Ingeus brings North East partners together to strengthen support for women in contact with the justice system

Professionals and organisations from across the North East came together this month for an event hosted by Ingeus, aimed at strengthening collaboration and improving outcomes for women in contact with the justice system. 

Held at Sunderland City Hall, the event featured a screening of the documentary Holloway followed by a panel discussion exploring the realities many women face and the role services and communities can play in supporting recovery, rehabilitation and long-term positive change. 

The event centred around Holloway, an acclaimed documentary following six women as they return to the now-abandoned Holloway Prison to reflect on their experiences of trauma, resilience, recovery and healing. 

While deeply personal, the stories explored in the film also reflect wider issues affecting women in contact with the justice system. According to the Prison Reform Trust, women entered prison on more than 4,700 occasions in the first nine months of 2024, while women accounted for 27% of all self-harm incidents in prison despite representing just 4% of the prison population. An estimated 17,000 children are affected by maternal imprisonment each year. 

The discussions that followed reinforced a key message throughout the day: the challenges many women face are rarely isolated to one issue or one service. They often span health, housing, wellbeing, family relationships, employment and community support, making partnership working essential to creating better outcomes. 

Drawing on decades’ of experience delivering locally embedded services, Ingeus brought together partners from across justice services, health, housing, employment, local government and the voluntary sector for the event.  

Diane Ferguson, Regional Manager at Ingeus, said: 

"Holloway gave us an opportunity to bring partners together, hear different perspectives and have honest conversations about the realities experienced by many women in contact with the justice system. 

Across the North East there is a huge amount of expertise, passion and commitment to supporting people facing complex challenges. By creating space for reflection, learning and collaboration, events like this help strengthen the relationships that ultimately make a difference in people's lives. 

What was particularly encouraging was the shared commitment in the room to continue those conversations beyond the event itself. When organisations come together with a common purpose, it creates opportunities to build stronger, more joined-up support for women across our communities." 

 
The discussion focused on lived experience, trauma-informed practice and how organisations can continue working together to better support women and their families. 

Carrie Peters, Director of Justice Services at Ingeus, added: 

“"The stories shared through Holloway highlight just how complex and interconnected many women's experiences can be. 

Through our work at Ingeus, we see every day the impact that trauma, poor health, housing difficulties, family relationships and other challenges can have on people's lives. We also see the difference that the right support, delivered at the right time, can make. 

If we want to improve outcomes for women, we need to continue listening to lived experience and building support around the whole person. These conversations cannot sit within one organisation or one sector. They need to happen across services, communities and partnerships. That is where meaningful change begins.” 

 
The event reflects Ingeus' commitment to enabling better lives by working alongside partners and communities to strengthen support and create better outcomes for people facing complex challenges.