2022: A Year in Review
As we approach the new year, we have been reflecting on the 2022 at One Small Thing. It has been an exciting year for us as an organisation, a year where we have sustained our vital support to the justice and community sectors, alongside significantly growing our offer of support.
This year we have:
Completed the structural build of Hope Street, our residential community for women and their children in Hampshire, ready for women to move in in Spring next year. This was a huge undertaking, and we are incredibly grateful to our excellent design and build team for their perseverance and hard work to get us to this point.
Finished renovations of our first move on house, now home to four women who have been affected by the justice system. We also continued to provide tailored support for women on probation facing multiple disadvantage and housing issues in partnership with Advance. Our evaluation team at the University of Southampton, Prison Reform Trust and EP:IC have built up baseline data, and put plans in place for a robust trauma-informed evaluation.
Began a big recruitment drive for the new team to support women at Hope Street, so all roles can be in place in time for opening in the Spring.
Supported staff and residents in prisons, including regular training and meetings, and working with women with lived experience to produce new self-soothing exercises broadcast via Wayout TV for residents. We have also been working closely with the women’s estate to re-start Healing Trauma peer support groups post pandemic.
Championed trauma informed and gender responsive work through our open access and in-house Becoming Trauma Informed Training in prisons and the community. We are excited to deliver our brand new courses in the new year. You can find all dates for upcoming courses here.
Delivered Trauma Informed Network meetings across England allowing professionals to share insights and ideas, and this year ran not one, but two well attended in person OST Live events, one in the North and one in the South of England.
Grown our Trauma informed Working Quality Mark. We have had 32 organisations sign up and start working through it, and so far awarded five Silver and two Bronze Awards to recognise good practice. This year we also introduced regular Information Sessions with the aim of better preparing organisations for what the Quality Mark process involves.
Published bi-monthly Justice podcasts with over 19,000 downloads over the year, providing a platform to explore issues related to the justice system and influence for change.
Shared the voice of lived experience through working with our Women’s Involvement Advisor to publish a regular blog.
Increased our policy, research and communications work, responding to multiple policy consultations and holding a parliamentary event to launch research on reducing the impact of maternal imprisonment.