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Help us to help women to stop offending at the Minerva Project

ADVANCE were successful in bidding for this funding to develop a women’s centre in Hammersmith and Fulham and delivering outreach services in Brent. This service is the Minerva Project, Minerva was the Roman Goddess of Wisdom.

This will be a service delivered to women offenders and those at risk of offending. Service delivery will be based on 9 principles that have been proven to be effective responses to working with women in the community.

The principles are taken from the publication “Provision for women offenders in the community”. The report looks at research evidence in relation to women offenders needs, identifies what is known about what works best, looks at different models of service provision and summarises their findings with 9 lessons that should be taken into account when providing services for women in the community.

The team have been recruited and will start in March 2010 and the service will be available in April.

To reduce women’s offending and re-offending.

To influence decision-making by CJS partners positively to reduce the number of women given custodial sentences or remanded into custody and increase the number of women diverted from prosecution.

To increase the number of women accessing and being sustained in appropriate community provision.

To reduce the number of avoidable family breakdowns (specifically in relation to children)

- Be women only spaces to foster safety and a sense of community, and enable staff to develop expertise in working with women;

Integrate offenders with non offenders so as to normalise women offenders experiences;

- Foster women’s empowerment, improve self esteem, promote problem solving and motivation;

- Utilise ways of working with women that draws on their different learning styles;

-Offer holistic and practical support to address social issues that are linked to their offending;

- Facilitate links with mainstream agencies especially health, debt advice and counselling;

- Have the capacity to allow women to return and / or top up when required, when in need;

- Use mentors and volunteers for ongoing support;

- Provide practical help with travel and child care to help them to maintain their involvement;

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The Minerva project will work within these principles and in conjunction with many partners to deliver services across various pathways including Housing, Health, Domestic Violence, Child and Families, Substance misuse, Debt and many other social exclusion factors.

Probation will be a key partner in this service delivery and will co locate offender managers in the centre to work alongside the Minerva Project Team. Women will be able to access a range of services including counselling, group work and practical support to tackle the issues that push them into offending.

There will be a series of open days and networking to advertise to professionals what the centre will offer and how to refer.

In the mean time if you require any further information please email m.jackson@advanceadvocacyproject.org.uk