£1.12m boost to stop women reoffending

Together Women Project, part of the Greater Manchester Women Offenders Alliance

A GROUND-BREAKING approach to working with women offenders by Greater Manchester that has reduced reoffending has received a huge cash boost.

The region's network of women's centres - Greater Manchester Women Offenders Alliance - has been awarded £1,125,000 over the next three years.

It comprises a Big Lottery Fund grant of £750,000 for the Women and Girls Initiative and £375,000 from the Government's Tampon Tax Fund.

The funding will be used to bolster and support the services offered to hundreds of women across Greater Manchester to help prevent reoffending while reaching out to more women in the community and on release from prison.

The centres are supported by Greater Manchester's Mayor and Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Lloyd and partners.

Mr Lloyd said: "This is another positive boost to trailblazing work we're doing in Greater Manchester to transform our approach to tackling reoffending.

"Many women offenders are victims themselves, with complex home lives and often children to care for.

"Doing all we can to divert these women from jail and prevent reoffending is beneficial, not only to the women themselves but society as a whole.

"This much-needed funding will safeguard this work and help it to thrive."

Greater Manchester has been innovative in its approach to women offenders. Between January 2015 and March 2016 more than 1,900 women were referred to the region's ten women's centres, with 88 per cent of those making positive progress in their lives and only four per cent reoffending.

The centres address practical issues such as accommodation and debt problems, training and employment, along with support to improve their mental health, wellbeing and confidence.

Kate Fraser, chair of the Greater Manchester Women Offenders Alliance - a network of charities that support women offenders - said: "We're thrilled that theBig Lottery Fund has recognised the innovative work that we are doing to reduce offending by women in Greater Manchester."

"Our vision is that every woman who offends or is at risk of offending will be able to accessspecialist support from their local women's centre, giving them and their families hope for a future free of crime." Amy Hall, Cheshire and Greater Manchester Community Rehabilitation Company's equality and diversity officer, said: "I am delighted more funding has been secured in order to further improve the service we and our partners deliver."