1. Led by women
Unlike other services, we believe in working with, not doing to.
The majority of our staff and trustees have lived experience of the mental healthcare and/or criminal justice systems. But we also put the diverse women we work with at the centre of our decision-making processes.
Women help us design our services, support governance, develop campaigns, and feed into everything we do. This will never change: we are all experts in our own lives.
2. Gender-specific
Women have diverse lives and diverse needs that are different from those of men. We design services that are suited to these needs, acknowledging the intersectional nature of discrimination and the role that their gender plays in their lives and experiences.
Our ultimate goal is to give women stronger voices, not only in their personal lives but through campaigning.
3. Trauma-informed
Mental health and criminal justice systems are often deeply traumatising or retraumatising.
We acknowledge women’s trauma, share power with them, and provide services that are designed in collaboration, offer safety and trust, and give choice, flexibility, and control.
We see women as agents of their own change: empowering them to do so is key.
4. Relational security
We spend time building trust with women, taking things at their own pace, and acknowledging where they are in their lives and how they got there.
Unlike many other services, we stand by women throughout recovery and rehabilitation, including through any relapses or reoffending.