GOLD AWARDS TODAY for TOMORROW’S WOMEN
BY TRACY MCFALL, Chief Executive Officer, Partners in Advocacy & Chair of the Glasgow
Working Group on Women & Offending
The COSLA Excellence awards celebrate the very best in Scottish local government. The 2019 awards ceremony was held on Thursday 10 October in St. Andrew’s and Tomorrow’s Women Glasgow (TWG) was shortlisted as one of the best three nominations within Category 2: Achieving Better Outcomes in Partnership. TWG won first prize, the Gold Award, on the night!
Tomorrow’s Women Glasgow is a unique partnership including Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership (Nursing, Social Care and Psychology staff), Scottish Prison Service (SPS), The Wheatley Group housing services and third sector partners, including SHINE Public Social Partnership, Turning Point Scotland, and Glasgow City Council’s Neighbourhoods & Sustainability Service Analytical Unit at Eastgate.
The partnership works with women involved in offending or returning from custody, who have limited support, have been assessed as being at high risk of reoffending, harm or custody, and have complex lives. The partnership takes a trauma-informed, assertive outreach approach, providing consistent and flexible support, meeting practical needs and building safety, security and trust. It provides a safe space where partners co-locate, and women can engage in group-work and access additional support from partners such as welfare rights, legal advice, education and the arts.
You can click on the picture below to see a short animation which provides more detail on:
- the origins of the service;
- how it has evolved;
- how women fit into the picture of reducing re-offending nationally and in Glasgow; and
some of the fantastic outcomes that the service has achieved in Glasgow.
Anne Gallacher, Team Leader at Tomorrow’s Women said:
“We are absolutely delighted to win this prestigious COSLA award. What has enabled so many positive outcomes for women over the past six years is not only the commitment, dedication and investment of all partners within Tomorrow’s Women itself, but also external partners such as Community Justice Glasgow, Glasgow Kelvin College, the Citizens Theatre, Govan Law Centre, Glasgow Soroptomists and many others. We are so grateful for the support and encouragement we have received, that has enabled women to transform their lives, and so we warmly share this award with all our partners.”
Susanne Millar, Interim Chief Officer, Glasgow City HSCP said:
“I’m delighted that the Tomorrow’s Women Glasgow service won the award for Achieving Better Outcomes in Partnership. Congratulations to everyone in this service for all their hard work, and commitment which is recognised by this award – I am incredibly proud of the partnership approach in this service to working across different agencies and including women in a genuine co production approach to service delivery, to support them in changing their lives and future.”
Karen Baxter, Policy Officer at Community Justice Glasgow said:
“Women in the Justice System, as has been noted are a priority, not only nationally but as 1 of the nine agreed priority themes for Community Justice Glasgow, set out in the community Justice Outcome Improvement Plan (CJOIP). Empowering service user voices, engagement and increasing knowledge and understanding are a big part of the work that our team here at Community Justice Glasgow, and broader partners lead on in order to deliver for women.
In addition to the animation link, you may also want to have a look at the short film, produced as part of our 20019-20 Ripple Effect series of films.
These films were made by people with living and/or lived experience of the justice system as part of our commitment around engagement, one of those films features the Tomorrow’s Women Glasgow service through the eyes of those who benefit – the women themselves!
These improved outcomes for women who experience the justice system themselves and often for their children and families, has a ripple effect benefit for Glasgow’s communities and society as a whole. The reductions in re-offending make communities safer for everyone.”
