Following a successful application for funding from the Reducing Reoffending Change Fund Partnership (RRCFP), Shine has developed a national Women’s Mentoring Service within the PSP approach.

PSPs typically consist of three stages:

  • Design: third sector and public organisations work together to identify need and to co-design the service or intervention and demonstrate how social benefit can be maximised.
  • Piloting: the service or interventions are delivered by third sector organisations for an agreed limited period. During this period partners can adjust how the service or interventions are delivered, in order to achieve maximum social benefit.
  • Tendering for longer term delivery: interventions which successfully meet the agreed outcomes would usually expect to receive mainstream funding from the public sector partners. Typically this involves the public sector partners tendering a contract to deliver the interventions in the longer term. In some cases, longer term delivery could be secured through continuing pilot activity or through grant funding.

The RRCFP funding, is initially for two years of the three year programme, amounted to £3.65M, and will allow the recruitment and establishment of a core group of 24 mentors who will provide intensive mentoring services for up to 720 women offenders per year, across Scotland.

Eight third sector organisations, which include: Apex Scotland, Access to Industry, Barnardo’s Scotland, Circle, Sacro, Turning Point Scotland, The Wise Group and Venture Trust formed the PSP supported by the Scottish Government, The Robertson Trust, the Scottish Prison Service, the eight Community Justice Authorities and Social Work Scotland.

The service is designed to work with women who are on remand in prison or are being released from short term sentences of less than four years. It will also work with women in the community who are on Community Payback Orders and at significant risk of imprisonment.

The PSP service is a pilot to determine the effectiveness of the concept with a view to future sustainable funding for PSPs being provided by local authorities and the public sector. External evaluation by Scottish Government will measure outputs and outcomes of the PSP over the two years, to gauge effectiveness.

“Partnership is hugely important for success here. All of the organisations involved bring their own strengths and experiences of working with women in helping them make changes in their lives. It’s a first in Scotland; right across all of Scotland, we are able to bring these organisations together and that will be successful. Shine will make a big difference to the lives of these women”.

Tom Halpin, Chief Executive of Sacro