Evaluation of the Women's Turnaround Project

The Women's Turnaround Project (WTP) was launched in Cardiff in November 2007 with the aim of providing women offenders and women at risk of becoming an offender and/or victim of crime, with a multi-agency, community-based service that addresses individual risks and needs. It is closely in tune with the recommendations of the Corston Report, which advocated a radical change in the way that women throughout the Criminal Justice System are treated, and in particular the development of more 'holistic' approaches (Corston, 2007, 1-2). Initially, the Project was funded for a six month 'demonstrator' period. However, in April 2008 funding for an additional 12 months of operation was secured. The Centre for Criminology at the University of Glamorgan was commissioned to conduct a process and impact evaluation of the Project. An Interim Report was submitted in April 2008 summarising the research tasks undertaken and presenting some early emerging findings. This report builds on those early findings and presents more comprehensive results from Phase 1 of the research (November 2007 to July 2008). The findings in this report are based on data obtained from a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods. The results of the evaluation indicate that the Women's Turnaround Project has been designed appropriately and has been developed successfully. There is clear evidence of a high demand for the services and support offered among vulnerable women. Overall, the evaluation of the Women's Turnaround Project has yielded largely positive results. The Project appears to be making good progress towards achieving its aim of reducing crime among vulnerable women in Wales and empowering them to achieve personal goals.