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 AI-generated
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.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Paragraph Reference:
89
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government · verbatim extract
Deferred
We accept this recommendation. On 31 August we announced that £24 million has been secured over the next 3 years to support women in or at risk of contact of the criminal justice system, through investment in the women’s community sector and through promoting better local integration of services to support women. Women’s services providers will be able to bid for grants to support: • core costs, such as heating bills. • new interventions, such as a court support worker, extending their service into new areas, supporting employment opportunities or a residential women’s centre; and • the integration of women’s services in local areas into a Whole System Approach (WSA).
Read the full response on Parliament ↗