in the three Local Authorities. The nurse provides (voluntary) support to women with functional enduring mental health needs, offering assessments, care planning and support on a 1:1 basis, in group activities, and with other relevant services to improve mental health and practical circumstances. The nurse also provides NHS Keep Well health checks, follow-up support, and runs groupwork with the women's worker (Survive and Thrive, focused on understanding and managing the effects of trauma and abuse). Support is delivered in home visits, CJSW premises and third sector offices.

Note: The nurse works closely with the criminal justice women's development worker in Falkirk's women's service (who coordinates holistic services through the weekly drop-in, throughcare, groupwork and other activities both voluntary and statutory) and the women's development worker shared between Stirling and Clackmannanshire councils (who supports women subject to statutory orders, coordinates holistic services through drop-ins in Stirling and Alloa, and throughcare).

Early and Effective Intervention (EEI) Pilot (Ayrshire) / Project

Sacro

Target group: Women aged 18+, resident in Ayrshire, (low level) crime committed in Ayrshire and who meet eligibility criteria

South West Scotland CJA used the additional funding (October 2013 - March 2015) to develop and test an early and effective intervention (EEI) approach for women in Ayrshire, starting off in South Ayrshire and incrementally expanding into East and North Ayrshire over the funding period. Sacro, a third sector organisation, in partnership with NHS Ayrshire and Arran, delivers the project. The team consists of an EEI coordinator, administrative support, and part-time NHS occupational therapist. The EEI team works with women involved in low-level offences to address needs that may have contributed to their offending.

The 'U' division Police Crime Management Unit in Kilmarnock refers women who meet the strict eligibility criteria. The EEI team assesses women in person (typically in homes) to agree a support plan before linking women into local services and/or providing support for three months. Participation is voluntary but cases of women who decline or do not engage are returned to the Police. Support is provided in women's homes or community locations.

Kilmarnock Court Action Note Project / Project

Criminal Justice Social Work

Target group: Women aged 18+ in the criminal justice system (unless already involved with youth justice) living in North or East Ayrshire appearing in Kilmarnock Custody Court

Ayrshire's Women Offender's Team used the additional funding (April 2014 - March 2015) to develop a court screening service to provide Sheriffs with early, independent information to inform remand/bail decisions for women who appear in the Kilmarnock Custody Court. The project team consists of two (2 x 0.5 FTE) experienced social workers (criminal justice link officers) located within Kilmarnock Custody Court social work team.

The workers gather information about the circumstances of women due to appear at custody court to include in a Court Action Note. Information is drawn from database systems, service providers and/or women themselves (e.g. on housing situations, domestic abuse concerns, mental health, addiction issues, and engagement with support in community). Workers also propose bail support plans where appropriate, issue reminders to women about subsequent court appearances, and may link them to services to help women not to breach bail conditions in the community (plans are in place to extend this aspect of the service, by employing a full-time criminal justice officer to support women's engagement with services while on bail).