Women's services

Who it's for

Women aged 18 and over with mental health needs, including:

• severe mental illness, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or psychosis
• complex trauma, or a diagnosis of personality disorder
• women leaving acute, rehabilitation or secure hospital wards
• dual diagnosis: mental health needs alongside substance misuse

We assess every referral individually and don't use blanket exclusions. Our women's services are for women whose main need is their mental health. If a woman's main need is a learning disability, another service is likely to suit her better.

How we support women

• Women-only homes. Every woman has her own room, in a home where she can feel secure.
• An all-female team. Every staff member and every keyworker is a woman, and staff are awake on site 24 hours a day.
• Trauma-informed support. We understand what has happened to her and work in ways that don't re-traumatise.
• Safety from exploitation. We support women to recognise and move away from harmful relationships and exploitation.
• Family relationships. We help women rebuild contact with the people who matter to them, including their own children where that is right.
• Psychology in the home. Our in-house psychology team works with women where they live, not on a waiting list.

What we work towards

• Fewer crises and fewer hospital admissions.
• Daily living skills: cooking, budgeting, and managing medication and appointments with support.
• Stepping down to lower support and, in time, her own tenancy.
• A fuller life: family, education, volunteering or work.

Why it's different here

Too often, women are placed in mixed homes where they don't feel safe. They get generic support that ignores trauma, and they stay in the same service for years with no route on. We built our women's services to do the opposite.

What we do differently

• Specialists included. Our own psychology, nutrition and activities team is part of one weekly rate, with no bolt-on charges.
• A full pathway with one provider. People move from 24-hour support to lower support and on to our own move-on studio flats, keeping the team who know them.
• Fast, straight answers. Our median time from referral to assessment is 3 days. If a placement isn't right, we tell you, and we explain why.
• Digital and transparent. Our records are digital, and we share service-level reports with placing authorities.

Our commitments

• Everyone has a move-on plan from the day they arrive.
• We track placement stability, move-on and readmissions for everyone we support, and share service-level reports with placing authorities.
• If a placement isn't right, we say so, and explain why.
• When we find something that works, we share it with the sector.

Leading the change

Our goal is simple: nobody stuck. No one should stay in a service longer than they need to. To get there:

• We are opening more specialist services.
• We are growing into new boroughs.
• As our data builds, we will publish our outcomes openly.

How we're leading the change

Questions