SWM Probation Trust’s work with women offenders praised

By SWM Probation, October 24, 2011

The work of Staffordshire & West Midlands (SWM) Probation Trust has been highlighted in a joint report by three criminal justice watchdogs, after a national inspection of alternatives to custody for women offenders.

The report, Equal but Different? (published 13th October), reflects the findings of HM Inspectorate of Probation, HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate and HM Inspectorate of Prisons. The inspection focused on women who had either been sentenced to a community sentence or released from prison on licence. Its purpose was to consider the extent to which non-custodial options are being put forward and taken up in respect of women offenders.

The inspection looked at all aspects of SWM Probation Trust’s provision for women offenders. In January 2011, the provision was enhanced by the Trust creating a women offenders’ Offender Management Unit (OMU) in Birmingham. The unit’s two probation staff, Katie McGrainor and Shirley Panton, work closely with Anawim, a charity which provides women with an opportunity to address their issues relating to life skills, substance misuse, financial difficulty, accommodation, thinking skills, emotional control, experiences of abuse, prostitution and literacy and numeracy.

Probation Officer Katie McGrainor, from the women offenders’ OMU, explains: “Female offenders and male offenders can be very different, and the services tend to be based on research around male offenders. As such, a new women offenders’ OMU has been created. At present we are based at the Saltley probation office, but we travel to the Anawim centre, creating a service that is tailored to the complex needs of women offenders from across Birmingham. Many women continue to engage with the Centre on a voluntary basis after they have completed their sentence.”

Probation Officers can refer offenders to the Specified Activity for women as part of a non-custodial Community Order. It can be imposed for a minimum of 30 days, up to a maximum of 60 days, with each day consisting of a minimum of two and a half hours of engagement time.

Meanwhile, SWM Probation Trust is working closely with a community project for women offenders in Stoke-on-Trent to cut reoffending. Chepstow House is a “one-stop shop” for women run by Brighter Futures in Hanley. SWM Probation can refer women offenders to Chepstow House, or they can be sentenced in court to attend the centre instead of receiving a jail term.

Dr. Gerard Bates, Director of Operations for SWM Probation Trust, said: “The report provides clear evidence of the excellent work being done by SWM probation staff with offenders who often have complex needs.

“There is evidence of an innovative approach and probation staff, working in partnership with others, to provide treatment and development programmes for female offenders that can really turn lives around. We are determined to build on our success and further improve our services.”

Summary of report comments:

Six Probation Trusts were inspected. In summary, the report said the following about SWM Probation Trust:

• We were particularly impressed with the ‘compliance workbook’ for offenders which had been developed by two staff from SWM Probation Trust. This outlined methods of re-engaging a woman with her Probation Officer, and included some useful guidance, with examples of relevant sentence planning targets for those at risk of breaching the terms of their probation order. The workbook was both practical and sensitive to the fact that there might be underlying issues interfering with the woman’s ability to comply and engage.
• Courts in Birmingham were very aware of the accommodation service available for offenders on bail [known as the Bail Accommodation and Support Service, or BASS]. This was undoubtedly aided by the presence of a resident BASS team in Birmingham magistrates’ court.
• At Birmingham Magistrates’ Court, the court duty Probation Officer gave an eloquent explanation of how the female defendant could be managed in the community, in support of a pre-sentence report written by one of her colleagues.
• Links had been forged with Birmingham and Wolverhampton City Councils in an attempt to identify the percentage of women in prison who were mothers, and where they originally lived. Similarly, a report had been commissioned from the regional lead for mental health on women’s mental health issues, in order to inform the commissioning process.
• Sentencers were generally well versed about the options available to them and were using them. For example, Birmingham’s Anawim Centre, which works to address women’s offending, had recently received 155 referrals in an 18 month period. However, we were surprised to find some sentencers in other parts of the country who were unaware of the availability of this type of provision.
• To improve communication, SWM Trust created a specialised Offender Management Unit to work jointly with the Anawim Women’s Centre. Probation staff have since taken up this post, reflecting the report’s findings that women’s centres offer a great resource for women likely to offend or reoffend.