Women Deserve Support Before Crisis, Not After
Lilly Lewis, Women’s Involvement Advisor, One Small Thing
In the next in her series of blogs Lilly Lewis, our Women’s Involvement Advisor, reflects on why women in contact with the justice system must be central to the government’s new mental health strategy. Drawing on the voices and experiences of women she works alongside, Lilly explores the need for trauma-informed and gender-specific support that reaches women before crisis point, and sets out why early intervention and community-based services, must be part of any meaningful strategy.
I have the privilege of working alongside women with lived experience of the justice system. Every conversation reminds me that no woman should be defined by her involvement with the justice system. Instead, we need to understand the experiences that led her there and recognise the opportunities we have to intervene much earlier. Addressing mental health, and preventing crisis, is a key part of the conversation.
It is so important that women impacted by the justice system are considered in the new Mental Health Strategy because they experience some of the poorest mental health outcomes I have seen. Most have survived domestic abuse, sexual violence, childhood trauma, homelessness, substance use and poverty. These experiences are not separate from their mental health, they are often at the heart of it. Too often, women are expected to navigate complex systems that are not designed with their needs in mind. These systems are not trauma informed or gender specific for women.
“One of the greatest barriers women face is getting support before they reach crisis. Long waiting lists, strict referral criteria, and stigma can all prevent women from getting the help they need.”
Many women have to reach breaking point before anyone listens. By then, their distress may have escalated, bringing them into contact with the police or courts rather than health services. We need to be more proactive when it comes to mental health, and less reactive.
Many women experiencing mental ill health are too often criminalised rather than supported. Behaviours linked to trauma, emotional distress or survival can be viewed through a criminal justice lens instead of a health and wellbeing lens. The question should not be, "What is wrong with this woman?" but, "What has happened to her, and what support does she need?"
We must also consider the impact of remand. Even a short period in custody can have devastating consequences for women. They may lose their home, employment, income and, most significantly, precious time with their children. The uncertainty of remand can worsen existing mental health conditions, leaving women more vulnerable than when they entered the system. Greater use of mental health diversion schemes and community alternatives could help avoid unnecessary periods on remand where support, not custody, is the appropriate response.
“My hope for the new Mental Health Strategy is simple - that it genuinely listens to women with lived experience. ”
I hope it creates services that are compassionate, joined up and accessible before women reach crisis. I hope it recognises that investing in women's mental health is not only the right thing to do for individuals, but also for families, communities and society as a whole.
Every woman deserves to be seen beyond her circumstances. If this strategy can help ensure women receive the right support at the right time, we can move from reacting to crisis to preventing it - and that would be a powerful step forward.
