2025: A Year in Review
Dear Friends,
As we approach the end of the year, we have been reflecting on 2025 at One Small Thing. The past year has been challenging for many, with prisons at breaking point, and community services continuing to be stretched. However, 2025 also saw the publishing of the Independent Sentencing Review, and the Sentencing Bill. These efforts recognise that change is desperately needed, and represents an opportunity to shift the narrative from custody to community approaches for women.
This year we have:
Prevented women and children being separated through imprisonment. In 2025 we’ve continued to strengthen partnerships across women’s prisons and mother and baby units, ensuring effective referral pathways to Hope Street. Regular engagement with prison-based teams has helped maintain strong relationships and support consistent access for women who need our services. We are pleased to see Hope Street increasingly recognised as a powerful intervention for women and their children, and have seen our work referenced as such in key reports in 2025 such as Susannah Hancock’s independent review into the care of girls in the youth justice secure estate, and the Chief Medical Officer's report on the health of people in prison and on probation. In July, we were honoured to receive the Robin Corbett Award in recognition of the work we are doing at Hope Street. Learn more about Hope Street.
Hope Street's beautiful winter window, by Hannah Baker. Instagram:@hannah.studio25
“I can actually give my son the life that I wanted to have, basically because he’s everything that I wanted to be. When I was a kid my mum left me when I was two, and now I’m realising you don’t have to leave your child. I now have this opportunity to keep him with me.”
Influenced policy makers on issues affecting women in the justice system. This year we responded to the call for evidence for the Independent Sentencing Review. We welcomed this as an opportunity to fundamentally re-think and reform how sentencing works for women in England and Wales. We were pleased to see our response referenced in the final report, and will continue to monitor the progress and implementation of the Sentencing Bill.
Published a new research briefing on women's health in the justice system. In this briefing we explore what health infrastructure exists in prison and for those in the community, what are the current health outcomes for these women, and what do those supporting women think is needed to effectively meet the health needs of those in contact with the justice system. Read the briefing.
Worked in collaboration with partners to effect change together. This year we have been grateful to be part of a pioneering new project on remand, funded by Firebird. Lilly Lewis, our Women's Involvement Advisor, ran a residential with a group of eight women with lived experience of remand to co-produce a piece of work that challenges the use of remand for women. These women will eventually work alongside leaders from Women in Prison, Hibiscus, One Small Thing, Clean Break, Birth Companions, and the Howard League for Penal Reform. Learn more about this work.
Images by Joya Berrow
Brought you a brand new series of our podcast. The Voices from Holloway series in partnership with Daddyless Daughters and Power Play Productions centres the voices of women from Holloway, including powerful letters that were written and recorded as part of the Layers exhibition. Hosted by Lilly Lewis, Women’s Involvement Advisor at One Small Thing, each episode includes an introductory discussion with one of the Creative Directors of the Layers exhibition and Founder and CEO of Daddyless Daughters, Aliyah Ali. Explore our new series.
Shared the voice of lived experience through working with our Women’s Involvement Advisor to publish a regular blog. This year, our blogs explored a range of topics, from sentencing reform, release from prison, digital violence and more. Read our blog here.
Championed a trauma informed approach through our training, consultancy and network events. We delivered over 30 training courses to over 250 participants from a variety of organisations including a university, a women’s centre, a prison education provider, a law advice charity, police and probation services in the North East, and probation services in Northern Ireland. We also ran two trauma informed network events this year, providing an opportunity for people to reflect upon trauma informed work, share insights, and collaborate with others. Keep an eye out for more details of our next Trauma Informed Network Meeting in Belfast, on 5th March 2026. Find more information about our expert-led, trauma-informed training workshops and courses.
Trauma Informed Network meeting, London 2025
“I loved the Action Learning Sets and have really valued the protected time with the group on each occasion we met and really appreciated the ability to share so openly. I have learned something from every session.”
Grown our Working with Trauma Quality Mark. 27 organisations and services from across the UK worked towards the Working with Trauma Quality Mark this year. We awarded four Silver awards and four Bronze awards to organisations, recognising the development and embedding of trauma-informed approach and practice. Learn more about our Working with Trauma Quality Mark.
Continued to support those working in prisons. In February, we hosted a celebration event following the successful 2024 submission of three prisons participating in our Working with Trauma Framework for Secure Settings pilot. Teams from the prisons came together to share their experiences and recognise their achievements. After completing Level One in 2024, all three units have now progressed to Level Two of the Working with Trauma Framework in 2025. This year, we were also pleased to begin a five year programme, providing bespoke training to a group of prison education teams.
Looking to the future
In the coming year we want to support even more women and children, share our learning, grow our partnerships and prove alongside others, that women’s imprisonment and maternal separation is not the answer - the answer lies in community-based solutions.
