Source · Select Committees · Justice Committee
Recommendation 15
15
Deferred
Paragraph: 89
Investment in new Residential Women's Centres risks diverting resources from existing community centres.
Conclusion
The Committee has heard about the benefits of existing Women’s Centres in potentially diverting women from custody and providing support to women in their local communities. We note the concerns raised by witnesses that the Government’s investment in Residential Women’s Centres risks diverting money away from Women’s Centres that have a proven track record. We would welcome reassurance from the Government that there will not be a diversion of resources away from existing Women’s Centres. The Ministry of Justice should also set out how it intends to continue to support the work of Women’s Centres in the community alongside the development of RWCs.
Government Response Summary
The government accepted the recommendation but responded by detailing the rollout of the OMiC Key Work and Case management model across the women's prison estate, rather than addressing the support for existing community-based Women's Centres.
Paragraph Reference:
89
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government
Deferred
We accept this recommendation. OMiC Key Work and Case management has now been fully rolled out across the women’s estate, meaning all women will receive key work time. The model that has been developed for women allocates resources based on level of need as well as risk. Sentenced women assessed as having the most need or presenting the highest risk receive an enhanced case-management service which includes additional time with their Prison Offender Manager (POM) rather than Key Work with a Band 3 Officer. This approach has been taken so that women can develop a relationship with one person, and because the boundaries between what is key work and what is sentence management cannot always be easily defined for those women who have the most need. Many of the issues linked to an individual’s complexity of need will often be underpinning or relevant to their offending behaviour which a POM is best placed to help them address and support them with.