Stepping Stones provide support services to women who have offended or who are at risk of offending.
We know that there are lots of reasons that women become involved in offending and often the reasons are all interlinked. We understand that women’s offending can be linked to their experience of domestic abuse and/or alcohol and drug misuse.
We want to help women stop offending and find alternative ways of dealing with difficult situations and know that they have a choice.
- We believe that with the right skills and support everyone can stop offending.
- We believe that women who commit crime often face complex circumstances and are some of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged women in society (MOJ – on working with women in custody and the community, 2017).
- We believe that women’s offending is often linked to experiences of trauma.
- We believe that women who have offended need to be supported differently than men.
We work closely with our Probation colleagues in the National Probation Service.
With our partners Advance and Bedford Women’s Centre, we hold a contract with the National Probation Service to provide resettlement support to women and to work with women living in Luton and Central Bedfordshire who are serving community sentences or licences. We work closely with the Probation team and individual women to agree a package of support that meets their needs and will help them to address the issues which influence their offending. We know that an individualised approach works best.
All of the women locally have their appointments with their Probation Officers at Stepping Stones in the friendly welcoming women only environment.