One Small Thing

Season's greetings from the team at One Small Thing ✨ ! As we approach the end of the year, we have been reflecting on 2024 at One Small Thing. The past year has been challenging for many, with prisons at breaking point, a continued cost-of living crisis and stretched community services. However, 2024 also saw a new government take power with aspirations to reform and improve elements of the justice and wider systems. Despite the challenges, the end of the year is a great time to remember all the progress that has been made, and look forward to what the future may bring. Thank you to all who have supported our work throughout 2024. Our social channels won't be monitored until the new year, but we'll leave you with some of our highlights from the year 👇

STOP PUNISHING SURVIVORS. PROVIDE SUPPORT. Domestic abuse survivors are being unfairly criminalised. Many women are in prison as a direct result of their abuse—coerced into offending, punished for acting in self-defence, or facing malicious allegations as part of a pattern of coercive control. Did you know that 3 in 5 women in prison have experienced domestic abuse, and that Black, Asian, minoritised, and migrant women face disproportionate harm within the system? We’ve co-signed an open letter with over 100 organisations calling on the UK government to:  ✅ End the criminalisation of survivors of domestic abuse     ✅ Support survivors, rather than punish them   The time for action is now. Together, let’s ensure survivors receive support—not punishment. 📢 Read the full letter https://lnkd.in/ep8rW3ur and join us in calling for change. #StopPunishingSurvivors #DomesticAbuse #WomensJustice Women in Prison Hibiscus Initiatives Advance Charity Centre for Women's Justice Agenda Alliance

📣 We are delighted to announce the return of our #TraumaInformed Networks! Join us on Thursday 06 March 2025 in Vauxhall, London for an opportunity to meet and reflect on trauma-informed work with colleagues from a wide range of organisations. The event is free and open to anyone with an interest in trauma-informed practice Book your free place below 👇 https://lnkd.in/e3Z5shWi

📣 New #JUSTICE episode! In this episode we look back to 2023’s Motherhood in the Justice System Series when we explored the issues and challenges mothers in the justice system face, and what needs to change. Maternal health was a key feature in the series including a focus on experiences of pregnancy, birth and the post-natal period.   In this episode we bring together the voices of two guests in this series. Dr Laura Abbott is a registered midwife and Associate Professor in Research at The University of Hertfordshire, who has extensively researched women’s experiences of pregnancy in criminal justice settings. We also hear from Miranda Davies who leads prisoner health research at the Nuffield Trust - this body of work is the first time routine hospital data at a national level has been used to describe how often prisoners use hospital services and for what reasons. Listen to the episode 👉 https://lnkd.in/e5Pqkz_r

🌟 We're Hiring: Administration Officer 🌟 Location: Hope Street, Southampton Salary: £28,000–£30,000 per annum Hours: Full-time (37 hours per week) We’re looking for an organised, driven, and passionate individual to join the team at Hope Street as our Administration Officer. This brand new role offers a unique opportunity to make a real impact by providing vital support to myself and our People, Culture, and Resources team. If you would like to have a chat about the role, please get in touch. More info: https://lnkd.in/e829misJ One Small Thing

It was great to be at the One Small Thing end of year celebration at the Light Well in St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity . It was good to hear, amidst the bleaker news of overcrowded prisons and prison expansion, that Hope Street, their residential centre for women and their children in Southampton, is getting more referrals. More women are being given the opportunity to live in the community and for some, they can live there with their children. For those who can’t live with their children there is support to maintain and build those vital relationships. It was lovely to catch up with many friends and colleagues and true to form and in a very festive way, we did mostly discuss our submissions to the Sentencing Review 😊🧑🎄🎄 (deadline 9th January https://lnkd.in/ezDJCDjR) Janey Starling Dr Laura Abbott Esther Sample Madeline Petrillo Plugge Emma Polly Creed Gemma Buckland

What does a future with fewer women’s prisons look like? Churchill Fellow Sarah Louise Smith reflects on the government’s intention to reduce the number of women entering prison and makes the case for urgent community-based solutions. Drawing on her work with One Small Thing, she highlights the devastating impact of short prison sentences for women and the barriers to creating real change, and shares her plans to travel to Canada, Germany, and Finland to uncover innovative approaches to transforming justice for women 🌍✈️ Read Sarah's blog to learn more about her next steps: https://lnkd.in/e3XPChGy

🎙️Brainkind’s Steffy (Domestic Abuse & Brain Injury Researcher) and Thea (Policy Officer) are interviewed on the One Small Thing #JUSTICE podcast. Listen to the episode below where they talk about our Complex Lives research: https://lnkd.in/ep8iXNZa

An absolute pleasure to speak together with Thea Arch to Lilly James for the One Small Thing Justice Podcast about Brainkind's work, Complex Lives and Too Many to Count. Thank you for inviting us.

📣 New #JUSTICE episode! In this episode Lilly James, Women’s Involvement Advisor at One Small Thing speaks to Steffy (Stephanie) B. and Thea Arch from Brainkind.   Last month Brainkind released a report which found that 80% of women in the criminal justice system in Wales may be living with a brain injury. Alongside this they found the women in the study had complex health needs, frequently reporting histories of domestic abuse, substance misuse, and mental and physical health issues.   Lilly speaks to Stephanie and Thea about this important research, as well as their wider work on brain injury for women who have experienced domestic abuse.   Please note this episode contains description of abuse and violence and its impact on women’s lives. Listen here 👉 https://lnkd.in/gDpivDqw #podcast #listen