Women’s Mentoring Program at The Wellington: an early intervention crime prevention and rehabilitation program [14.12.2010]

A unique pilot project which offers early support services to women who come into contact with the criminal justice system has been awarded a grant of $25,000 under the Trust’s Small Grants program. The Women’s Mentoring Program recruits and trains volunteer mentors to assist women in the City of Yarra who have been charged with a criminal offence and have not yet been to court, or women who are having issues with the law and are at risk of being charged. The program seeks to fill a gap in existing services and opportunities and came out of recommendations from a report commissioned in 2008 by the Collingwood Rotary Club which looked at justice and community support for women.

While there is a mentoring service for women who have been to court and who are on community-based orders or who have completed custodial sentences, there is no mentoring service available for a woman as soon as she has been charged. Similarly, there are mentoring services aimed at young people coming into contact with the justice system but none which cover the wider age range. The mentors are expected to offer non-judgemental emotional support, positive role modelling of legal and functional behaviour, and practical assistance as required including ensuring the women have legal assistance, supporting them in their court appearances and also in finding and utilising appropriate community and life-style support services. The project is strongly supported by local legal and social support agencies, the police and the Courts, while operating completely separately from these organisations. The pilot will run until November 2011 and will be the subject of an independent evaluation.

The Wellington Collingwood is a community space and support services organisation which operates near the Collingwood Housing Estate. It provides a focal point for social interaction of residents of all cultures as well as a range of health and wellbeing programs including the recently established Women’s Mentoring Program.