Partner news

Notts Pride 2024

19 July 2024

Join Nottingham Women’s Centre and our partners on the march!

NOTTS PRIDE 2024

Want to be a part of this celebration of equality and inclusivity in our city? Then join us at the march for visibility, education and celebration on Saturday 27^th July 2024! Meet up with us before the march at Nottingham Women’s Centre (NWC) from 9.30am if you’re coming on your own or want to arrive as part of a group. Then head over to Lister Gate with us, to lead the march through Nottingham city centre.

We’ll be up at the front of the march this year, proudly representing an inclusive women’s sector. We’ve been providing support and sanctuary to all self-identifying women, in the heart of the city for over 50 years. We’re proud to take part in the East Midlands’ biggest all-embracing Pride event. As part of Notts Pride and the global Pride movement, we believe in celebrating all LGBTQIA+ people and challenging discrimination. Nottinghamshire should be a place to be proud of – a city and county where everyone feels safe and is not afraid to be themselves.

We’ll be at the Centre from 9.30am with tea and biscuits and other refreshments. There’ll be info about NWC and our partners, free period products, as well as stickers, badges and other fun and festive items for the day! We’ll be heading over to Lister Gate to join the start of the march at around 10.30am. You can also meet us at Lister Gate between 10.30am and 11am. Just look out for the big purple banner that says ‘Nottingham Women’s Centre’!

Want to join us on the Notts Pride march? Get in touch with NWC Reception and leave your name, email address and mobile number: 0115 941 1475 / reception@nottinghamwomenscentre.com, or come along to the Centre or the start of the march at Lister Gate on the day.

*Please note, when joining us on the march at Notts Pride, there will be press and photographers present in a public space. This means that photos may be taken of us all as part of the march and crowd, without the requirement for prior consent.

See the route planned for this Saturday 27th July!

NOTTS PRIDE

Women’s Organisations Network Manifesto: Responses from Candidates

1 July 2024

We sent all candidates standing in the General Election in Nottingham these six questions, about issues that women in Nottingham care about, alongside our Women’s Organisation Network manifesto.

Questions for candidates from the Women’s Organisation Network. 

With the completion of the independent review of the Nottingham Maternity Service, completed, how will you fix the maternal care scandal with attention to the disparity and additional risk for Black and minoritized women during pregnancy, labour and post-natal care?
Trauma can make us more vulnerable to developing mental health problems. Women who have experienced sexual assaults are currently experiencing astronomical waiting time to access trauma related support in Nottingham, leaving them at further risk of developing mental health problems. How do you plan to improve access to these crucial services?
How will you protect and support women’s organisations and groups in Nottinghamshire, who are at constant risk of closures due to funding cuts, increase in running costs, and high demand? Women’s organisations and groups are often best placed to deliver the right service, at the right time, to those who need it most, and need access to long-term ring-fenced funding for this work in order to continue supporting our communities.
How would you ensure women who are at the risk of offending or have offended receive appropriate rehabilitation and support in the community rather than in prisons which do not meet women’s needs or prevent re-offending? Especially for women on short sentences and considering that women are non-violent offenders?
What actions will you take to ensure safety for women across private, public and online? What prevention and support strategies would you advocate for to ensure all forms of violence against women is eliminated and survivors can access appropriate and timely support?
Many women are being prosecuted for their children’s non attendance in schools or experiencing punitive approaches that are shown to cause greater harm. How do you intend to deal with this issue in a way that supports women and their families rather than punishing them? What actions will you take to support families and schools to deal with issues of school attendance for children who are struggling?

Here are responses from candidates we heard back from.

Alex Norris

Labour & Co-operative Candidate for Nottingham North & Kimberley

With the completion of the independent review of the Nottingham Maternity Service, how will you fix the maternal care scandal with attention to the disparity and additional risk for Black and minoritized women during pregnancy, labour and post-natal care?

The stories that have emerged in recent years following failings in maternity services have been truly shocking. The pain and anguish suffered by so many deserve a proper review and I was glad when Donna Ockenden was selected to lead the inquiry in Nottingham. Donna has been fearless in her pursuit of the facts and the truth of what happened to all of those who have been affected. Along with other local MPs, I am in regular contact with Donna as she provides updates on her work. I think it is important to not pre-empt any of Donna’s conclusions and wait for the full review to be published. The review is in regular contact with the NHS locally to ensure that as the review’s work progresses, lessons are learned and information shared with the NHS ensuring changes are implemented speedily.
Trauma can make us more vulnerable to developing mental health problems. Women who have experienced sexual assaults are currently experiencing astronomical waiting times to access trauma related support in Nottingham, leaving them at further risk of developing mental health problems. How do you plan to improve access to these crucial services?

After 14 years of mismanagement by the current Government, the NHS is on its knees. Whilst the pandemic placed the NHS under serious strain, waiting lists were at record high even before the pandemic struck. We are seeing the impact of this not just locally but right across the country too. Labour is determined to build an NHS fit for the future. We will reform the NHS so that mental health receives the same attention and focus as physical health. Labour will also bring waiting times down and intervene earlier. We will recruit an additional 8,500 new mental health staff to treat children and adults through our first term. As part of our mission to reduce the lives lost to suicide, these new staff will be specially trained to support people at risk.
How will you protect and support women’s organisations and groups in Nottinghamshire, who are at constant risk of closures due to funding cuts, increase in running costs, and high demand? Women’s organisations and groups are often best placed to deliver the right service, at the right time, to those who need it most, and need access to long-term ring-fenced funding for this work in order to continue supporting our communities.

In so many ways, after 14 years of the current Government, public services are crumbling. Too often it feels as if nothing seems to work in the country anymore. It will take time to fix these issues so Labour has been clear that if we are elected we will lead a decade of national renewal. To achieve this we have set out five bold missions to restore stability and change the country for the better. I hope this will provide a much better environment for women’s groups to operate in, with well-run public services and support provided where it is needed.
How would you ensure women who are at the risk of offending or have offended receive appropriate rehabilitation and support in the community rather than in prisons which do not meet women’s needs or prevent re-offending? Especially for women on short sentences and considering that women are non-violent offenders.

Prisons in England and Wales are in crisis. Judges are being advised to delay sentencing. Prisoners are being released early. And fewer dangerous criminals are locked up because of a lack of space.

Labour will act to reduce reoffending. We will work with prisons to improve offenders’ access to purposeful activity, such as learning, and ensure they create pre-release plans for those leaving custody. We will support prisons to link up with local employers and the voluntary sector to get ex-offenders into work. The children of those who are imprisoned are at far greater risk of being drawn into crime than their peers. We will ensure that those young people are identified and offered support to break the cycle.

After 14 years of chaotic reorganisations, the national probation service is also struggling to keep the public safe. A lack of co-ordination between prisons, probation and other local services also means prison-leavers are not getting the right support, raising the risk that they go straight back to crime. In some areas of the country, we have seen Labour Mayors pioneering a more joined-up approach to reduce reoffending. In Greater Manchester, probation is linked up with housing and health services to ensure offenders leaving custody receive the support they need. Labour will conduct a strategic review of probation governance, including considering the benefits of devolved models.
What actions will you take to ensure safety for women across private, public and online? What prevention and support strategies would you advocate for to ensure all forms of violence against women is eliminated and survivors can access appropriate and timely support?

Violence against women and girls is a stain on our society that shames all of us. For too long this issue has been ignored so Labour is determined to tackle it. That is why we have made it part of our mission to halve levels of violence against women and girls.

That starts with tougher enforcement and protection. With Labour, there will be specialist rape and sexual offences teams in every police force. The most prolific and harmful perpetrators will be relentlessly targeted, using tactics normally reserved for terrorists and organised crime.

Prosecution rates for rape are shamefully low with many victims dropping out of the justice system when faced with years of delays. Labour will fast-track rape cases, with specialist courts at every Crown Court location in England and Wales.

Victims deserve better support. Building on the success of the approach adopted by Labour Police and Crime Commissioners, we will introduce domestic abuse experts in 999 control rooms so that victims can talk directly to a specialist, and ensure there is a legal advocate in every police force area to advise victims from the moment of report to trial.

Violence and abuse against women and girls does not come from nowhere. Misogyny is one root cause, and therefore Labour will ensure schools address misogyny and teach young people about healthy relationships and consent. We will ensure police forces have the powers they need to track and tackle the problem.

Stalking has not been treated with the seriousness it deserves. Labour will strengthen the use of Stalking Protection Orders and give women the right to know the identity of online stalkers. Spiking is a devastating crime for victims, leaving many women feeling vulnerable when they go out. Labour will introduce a new criminal offence for spiking to help police better respond to this crime.

We will strengthen the rights and protections available to women in co-habiting couples, as well as for whistleblowers in the workplace, including on sexual harassment.
Many women are being prosecuted for their children’s non-attendance in schools or experiencing punitive approaches that are shown to cause greater harm. How do you intend to deal with this issue in a way that supports women and their families rather than punishing them? What actions will you take to support families and schools to deal with issues of school attendance for children who are struggling?

As the Chair of the Board of Governors at a local primary school, I know school absence is often a symptom of deeper problems in the education system. It important that we look at this issue in the round to ensure that every child receives the education they deserve.

For instance, one problem facing children is a lack of mental health support. I therefore support Labour’s plans to provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school, so every young person has access to early support to address problems before they escalate.

Breakfast clubs can improve attendance, behaviour and learning. Labour will fund free breakfast clubs in every primary school, accessible to all children. This will also support parents through the cost-of-living crisis.

By addressing these other important issues, I believe we can develop a holistic approach to tackle school attendance problems and ensure every child receives a good education.

Shaghofta Akhtar

Independent Candidate for Nottingham South

With the completion of the independent review of the Nottingham Maternity Service, how will you fix the maternal care scandal with attention to the disparity and additional risk for Black and minoritized women during pregnancy, labour and post-natal care?

The biggest scandal in NHS history stands in Nottingham. As a mother of 7 children, I value the vital life saving services during the entire journey of pregnancy. I have faced difficult decisions with very little support during a time, when I was informed to expect a neo natal death or at best a baby that would not expect to survive beyond a few weeks. I share your concerns and would do everything in my power to support all women facing any maternity related issues. I would like to propose a special task force set up for maternity related complaints, these would be picked up at the first point of a distressed call being made and women would not be placed in a queue to jump through many hurdles in order for their complaint to be heard. The Ockendon enquiry talks about professionals not listening to families. There needs to be accountability. Those charged with breaching their duty of care need to be prosecuted. Its as simple as that. Our lives and that of our unborn or newly born child are to be protected at all costs.

A dedicated hotline number should be available for those using maternity services 24 hours a day, dedicated to listening to those using maternity services and trouble shooting problems.

The ratio of midwives per patient should also be addressed. So midwives are not understaffed or left rushing around looking after too many patients. I have also spoken with nursing students, who claim that securing a place at university for midwifery is very competitive and many future midwives are prevented from joining the profession.
Trauma can make us more vulnerable to developing mental health problems. Women who have experienced sexual assaults are currently experiencing astronomical waiting times to access trauma related support in Nottingham, leaving them at further risk of developing mental health problems. How do you plan to improve access to these crucial services?

I have 10 years experience of working on an acute mental health ward. I am on the frontline facing patients and their families. I therefore fully appreciate the concerns you are raising. Many patients and their families complain how difficult it is to access mental health support. This is even more difficult as a female and also if you belong to a minority community.

I am proposing for GP surgeries to be able to offer in-house mental health services, rather than sending vulnerable women to services where the waiting list is just too long. It is not acceptable that vulnerable women should be waiting as long as they are to access some basic support. I have personally referred women to Nottingham’s women’s centre. The ladies have given me very positive feedback of the support you have offered them. There’s another lady that I’ll be signposting over to yourselves. If elected I will ensure that funds are ring fenced for Nottingham’s Women’s Centre and I will champion all the work that you do. Women suffering from trauma, abuse, discrimination, and violence should be prioritised.
How will you protect and support women’s organisations and groups in Nottinghamshire, who are at constant risk of closures due to funding cuts, increase in running costs, and high demand? Women’s organisations and groups are often best placed to deliver the right service, at the right time, to those who need it most, and need access to long-term ring-fenced funding for this work in order to continue supporting our communities.

Fundamentally, I will advocate for funds to be ring fenced for women’s organisations who have a track record of delivering on the ground. I have worked with POW during my time at New Deal for Communities as a community engagement worker. I have also signposted ladies that I know to Juno Women’s Aid. I have also been the head of an Asian women’s group consisting of almost 150 ladies. They regularly speak to me about their issues, and I am always signposting them to women’s groups for support. Therefore, I will be making women’s issues at the top of my priorities. I will ensure you get the funding you so need.
How would you ensure women who are at the risk of offending or have offended receive appropriate rehabilitation and support in the community rather than in prisons which do not meet women’s needs or prevent re-offending? Especially for women on short sentences and considering that women are non-violent offenders.

I believe there is no safe place in prisons for ladies who are pregnant.

Alternative arrangements need to be made for women to serve their non violent, short term sentences from a place of safety. They should be offered counselling and rehabilitation within a safe place where a working relationship is formed to support them. There should be a medical team, probation and social workers involved in this. The needs of the unborn child also need to be prioritised. Root causes to their issues need to be identified and appropriate and targeted support given in a timely manner. I believe such a package should be known as, “Caring for offenders”. I believe nobody sets out to be a criminal; its their social and economic environment that leads some women to engage in criminal activity. I believe an attitude shift is needed in treating root causes of criminal behaviour, which hopefully will lead to a drop in reoffending. I do believe some women are victims and not criminals, they are acting from a place of desperation, therefore those individuals should be identified and supported, so they do not reoffend.
What actions will you take to ensure safety for women across private, public and online? What prevention and support strategies would you advocate for to ensure all forms of violence against women is eliminated and survivors can access appropriate and timely support?

Misogyny should be addressed very early in schools; I believe education is the way forward. I believe a new innovative approach is needed, whereby there are male ambassadors right across the public, private and voluntary sector to challenge peer bias and coercive controlling behaviour. For our male ambassadors to be present in the workplace, in the same way we have first aiders. Gender bias and prejudice impact on how safe women feel. Women who suffer from domestic violence need specialist support, which is best provided by women’s organisations. I believe the police should prioritise domestic violence and the courts should hand tougher sentences; the threshold for CPS should be set at a level that cases can be prosecuted and the burden of proof should not be set so unrealistically high, that no prosecution can be made. I will work with the police crime commissioner to look into this.
Many women are being prosecuted for their children’s non-attendance in schools or experiencing punitive approaches that are shown to cause greater harm. How do you intend to deal with this issue in a way that supports women and their families rather than punishing them? What actions will you take to support families and schools to deal with issues of school attendance for children who are struggling?

Punitive measures should only be applied as a last resort. For parents who consistently show no interest in their child’s education and future, they should face up to their responsibilities and as such I support the measures that are already in place.

However, we have single mums who are struggling in extraordinary circumstances and desperately need help and support. There are other instances when young children are pushing boundaries, here I believe parents need support and the schools need to show sympathy and work with single mothers to support them through these difficult times. As a former parent governor, I understand the legal duty schools have on enforcing attendance. Having faced these truancy officers myself, I fully sympathise with mothers who are put through this ordeal. We have all been there, there is always one black sheep in the family, who takes it upon themselves to be as wild as they possibly can be. Lets work together and get through this. I am here to support you through these challenges, and will do everything I can to be of real assistance.

Nadia Whittome

Labour Candidate for Nottingham East

With the completion of the Independent Review of the Nottingham Maternity Service, how will you fix the maternal care scandal with attention to the disparity and additional risk for Black and minoritized women during pregnancy, labour and post-natal care?

While I don’t want to prejudge the outcome of Donna Ockenden’s review, which is due in September next year, she has been sharing learning and recommendations from her work with NUH as she has carried it out. I have met regularly with both Donna and the senior leadership at NUH to receive updates on the review, communicate feedback from constituents, and hold the trust to account over the improvements that still need to be made – for example, inequality in the provision of care. I would continue to do this if re-elected.

I want to see the next government implement all the essential actions recommended in the two reports into the Shrewsbury maternity scandal. These must include tackling staff shortages and putting more money into maternity services.

I also think action on maternal health inequality is a key priority. In April 2023, the House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee’s ‘Black maternal health’ report identified multiple, complex causes for disparities in maternal mortality, including pre-existing health conditions, socio-economic factors like deprivation, and bias and racism in the healthcare system. Action to tackle all of these must take place. I support the Five X More campaign and their calls for more research into maternal health outcomes of Black women. I believe that medical professionals should receive compulsory targeted training that addresses the needs of women of colour.

I am pleased that Labour has committed to ensuring that trusts failing on maternity care are robustly supported into rapid improvement. We will also train thousands more midwives as part of the NHS Workforce Plan and set an explicit target to close the Black and Asian maternal mortality gap.
Trauma can make us more vulnerable to developing mental health problems. Women who have experienced sexual assaults are currently experiencing astronomical waiting times to access trauma related support in Nottingham, leaving them at further risk of developing mental health problems. How do you plan to improve access to these crucial services?

Support for those who have experienced trauma is something I care deeply about. I was forced to seek private treatment for PTSD myself due to the lengthy waits for NHS-provided support. As an MP, I regularly received casework from people who have been waiting months or even years to access specialist mental health support.

Labour has committed to bringing mental health waiting times down. We will recruit an additional 8,500 new staff in our first term. While further details are yet to be set out, it is vital that these should include specialists in sexual violence and trauma-related support.

I also recognise that specialist women’s organisations are often best placed to provide or host this support, and so sustainable funding for the sector is crucial.
How will you project and support women’s organisations and groups in Nottinghamshire, who are at constant risk of closures due to funding cuts, increase in running costs, and high demand? Women’s organisations and groups are often best placed to deliver the right service, at the right time, to those who need it most, and need access to long-term ring-fenced funding for this work in order to continue supporting our communities.

I have been outspoken against the cuts to women’s organisations over the last 14 years, especially those that provide support to women who have experienced domestic abuse and sexual violence.

I support sustainable, long-term, ring-fenced funding being provided to women’s organisations and groups and would advocate for this as an MP.
How would you ensure that women who are at risk of offending or have offended receive appropriate rehabilitation and support in the community rather than in prisons which do not meet women’s needs or prevent re-offending? Especially for women on short sentences and considering that women are non-violent offenders?

The statistics on prison leavers re-offending speak for themselves: it is clear that prisons are not rehabilitating those who have committed crimes, with many people being sucked deeper into a cycle of re-offending instead.

Labour has committed to working with prisons to improve offenders’ access to purposeful activity, such as learning, and ensure they create pre-release plans for those leaving custody. A Labour government would support prisons to link up with local employers and the voluntary sector to get ex-offenders into work.

I would like to see a greater use of alternative sentences to prison, especially for non-violent offenders. I have also supported campaigns against births in prison, for the decriminalisation of sex work, the repeal of laws criminalising those who are homeless, the reform of drug-related offences, the decriminalisation of abortion and against the prosecution of parents for their child’s non-attendance.
What actions will you take to ensure safety for women across private, public and online? What prevention and support strategies would you advocate for to ensure all forms of violence against women is eliminated and survivors can access appropriate and timely support?

Labour’s landmark mission is to halve violence against women and girls in a decade through a wide range of measures. One of the most important, from my perspective, is about tackling the root causes: Labour will ensure that schools address misogyny and teach young people about healthy relationships and consent.

A Labour government would also fast-tracking rape cases, with specialist courts at every Crown Court location, to end the scandal of victims waiting years to their case to be heard. We would introduce domestic abuse experts in 999 control rooms and ensure there is a legal advocate in every police force area to advise victims from the moment of report to trial.

As mentioned in a previous answer, I am also keen that those who have experienced violence are able to get the support they need quickly. This means ensuring that specialist organisations and services have the funding they need and increasing the number of mental health staff working in this area.
Many women are being prosecuted for their children’s non attendance in schools or experiencing punitive approaches that are shown to cause greater harm. How do you intend to deal with this issue in a way that supports women and their families rather than punishing them? What actions will you take to support families and schools to deal with issues of school attendance for children who are struggling?

I know that almost all parents whose children have low attendance rates believe it is important that their child attends school and would like their attendance to improve. Punitive approaches have been shown to be ineffective and even counterproductive: they fail to address the root causes of why a child might not attend school.

Crucial for improving many children’s attendance is effective mental health support. Labour will provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school, so every young person has access to early support to address problems before they escalate. A Labour government would also introduce Young Futures Hubs, to make sure every community has an open-access hub for children and young people with drop-in mental health support.

Another of Labour’s flagship policies, free breakfast clubs in every primary school, aims to help improve attendance, and I’m pleased that Labour will reinstate the School Support Staff Negotiating Body to help address the acute recruitment and retention crisis in support roles.

For children and young people with persistent non-attendance, I would like to see a supportive rather than punitive approach, with schools working with parents, mental health professionals, SEND specialists, youth workers and others to develop specialist plans which target the root causes of a child’s non-attendance, rather than prosecuting their parents.

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Women United 2024!

28 May 2024

We have a really special event coming up this weekend. It’s the Women United 2024 football tournament, which takes place every year to fundraise for Nottingham Women’s Centre in Tara Newbold’s name.

We wanted to tell you all a bit more about why this event is so important to us, and the amazing impact that Women United’s fundraising has had over the years.

Women United was founded in 2018. Raising funds for Nottingham Women’s Centre through a women’s football tournament and huge raffle in memory of Tara Newbold.

Tara was a family member & friend to those who organise the tournament. Tragically, Tara lost her life as the result of domestic violence in October 2016, and as a group they wanted to turn something devastating into a positive in Tara’s name.

The trophy teams are playing for is the Tara Newbold memorial cup and Tara’s Mum will once again be presenting the trophy to the winning team on the day.

With the help of their amazing supporters Women United have contributed to the vital work we do, creating a safe and supportive space for all women, including those experiencing domestic violence and abuse. By supporting this event you really do make a difference.

Over the years, Women United have raised an incredible £12,021.68 since the first tournament back in 2018! This year the group have set a very specific target amount to raise – £2,978.32, taking the total raised since the beginning to £15,000!!!

We wanted to share some of the truly inspiring feedback from those accessing our support. These quotes really show what an amazing impact the work here at NWC has had on the lives of women.

We’ve also heard from those delivering the support about how the funds raised have helped them continue the amazing work they do.

We hope you can join us on the day to show your support!! Whether as a player or spectator, it should be lots of fun! There’ll be plenty of game time, a friendly atmosphere, epic raffle prizes, pitch side snacks, and legendary post-game celebrations!!

You can also show your support in the best way by purchasing some raffle tickets to help fundraise. You can buy raffle tickets in person on the day of the event, or by popping into Nottingham Women’s Centre ahead of the day, or by heading over to Women United’s Facebook page and following the link to their Local Giving page.

We look forward to seeing you there!!! Thanks again for your support, especially to Women United for your incredible fundraising over the years!! We couldn’t do it without you!!

Women United 2024

JOIN US ON THE DAY!!

Autumn / Winter Policy Updates 2023

22 December 2023

Nottingham Women’s Centre is excited to bring you this autumn / winter update on our policy and campaign work.

1. What we are working on right now!

The Impact of Alcohol Tags on Women

Background

Since March 2021, courts in England have introduced Alcohol Abstinence and Monitoring Requirements (AAMRs) where drinking was a factor in a crime. An alcohol tag is imposed within an AAMR for adult offenders as a requirement of a community order or suspended sentence order for an alcohol-related offence, or an associated offence that is alcohol-related.

AAMRs bans offenders from drinking alcohol for up to 120 days and offenders must wear an alcohol monitoring tag as part of their community sentence. Compliance is monitored electronically through the alcohol tag which monitors the presence of alcohol in offender’s sweat. A recent report shows high compliance rates, however there is yet no evidence of their impact on offenders.

Through its case work, Nottingham Women’s Centre has identified the case of the use of alcohol tags and its adverse impact of its use on women.

Action

We are calling on relevant stakeholders to feed into our briefing proposing that the government looks into the women’s health needs and possible impacts on alcohol tags.
We are working with Alcohol Change UK as well as Severe and Multiple Disadvantage (SMD) Partnership Nottingham to better understand the prevalence of this issue and make changes at local and national level.

If you have lived experience of or work with women who have experience of alcohol tagging, or would like to feed into our briefing to the government please email ezinwanne@nottinghamwomenscentre.com.

Prosecution for School Non Attendance – a disproportionate impact on women

Women who are single parents have to split their finances between the rising cost of food and energy bills with childcare costs, making it almost impossible to work or survive. This is further complicated where single mothers have children with special needs. Recent evidence shows that single mothers are over represented in the Criminal Justice System for failure to secure their children’s attendance in school.

Prosecuting parents for their children’s non-attendance in school is yet another government intervention that has failed to consider and support the intersecting needs and experiences of women. We have worked with women at the Centre who have been sentenced (mostly for the first time) because they ‘failed to get their children to attend school’ where in reality, such children either have unmet special educational needs or are bullied in school. These huge fines (up to £2500) further puts women under enormous financial pressure in the current climate.

Action

We are calling on the Council to look into the root causes of the prosecution of parents for their children’s school non-attendance, especially for single mothers as this is an unfair burden in the current cost of living crisis.

2. On our radar…

Other issues we are aware of:

Rehousing from Refuge: There is an increased risk of homelessness as women seeking rehousing in Nottingham city are in Refuge for significantly longer which seems to have a direct correlational impact on symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Impact of proposed Public Order Bill: In April 2023, the Public Order Bill passed its final stages at the House of Lords. This bill will introduce more powers to restrict people’s fundamental rights to peaceful protest. This will impact us in two ways:

Reclaim the Night and many other peaceful protests for women’s rights will be impeded as the law gives police power to define disruptive protests and issue protest bans preventing people from attending protests.
Stop and search without suspicion, interferes with women’s rights to privacy and the right to freedom from discrimination particularly for Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority women.

Lack of access to GPs for prison releases: Women released from prisons are struggling to register with GPs as their prison badges are not accepted as valid proof of ID/address.

Lack of support and inconsistency from solicitors and judges for domestic abuse survivors through the court processes

3. What We Achieved!

We were at Parliament on December 6th!

In October, we submitted evidence to the Women and Equalities Committee highlighting the impact of the rising cost of living on women in Nottingham. We were invited to give further oral evidence on the experiences of women in Nottingham.

Watch our oral evidence here

Read our evidence submission here

Free hours for childcare from April 2024

We submitted evidence to the Education Committee on the impact of unaffordable childcare costs on women after a survey and focus group conducted with women. The Department of Education has now announced new changes for free childcare to support more parents returning to work after parental leave.

Read the full announcement here

Read our evidence submission here

Women’s Health

Our evidence submission to the Women and Equality Government Committee, asking the committee to look into the health challenges women face and the impact of these experiences on their health and lives was published. We also fed into the ongoing health needs assessment for women in Nottingham. We believe this brings us a step closer to ensuring women’s health needs are taken seriously.

Read our evidence submission here

4. Partner Radar

Issues From Some Of Our Partners

A common issue across all partners is the limited funding to deliver services. Nottingham City Council’s issue of a section 114 notice in late November, has resulted in funding cuts and subsequent reductions in service provision. Other emerging issues experienced by our partners are noted below.

Notts LGBT+ Network

Notts LGBT+ is an all-volunteer organisation that provides a comprehensive database of LGBT+ information, 5 nights-a-week helpline, training, volunteering opportunities and an active presence for LGBT+ people in Nottingham.

Emerging Issues

People struggling to come to terms with their sexuality and/or gender status
People being unaware of local routes to socialising

Base 51

Base 51’s OutBurst provides a safe space for LGBTQIA+ young people (aged 11-14).

Emerging Issues

Supporting young people who identify as LGBTQ through their transition from high school to college to ensure they are able to deal with the challenges and emotions involved.

Kairos

A network run by lesbian volunteers for Lesbian and Bisexual Asylum Seekers and Refugees around Nottingham

Emerging Issues

Supporting members with mental well-being
Cost of living / hardship
Housing shortage

Notts Trans Hub (formally Trans Space Notts)

Notts Trans Hub is a trans support charity which runs two in-person support groups a month as well as an in-person social event.

Emerging Issue

Challenges about national news stories about trans people and comments made by people affecting mental health.

Nottingham Muslim Women’s Network

Nottingham Muslim Women’s Network continues to provide women and girls (primarily Muslim women and girls) with advocacy and support around issues that affect their daily lives.

Emerging Issues

Encouraging new attendees to attend services
Limited funding

Vanclaron CHATS

Vanclaron CIC is a community interest company with a mission to shape the design, development and provision of health and wellbeing services to be inclusive.

Emerging Issue

Organisational capacity
Limited funding

POW

POW Nottingham supports sex workers and empowers vulnerable exploited people so they can be safe, secure and have choice.

Emerging Issue

Housing needs
Rising Cost of Living

5. Policy Updates

Autumn Statement/King’s Speech

The King’s Speech and the Autumn Statement in November respectively outlined a number of important updates and policy decisions relating to the UK economy. Here are some highlights from the autumn statement:

National Insurance contributions will be reduced from 12% to 10% next year for employees paying the standard rate
Benefits will increase by 6.7% (in-line with September’s inflation figure)
State pension is being increased by 8.5% to £221.20/week
As of April 2024, the national living wage will increase to £11.44/hour
Class 2 National Insurance will be abolished for the self employed

There is a ‘back to work plan’ by the government to get more people into employment as there are actions around reforms to work capability assessment before people qualify for benefits.

Discretionary Friday/pre-Bank Holiday Release Scheme Policy Framework takes effect

The framework/process for bringing forward the release date of a person leaving prison by up to 2 eligible working days, where release date falls on a Friday or the day preceding a bank/public holiday has been published, will take effect from 30th Nov.

People will no longer have to disclose sentences for most jobs

The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act has brought new changes to spending period for convictions. This means that people will no longer have to disclose sentences for most jobs, although there is a list of excluded offences which will still remain unspent for life. People sentenced to community orders will be free to move on and stop disclosing their conviction as soon as the order ends.

Find more info here

Employers to take steps to prevent sexual harassment from happening in their workplace

The landmark Worker Protection Bill has passed its final stage in the House of Commons which means it will become law before the end of the year. This bill requires employers to take steps to prevent sexual harassment from happening in their workplaces including making clear policies, training and conducting proper and impartial investigations. This also means that the Equalities and Human Rights Commission will be able to take action against organisations that breach this duty, and employers will be liable to individuals at an employment tribunal for sexual harassment claims.

6. Upcoming Policy & Campaign Work

Manifesto for Women

Are you a woman or a representative of a woman’s organisation? Come join us at our next Women’s Organisations Network (WON) meeting as we put together a Manifesto for Women that represents specifically women’s needs for the forthcoming general elections.

Get your voice heard! If you would like to attend, RSVP here: samra@nottinghamwomenscentre.com

We hope to disseminate this Manifesto widely and hold our candidates accountable through our Hustings event.

Our evidence submission for the Gender Recognition Act inquiry

17 March 2021

Nottingham Women’s Centre is proud to be a trans-inclusive women’s organisation. You can read more about our trans-inclusion policy, in line with our commitment to anti-oppressive and anti-discriminatory practices, here.

We recently drafted evidence for the Women and Equalities Committee Inquiry into the Gender Recognition Act which you can read in full here. This evidence was based on feedback from some of our transgender service users, as well as our staff’s experience of running a trans-inclusive women’s organisation for many year’s now.

We also consulted with three local partners which offer support, campaigns and advice to Nottingham’s trans community: Notts Trans Hub, TRANS4ME and Nottingham Chameleons.

This evidence submission presents information about our trans-inclusion policy and the day-to-day realities of being a trans-inclusive women’s organisation. We have also provided information and case studies about the barriers many trans people face when accessing services, including:

Misgendering and problems updating official records
Issues with Equality and Inclusion Forms
Problems with the language used to describe women’s services
Issues with accessing toilets
Long waiting times to access transition-related healthcare
Digital exclusion and isolation
Smear tests for non-binary people and trans men

We also discuss the interaction between the Gender Recognition Act 2004 and the Equality Act 2010 and suggest that the Government needs to take a more proactive approach to tackling the misinformation regarding the impact of GRA on the Equality Act.

You can read our full GRA submission by clicking the button below.

Read our full GRA evidence enquiry

POW Nottingham’s response to the ‘Sexual Exploitation’ Bill

1 February 2021

Our Policy & Influencing Officer, Katie, has been working with POW Nottingham to write a response to the new ‘Sexual Exploitation’ Bill 2019-21 which will be debated in Parliament on 5th February 2021.

This statement outlines how, rather than protecting vulnerable individuals engaged in sex work, the Bill would cause considerable danger to sex workers by:

Pushing their work ‘underground’
Criminalising some of the safeguarding measures that currently exist
Compromising relationships with the Police
Creating an environment where services would be cheaper and home visits would become more regular
Making life much harder for migrant sex workers.

Keep on reading for POW’s full statement on the proposed Bill and if you have any questions or feedback, please email: katie@nottinghamwomenscentre.com

Download POW Nottingham’s response to the Sexual Exploitation Bill

About POW Nottingham

POW Nottingham is a specialist organisation that has been supporting sex workers in Nottinghamshire[1] since 1990. We are writing this statement in response to the ‘Sexual Exploitation’ Bill, which was proposed by Labour MP Diana Johnson and passed its first reading in Parliament in December 2020. With over thirty years’ experience of supporting sex workers, we feel able to give an informed opinion about how the changes outlined in the ‘Sexual Exploitation’ Bill would impact sex workers in Nottingham, and across the UK.

The ‘Sexual Exploitation’ Bill claims to tackle sex trafficking by criminalising the buying of sex and banning the advertisement of sexual services. This approach is known as the ‘Nordic Model’ and has been implemented in a number of European countries. We believe this Bill and the ‘Nordic Model’ lack nuance and conflate two separate issues: sex trafficking and sex work. Rather than protecting vulnerable individuals engaged in sex work, we believe this Bill would cause considerable danger to our service users by pushing their work ‘underground’ and criminalising some of the safeguarding measures that currently exist.

The Bill would remove existing safeguards

Criminalising platforms

The Bill seeks to criminalise online platforms where sex workers can safely advertise and screen clients. Many of our service users advertise through the websites Viva Street and AdultWork, both of which have inbuilt safeguards and administrators who can take action on safeguarding issues. For example, administrators check for unsafe ‘key words’ in advertisements and work with the Police if there are reports of suspected coercion/trafficking.

Under the proposed law these websites would close, which would force sex workers to advertise through underground networks and the ‘dark web’. This would be less safe and give them considerably less autonomy and control over their work. Under current legislation, sex workers can be self-employed and have their own site/advertising profile, which gives them total control of their work and boundaries.

Screening punters

Criminalising the buyer would make it harder for sex workers to screen “punters” – their clients – because of security issues on the clients’ side. It’s likely that punters would switch between sim cards and refuse to disclose their real numbers for fear of prosecution. This could make it harder for sex workers to identify potential clients, which could lead to unsafe individuals accessing sex workers and a rise in violence against sex workers.

Banning safeguarding initiatives

There are a number of initiatives that effectively share information about potentially unsafe clients, such as Ugly Mugs. These initiatives would presumably be closed under the new Bill, which would cause alarm for our organisation and the sex working community. Initiatives such as Ugly Mugs provide much-needed protection for sex workers and literally save lives.

The Bill would compromise relationships with the Police

As well as removing existing safeguards, the Bill would drive sex work ‘underground’ and increase stigmatisation. This would severely impact those with complex needs who need intensive support from statutory services and support organisations such as ours.

We have spent many years carefully building trusting relationships between our service users and the Police. The ‘Sexual Exploitation’ Bill could undo much of this work overnight by creating an atmosphere of suspicion and fear. A change in law could also change POW’s relationship with the Police and compromise the good working relationship that’s currently in place.

Evidence from countries that use the ‘Nordic Model’ (e.g. France, Sweden and Canada) has shown that client criminalisation increases stigma against sex workers when they access service provision[2]. Stigma is one of main barriers for sex workers to accessing support and the Bill would increase the stigma.

The Bill could lead to cheaper services and more home visits

Criminalising the buying of sex would make punters more nervous about accessing sexual services. This could reduce the number of punters, which would push down prices for sexual services and cause further poverty and hardship for sex workers who rely on the income.

Criminalisation of clients could also lead to an increased number of ‘home visits’, where sex workers would visit the punters at their home address or hotel. This would be particularly concerning within the context of the Covid-19 pandemic as it could compromise the health and safety of sex workers.

Life would be harder for migrant sex workers

The ‘hostile environment’ immigration policies deny many migrants access to social security payments, such as Universal Credit or housing benefit, which makes their lives particularly precarious. The regulation of sex work often is a migration issue as many migrant sex workers are reported to the Home Office.

The price of sexual services have already dropped for many migrant sex workers because of fears around Brexit, less punters wanting to obtain services from migrants, and punters threatening to report undocumented sex workers to the Home Office. The further criminalisation of sex work would make migrant sex workers more vulnerable to exploitation and make it harder for sex workers to rent the houses for work. Changing the law would also compromise migrant sex workers trust in statutory services, the Police and organisations like POW for fear of criminalisation and deportation.

The Bill presumes sex workers are ‘vulnerable women’

We believe the Bill is overly focused on sex workers being ‘vulnerable women and girls’, when we know that individuals with a range of identities are sex workers[3]. Many sex workers are male, Transgender, queer, disabled and/or people of colour who would not fit into a stereotypical sex worker image. We believe the Bill ignores the complexities of the sex work community and erases individuals who chose sex work as a form of income.

The Bill denies voluntary sex work

Our final, and potentially most important, point is that voluntary and consensual sex work exists. The ‘Sexual Exploitation’ Bill denies individuals agency over their bodies and livelihoods, and presumes that all sex workers are the same. The Bill is moralising and proposes inappropriate measures that would endanger our service users and compromise their livelihoods.

[1] According to the latest estimates, there are around 72,800 sex workers in Britain. Nottingham is the home to around 100 ‘on street’ sex workers and approximately 1000 ‘online’ sex workers.

[2] https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-trafficking-and-slavery/long-read-how-nordic-model-france-changed-everything-sex-workers/

[3] https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201617/cmselect/cmhaff/26/26.pdf

Peer Support nominated for Mind’s Marsh Awards!

18 January 2021

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At the end of last year, we were pleasantly surprised to find our Peer Support Group Counselling nominated for Mind’s Marsh Awards 2020, with a special focus on the way the group reorganised to support women during tough social distancing measures.

Click the above video to watch our wonderful Group Leader, Ray Cole, talk through how the group has innovated to support as many women as possible over the past year.

If you would like to find out more about Peer Support and come along to the group, find out more here.