Natasha Preece and Katie Miller are among many women who have turned their lives around thanks to an innovative project.

“I was a nervous wreck with very low self-esteem,” says single mum-of-two Natasha, who turned to alcohol after difficulties in her life. “Now I feel so much more confident.”

Natasha proudly describes her joy at winning a writing contest with a powerful piece on alcohol dependency. “I was so shocked, and thrilled,” she says.

Katie is also optimistic about her future. After living through childhood traumas, she plans to take GCSEs and wants to return to playing football, the sport she loves. “I came here to prove that I could do it,” she says. “I feel happier and have more energy.” Both women attend a Bradford-based project which aims to make a difference to the lives of women with a history of offending or who are at risk of offending. It achieves this by providing individually-tailored support to steer them towards a positive future.

“Instead of knocking on lots of doors, they can knock on one door and we will open up other doors for them,” says Nicola Simpson, centre manager for the Together Women Project in Bradford and Keighley.

“We offer one-to-one and group support, access to various courses and services, we run classes and have a creche, and we link with many other agencies within the community. It is a holistic package.”

Women over the age of 18 voluntarily attend the project, either through self-referral or being referred by other agencies and partnerships, including the Probation Service, the police and drug and alcohol services. Workers from the project are also present in court twice a week.

Each woman is allocated a key worker who assesses her needs, and works out how they can best be met.

“It is not about looking at the offences, it is the whole package – the woman’s life, the story behind the offences.

“There are many reasons as to why a woman may commit an offence, and we tailor support around them,” says Nicola. “For instance, if a woman steals from a shop and has children to feed and no money, we would look at how to solve the problems that led to the offence to prevent a recurrence.”

Women can be referred to other agencies such as drug and alcohol services, financial advice centres, housing services or health care providers.

The project was borne out of a Home Office report that highlighted the scandal of unfair treatment of women offenders and high number of suicides. Investigations showed that there were many ways that women could be helped, and that prison was not necessarily the right route to take.

Says Nicola: “It identified that many women in prison had needs that were not being tackled. Custody was being used for low-risk offences, often to protect the women if they were seen as vulnerable or being coerced into crime through a relationship.

“Custody has knock-on effects in that children could end up in care or the family home could be lost, resulting in a far worse situation.”

Offences could include benefit fraud and shop theft. “Many such crimes are linked to poverty. We look at the triggers that lead to offending. If a woman we have assessed says she is involved in substance misuse, is working as a prostitute and has nowhere permanent to live, she is at risk of becoming an offender, so we put a support package together.”

Rokaiya Khan, the project’s chief executive for Yorkshire and Humberside, says: “A lot of women are vulnerable. They may be offenders, but may also be victims of domestic violence or drug abuse, and many do not access mainstream services.”

The re-offending rate for women accessing the project in Bradford is 4.5 per cent. Nationally, it is 56 per cent. “That clearly shows that it is a suitable alternative,” adds Rokaiya.

Pip Tibbetts, partnership manager for West Yorkshire Probation Service, says the project can make significant changes to a woman’s life. “It is a robust alternative to custody and is already yielding great results.”

Nicola says: “Many women say it is the first time they have been listened to. Here they are treated with respect and not judged.”

To contact the project, ring 0845 3100197 or e-mail central@twpyandh.org.uk.