realised that the retention rates for our female clients were far lower than for their male counterparts . I work for Forward ’ s criminal justice team , part of the charity ’ s East Kent community drug and alcohol service , and we decided to explore why women weren ’ t engaging as much . Criminal justice worker Tony Riches visited a women ’ s centre in Brighton and the team read the Corston report , a 2007 review into the treatment of vulnerable women in the criminal justice system . We also discussed the issue with other professionals , such as the women ’ s lead at a local probation service .

We realised that low engagement could be linked to the fact that many female clients – in addition to having the multiple and complex needs that all clients have – had complicated relationships with the authorities and related service providers . This was particularly pronounced if they ’ d been through a traumatic experience they felt was either caused or exacerbated by these organisations , such as having children taken away by social services . It also became clear

that our area needed the kind of centre Tony had visited in Brighton – despite this being over 50 miles away , it was the closest option of its kind for our clients .

The team put together some ideas on how to address these issues and improve engagement , but it became clear that the scope of the work involved meant it would need to become a standalone project with funding to cover the cost of dedicated workers . I did some research and discovered that Kent ’ s police and crime commissioner had a pot of funding we could apply to , which was part of the Violence Reduction Challenge ( VRC ). I approached our fundraising team and together we put together a proposal for funding – shortly after , we were thrilled to discover we ’ d been awarded the funds !

The Worth Women ’ s Project was born . Initially delivered to women in Margate , the project aims to protect women by reducing their vulnerability to threats of violence . It is targeted at women in contact with the criminal justice system who may have experienced domestic violence , substance misuse issues , trauma ,

involvement in violent crime , or any combination of these factors . The project was initially delivered through face-to-face workshop sessions exploring healthy relationships , attitudes towards crime , safe coping , decision making , recognising danger and managing potential pitfalls . Using trauma-informed approaches and evidence-based practices , project participants learned more about their own behaviour and developed new skills to challenge unhealthy responses , building resilience and preventing risk from harm .

When COVID hit , the project co-ordinators continued to work remotely with one-to-one sessions over the phone and twice-weekly Zoom coffee mornings – this was particularly important given the rise in domestic violence as a result of lockdown . More than 60 women have engaged to date , ranging in age from 22 to 76 . Clients completed forms before and after the interventions which measured depression , anxiety , mental wellbeing , self-worth , resilience and attitudes to crime . The project was found to have statistically significant improvements on all of these measures , and there has also been extremely positive informal feedback from participants .

‘ I just wanted to thank you for all the help and support you have given me over the past few months ,’ said one client , Michele . ‘ Without your advice , and being a welcoming voice at any time I needed a chat or was having a bad day emotionally , I don ’ t think I would have come this far .’

‘ I live on my own , having been domestically abused in the past , along with suffering mental health and alcohol addiction ,’ added Jackie . ‘ I have found the Worth project to be invaluable during the pandemic . I received phone calls from Victoria

‘ When COVID hit , the project co-ordinators continued to work remotely with one-to-one sessions ... this was particularly important given the rise in domestic violence as a result of lockdown .’

every day . To me this was an absolute lifeline , as being in isolation there are times that I am not able to go outside for days . I am sure there are many people like myself who have benefited from this and I would like to say thank you .’

The project is ongoing and there are still challenges , including our ability to reach women still in custody awaiting release , the fact that a lot of referrals we receive are not suitable for our service , and that funding is set to finish at the end of the year . However , we are optimistic about the future and proud of the fantastic work done so far , particularly the team ’ s passion for the project – our staff have been truly amazing . You can tell that the service users know how much the team cares , which comes across in all of the feedback we ’ ve had .

Ann Humphreys is criminal justice team leader – East Kent at The Forward Trust

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