The JABBS Foundation for Women and Girls

17/06/2026

New research from The University of Sheffield led by Professor Alex Stevens finds drug diversion schemes cut reoffending rates more than prosecution.

People were a third less likely to reoffend following diversion schemes vs prosecution.

Evidence consistently shows interventions that divert women away from the criminal justice system are more effective at reducing re-offending.

That's why we have partnered with The Centre for Justice Innovation to support diversion efforts across the country, and with University of Birmingham and to strengthen the evidence base on 'what works' for women.

Read more in the comments ⬇️ The Guardian

15/06/2026

Last month, The JABBS Foundation for Women and Girls supported The Centre for Justice Innovation's Effective Community Justice for Women conference in

The conference brought together people working across courts, policing, probation, health, the civil service, women’s centres and the charity sector to explore what effective, gender-responsive community justice looks like in practice, and the opportunities for action.

Read more about it on our website! Link in the comments.⬇️

12/06/2026

NEWS 📢:The Ministry of Justice UK has announced a new wave of Intensive Supervision Court (ISC) sites, building on learning from the initial pilots, including the women’s court in .

We are pleased to see four new women’s ISCs, Leeds Magistrates’ Court (Leeds and Wakefield), Swansea Magistrates’ Court (South Wales), Newcastle Magistrates’ Court (Northumberland), and Thames Magistrates’ Court (London), which will reduce the number of women being sentenced to prison.

ISCs offer a credible way forward, bringing together probation and partner agencies – including – to help address the root causes of criminal justice involvement and support health and wellbeing needs.

Between June 2023 and February 2025, 96 women who would otherwise have gone to prison were instead given a community order at the Birmingham ISC, and received tailored support for their individual needs.

Through our partnership with The Centre for Justice Innovation, we are supporting the rollout of more ISCs, helping local partnerships translate this effective model into strong, deliverable practices that make a tangible difference to women’s lives.

Special thank you to Anawim Birmingham's Centre for Women for providing the insightful experiences of women serving orders from the Birmingham Intensive Supervision Court. ⭐

Find out more via the link in the comments! 🔗

11/06/2026

Last week Laurence Turner MP for Birmingham Northfield hosted a roundtable with key stakeholders to discuss Birmingham SEMH Pathfinder and what the future holds, as they mark 10 years of impact.

We heard really positive feedback about Birmingham Pathfinder, including from the schools they work with day-to-day to support children and families, and the importance of high-quality evidence, which The JABBS Foundation for Women and Girls is funding.

Nationally, Government policy on children's social care is shifting - toward even earlier intervention and prevention, intensive support for families, and trusted relationships built to last.

Birmingham Pathfinder has been showing what this looks like in practice for the past decade - preventing crises and supporting children, their families and communities to thrive. The lessons from that work have the potential to inform and improve approaches across the country.




St Basils Charity
Birmingham City Council

10/06/2026

The JABBS Foundation for Women and Girls is pleased to announce a new £50,000 grant to National Women's Justice Coalition to strengthen advocacy and spread evidence on the effectiveness of Women’s Centres.

This funding aims to help increase long-term support and attract greater public investment and partnerships in the sector, by amplifying the Women’s Centre Model as an effective, evidence-based alternative to prison, and supporting specialist women’s organisations to influence local and national policy conversations and decisions.

Read more about this funding today! Link in comments. ⬇️

10/06/2026

08/06/2026

Last week in Parliament, Department for Education Minister Josh MacAlister MP introduced the Government’s new Enduring Relationships policy paper.

It’s fantastic to see his ambition to provide earlier intensive help for families rather than late-stage crisis management.

We know from working with many of our partners, including Birmingham SEMH Pathfinder and , the importance of early intervention and the impact that trusted, long-term relationships have. We’re working with University of Birmingham to help contribute new evidence on what works in early help including through innovative family support in schools and support for women in the community.

We are pleased to see the Government putting this at the heart of its approach to transform children's social care and support for families.

Watch part of Minister Josh MacAlister's speech below ⬇️

20/05/2026

The JABBS Foundation for Women and Girls has appointed Nikki Penniston to the role of Director of Operations.

Nikki will lead operational delivery across the Foundation’s growing portfolio of partnerships and programmes, supporting improved support and outcomes for women, girls, their families and communities.

Read more about Nikki's role on our website, link in comments!

19/05/2026

We are really pleased to see early intervention as a major focus of the Youth Justice White Paper, and the Government's commitments to address the distinct needs of girls in custody.

Evidence shows many of the young women and girls who end up in the justice system have suffered poverty, abuse and ill health.

To support the delivery of this ambitious programme of youth justice reform, the Government should ensure it is coordinated with other new early intervention initiatives. These include Department for Education Families First and Family Hubs, Department for Culture, Media and Sport Youth Intervention Hubs, and increased funding for community mental health from the Department of Health and Social Care - DHSC.

This systematic approach has the capacity to transform how we help young people and their families thrive. The Government should also explore how to better support women, including parents of young people at risk of crime, through and organisations like Birmingham SEMH Pathfinder- connecting these vital resources to the ecosystem of early intervention initiatives.

Ministry of Justice UK, Home Office