We aim to improve the quality of life for women involved in the justice system and to reduce their risk of further offending.

We work with women throughout North Lanarkshire who are aged 18 and cover the following areas:

• Criminal Justice Social Work Reports
• Community Payback Orders  - with a supervision requirement and/or unpaid work requirement
• support to women who are leaving prison and are subject to supervision/license conditions or who require voluntary support to settle back into their community
• Diversion from Prosecution
• Fiscal Work Orders
• Bail Supervision

We support women to deal with issues which have contributed to their involvement in the justice system both on an individual and groupwork basis. 

We work in partnership with specialist services that can provide support, advice and guidance on a range of issues such as:

• alcohol or substance misuse
• housing, welfare benefits and debt advice
• health and wellbeing checkups
• mentoring support
• skills to improve training and employment opportunities

The length of time that women are involved depends on why they are working with us, for example, if they are subject to a set period of time by a Court Order. 

The majority of women who are involved with our service are subject to a community payback order, meaning they may have a supervision requirement where they will meet with their allocated social worker on a regular basis to work through any issues. They may also be required to undertake treatment in relation to their alcohol or drug use or mental health. 

Supervision can last from six months to three years and the court may set review dates to monitor progress. If the order exceeds 12 months and the woman’s circumstances has improved, they will be transferred to their local justice team for the remainder of the order. 

Women can also access mentoring services as additional support during the order or for ongoing support when their order comes to an end.

Unpaid work, either on it’s own or as part of a supervision requirement, may also be imposed following an appearance at court. An allocated supervising officer will carry out an assessment and identify an unpaid work activity based on individual skills, experience and circumstances. 

There are also a range of workshops such as bicycle repair, home improvements and woodwork available.  We have also developed a six week practical cooking and nutrition course which aims to equip individuals with the necessary skills to undertake unpaid work in a kitchen environment. 

All of our placements aim to make direct reparation to the community and provide skills and experiences which can be used in the future to improve lifestyle and opportunities.