A CREWE woman's centre has been praised for its work with female offenders.

Staff at My CWA (Cheshire Without Abuse) have offered women the opportunity for a new start by providing placement opportunities, volunteering and training.

From their base in Brook Street, they have also supported women on the receiving end of domestic abuse, with 85 per cent of females they work with reporting they've found it easier to accept support for such incidents thanks to attending.

My CWA has received funding from Cheshire Probation Service and the Ministry of Justice as well as Cheshire Police and Crime Commissioner David Keane, who said: "The implications for women interacting with the criminal justice system can be devastating, in particular the impact on the family.

"This is not about letting offenders off lightly. It's about addressing the complex needs of their offending. The work of women's centres is essential in breaking this cycle and this funding has been critical in reducing the amount of women reoffending.

"In the past we've seen more than half of those released from custody reoffending within a year.

"Tackling and reducing the cycle of offending among women has a significant benefit to victims, families and female offenders themselves."

The cash support has allowed the Crewe centre, along with one also run by My CWA at Macclesfield and Halton Womens' Centre, to offer a range of services under one roof that work with females to address their complex needs.

Another project running from the women's centres is a restorative justice programme, delivered by Remedi, which seeks to address the root causes of crime, including poverty, domestic abuse or sexual/drug/alcohol abuse.

It is being used as an alternative to the traditional criminal justice process and sees case workers work closely with the offenders to develop practical solutions to address their offending.

As an example, Chloe, a prolific shoplifter referred to the scheme during lockdown has received one-to-one support with health and financial issues and to cope with loneliness and boredom.

Since she started working with Remedi she has not reoffended and has been able to stop her regular drug use.