Justice and Safety

All of our projects work to reduce the risk of reoffending or prevent the criminalisation of women with multiple and complex needs

Current Projects

Snap back Recovery

Designed for women involved, or at risk of, involvement in the criminal justice system.

Lancashire Women can support women to address the following barriers to treatment:

• Stigma
• Housing
• Finances
• Emotional wellbeing
• Education & employment support
• Support around families & relationships

Our gender-specific project will offer a hand-holding service to women with dependency issues to reduce the barriers they face and support them to access treatment.

Referrals for women currently on probation need to be submitted via Refer & Monitor with a medium or high Dependency & Recovery pathway. Use our Online Referral Form

Community Rehabilitative Services - CRS

The Justice and safety team work in partnership with The Probation Service to offer holistic support for women in prison and on probation to remove barriers and improve wellbeing with the aim of reducing re-offending.

Achieve North West

CFO3 is co-financed by Her Majesty Prison and Probation service (HMPPS) and the European Social Fund (ESF) to support social inclusion through improving the employability prospects of disadvantaged ex-offenders.

Working in partnership with Achieve North West Connect to support women with an ETE need in addition to at least 2 other complex pathway needs e.g. substance misuse, accommodation, mental and physical health.

We offer support with accessing first step courses and further training as well as providing in house volunteering opportunities to gain experience and a reference.

Part Funded by the European Social Fund.

In Partnership with:

Our work is receiving increasing regional and national recognition for it's impact, and includes a range of pilot and innovative approaches which seek to increase the use of community sentencing options for women.

About our services

We have developed a package of services which provide a gendered considered response to offer more effective support for women who are in contact, or at risk of contact, with the criminal justice system.

By working with a range of partners and multi agency programmes, we are able to use our expertise in the provision of gender specific interventions to improve outcomes for women who may be facing multiple and complex issues, for example homelessness, poor emotional well being and experiences of trauma and abuse.

We work with women at all points in the criminal justice system, placing staff within police custody and prison settings to support engagement as well as further extending our community provision.

It is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund.

Frequently Asked Questions

How will a Conditional Caution affect my DBS? (Disclosure and Barring Service)

A conditional caution will show up in a routine DBS check if deemed relevant

Do I have to attend my Conditional Caution appointments, what happens if I don't?

When you sign the form to accept the Conditional Caution you are agreeing to complete the conditions noted. You must contact the police if you are struggling to comply to see if new arrangements can be made. Failure to attend all the appointments could result in you being prosecuted for the original offence.

What happens at the Conditional Caution appointments?

The appointments will consist of an assessment, action planning and goal setting, support relevant to your needs and an evaluation of the process. The support offered will be tailored to your individual circumstances, if you have been referred following a shoplifting offence due to financial issues the support, for example, will include debt, budgeting or benefit advice.

What happens when I attend for my PNDE? (Penalty Notice Disposal)

On receipt of your PNDE you will be given instructions on how to book onto the course, which will be arranged for the nearest convenient LWC centre. The course consists of one 3 hour appointment , with this time being split between an assessment, some group work relevant to the offence and an evaluation of the day. You must bring ID to these sessions.

How will a PNDE affect my DBS? (Disclosure and Barring Service)

A PND (Penalty Notice Disorder) does not form part of a criminal record but a record will be created on the Police National Computer (PNC) for PNDs issued for recordable offences. A PND may be disclosed as part of an enhanced DBS check if deemed relevant.

Do I have to attend my PNDE course, what happens if I don't?

You must contact the police if you are struggling to attend to see if a new appointment can be made. A person given a PND has 21 days to either book a course, pay a penalty of £60 or £90 or request a Court hearing. If you fail to do either then a fine of one and a half times the penalty amount is registered in a magistrates’ court for enforcement.