Sandwell Women’s Aid supports victims of domestic violence, sexual violence, child sexual exploitation and human trafficking. They place victim’s voices at the heart of their work. It is a female-staffed organisation. Refuge provision is a women-only service, although they provide support to female and male survivors of domestic and sexual violence, but service users are by a vast majority female. The Mariposa Project for female offenders is a dedicated women-only service looking at the complex needs and context to offending for female offenders.

Sandwell Women’s Aid’s services, across all areas, provide holistic support including housing, benefits, self-esteem, immigration, legal, family support, health and counselling. Advisers and advocates work to individual support plans with each service user, integrating with specific external support services where necessary.

The Mariposa Project is a dedicated service for female offenders provided in partnership with Staffordshire and West Midlands Community Rehabilitation Company, and operates across the Sandwell and Dudley area. Women are referred into the programme by Probation, as part of their Rehabilitation Activity Requirement, Post Sentence Supervision or Licence Conditions. They participate in a range of programmes based around change, healthy relationships, healthy emotions and parenting, dependant on need. The programme operates from two dedicated centres where support is also offered with other issues such as domestic and sexual violence.