Projects

The Women’s Community Services Sector

Community based women’s services have a long experience of working with vulnerable women with multiple and complex needs and taking an integrated approach to improving women’s lives and opportunities. By putting women at the centre of support services and understanding the complex and related nature of issues affecting their lives: domestic violence, experiences of sexual and violent exploitation and abuse, drug and alcohol abuse, family and mental health issues, projects are able to effectively deal with the underlying reasons for offending behaviour. And by offering women support services under one roof with a ‘one stop shop’ approach women are empowered to make positive choices and break patterns of offending.

The effectiveness of this gendered approach to working with women in contact with the Criminal Justice System was recognized in 2007 in the influential report by Baroness Corston which highlighted the dramatic inequalities in the way women are treated in and affected by the Criminal Justice System.

The Corston report pointed to the approach already in practice in established women’s centres which was “distinct, radically different, visibly led, strategic, proportionate, holistic, women centred (and) integrated.

The Work of Women’s Community Services

Womens’ Breakout projects have a wide range and long standing experience and knowledge of offender management and rehabilitation.

Women’s Breakout services have a track record of successful partnerships with a wide range of statutory and voluntary sector agencies.

Women’s Breakout Services

Many projects which are part of the Women’s Breakout network are part of established Women’s Centres which have been delivering integrated community based support to women, girls and their families for more than 20 years. Others have developed expertise in working with specific groups of marginalized and vulnerable women such as sex workers; young women caught in pavement culture; women with drug and alcohol problems and BAME women.

Others have developed out of national charities working in areas such as housing, homelessness or drug and alcohol work and bring that experience and understanding to their work with women offenders.

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