When we first met Victoria

Victoria was referred to Women’s Turnaround while she was still in custody at HMP Styal, after asking for help with accommodation. 'I knew I needed somewhere safe to go when I got out or I'd end up on the streets,' she shared. The team acted quickly, supporting Victoria to secure accommodation and remove the immediate risk of homelessness. Once she moved in, Victoria stayed there for 12 weeks.

Feeling heard 

Victoria engaged well with the service and began to open up about her experiences, including experiencing domestic abuse. 'It was hard to talk about at first, but I felt listened to,' she said. The team made sure she had the right support in place, linking in with specialist services such as an IDVA (Independent Domestic Abuse Advisor) and other adult social care support services. Our main focus was to make she wasn’t facing things on her own, whether that was a walk near one of our centres or a phone call at the end of a difficult day.

Escaping domestic abuse 

As her safety remained the top priority, Victoria was then supported to move out of the area into a hotel, somewhere the perpetrator didn't know. She was also heard at MARAC (Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conference), and was able to work with a complex IDVA to continue getting the support she needs.

To help her look to the future, a Property Pool Plus account was set up, taking an important step towards longer-term housing. 'It feels like something positive to work towards.' Victoria shared.

Victoria talked openly about how her past offending, which involved shoplifting, was linked to funding both her own and her perpetrator’s drug use. With the support of Women’s Turnaround, she has been able to better manage her drug use, stay in safer, longer-term accommodation, get involved with one-to-one, as well as group sessions with Women's Turnaround to support her with things like finance, family relationships and wellbeing.

Victoria’s story is a testament to her own strength and determination, showing that with the right support around you, anyone can turn their life around.

What is Women's Turnaround?

Women’s Turnaround is a service for women in Merseyside, Cheshire and North Wales who have offended in the past. As part of their probation, they’ll come to our Women’s Turnaround service and we’ll help them to turn their life around and get onto a more positive path.