Resettlement of Girls and Young Women

The use of custody for girls and young women 30 Women over 18 31 More complex needs 32 Relocation and the strain on relationships 33 Evidence of effective justice work with girls and young women 34 The relationship with professionals 34 The importanc eof victimisation 35 A strengths-based approach 36 Holistic and gender responsive care 36 Evidence of effective resettlement with adult females 37 Together Woman programme 37 Wraparound support for complex needs 39 Accomodation and neighbourhood 39 The importance of relationships 40 Addressing trauma and violence 42 Matching self-identified needs-engagement and promotong agency 42 Project characterisitcs 43 Staff characteristics 44 Beyond the end of license 44 Indicative research on the resettlement of girls and young women 45 Perceived as relevant 45 Clear and empowering plans 46 Mentoring 47 Support a shift in agency 47 Empowering relationships with staff 48 'Intersectionality' 49 Synthesis to produce lessons for resettlement of girls and young women 50 Informing an important gap in policy and practice 50 Principles in approaching the resettlement of girls and young women 51 Applying existing lessons for resettlement for young people through the gender prisim 52 Contents Executive summary 2 Introduction: addressing the resettlement needs of an ignored constituency 8 A policy and practice need 8 Why have the resettlement needsof girls and young women been ignored? 9 How this report attempts to address the gap in knowledge 12 How the study was conducted 13 Implications of the emerging policy landscape 16 The development of secure colleges 16 Large versus small units? 16 Interim proposals for resettlement 16 Developments in young adult resettlement 17 1. Statutory supervision in the community 17 2. The creation of a network of resettlement prisons 18 Gender specific provision 19 Existing lessons of effective resettlement of young people 21 A smooth transition from custody to community 21 Coordinating wrap around care for complex needs 21 Engagement and shifting personal narrative 22 Explaining offending in girls and young women 24 Home relationships 24 Past victimisation and trauma 24 Early motherhood 25 Problems in peer relationships 25 Reacting against relationships 25 Mental health problems 26 Relative deprivation 26 Judicial responses to offending in girls and young women 27 2 Executive summary This report addresses a worrying gap in the knowledge about the effective resettlement of girls and young women. Reviewing research literature in a number of relevant areas, it cross-references evidence of what works in the …