This free webinar shines a spotlight on women victim/survivors of sexual violence and abuse within the women’s prison population in England and Wales. According to the Prison Reform Trust (2022) more than half of women in prison report having experienced sexual and/or domestic violence and the vast majority have endured emotional, physical and sexual abuse as girls. We focus on the findings of The Believed Project, an innovative prison-based intervention delivered by the Rape and Sexual Abuse Counselling Centre – Darlington and County Durham (RSACC), established as a pilot in response to the high numbers of women disclosing past sexual violence at HMP Low Newton, Durham. The project was underpinned by a specialist and intensive 20-week counselling service that saw more than 200 women engage with the programme between 2018-2020. This webinar coincides with the publication of O’Brien and King’s external evaluation of this project The Believed Project: Supporting women in prison who have experienced sexual violence and abuse– which presents key findings and recommendations for reform in women’s prisons.

Speakers include:

• Anna Capstick (Regional SPO, Womens Lead, North East Region)
• Isabel Owens (CEO Rape and Sexual Abuse Counselling Centre< Durham and Darlington)
• Maddie Hauxwell (Counsellor, Believed Project, Rape and Sexual Abuse Counselling Centre, Durham and Darlington)
• Kate O’Brien (Durham University and CRiVA)
• Hannah King (Durham University and CRiVA)

The online Zoom link will be sent to you the day before the event is due to take place. Please ensure you check your junk/spam folder.

Find out more and book your place here.