15th September
Probation Officer Kate Fryer has been recognised for her innovative work in setting up an initiative to help women offenders.
Kate, based at Nelson Probation Office, was shortlisted from nominations across the country for the prestigious Probation Awards which recognise and reward the commitment, hard work and professionalism of probation staff.
Kate was nominated by Senior Probation Officer Anne Munro for her work to set up a women’s programme in Pendle. She was chosen by a panel of judges as one of the Probation Officers who had contributed the most to Equality and Diversity in the Probation Service during 2011.
The Pendle Women’s Programme is a series of two-hour workshops targeted at offenders to help address their specific needs.
The overall aim is to help the women feel more empowered and able to make informed choices about their future, as well as reduce re-offending and the risk of harm they pose.
Kate drew up a programme of events and identified the agencies to provide the information which included the police, NHS, fire service and Blackburn and Accrington Women’s Centre and covered topics such as Anti-Social Behaviour, Restorative Justice and the Police, housing and homelessness, fire safety, employment, substance misuse and domestic violence. She worked around issues which prevented the setting up of a dedicated centre, and is now also working on setting up drop in sessions especially for women, in a women only environment at Nelson.
The award ceremony took place on Wednesday (14 September).
Kate said: “I was happy to have been a finalist for this Equality and Diversity award, and received a certificate to mark the achievement.
“I was delighted to be nominated, but I couldn’t have done any of it without the backing and support of the brilliant team in Nelson.
Senior Probation Officer Anne Munro added: “It is extremely rewarding to have our efforts recognised and the work that Kate has taken forward on behalf of the Nelson office.”
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