About the Trust

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‘As part of my treatment I explored my role as a parent. I was taught how to communicate with my daughter and understand her feelings towards my addiction’.
‘I can’t remember the last time I felt safe – the Nelson Trust has helped me to find myself’.

Recent Developments

The Nelson Trust continues to flourish in the current downturn. 

In spring 2010 The Nelson Trust opened ISIS Womens Centre in Gloucester city centre as a result of a successful bid to the Ministry of Justice for funding.  ISIS provides a range of support services to women who have been involved in the criminal justice system and tackles the root cause their problems. The first 12 months have been a remarkable success with 364 referrals - many of these women have actively engaged with a number of emotional well-being groups and activities at the centre and have made positive progress in their lives.

What does ISIS do?
ISIS aims to reduce re-offending, to divert women at high risk of offending away from the criminal justice system and to provide a community alternative to custodial sentences. We achieve this by addressing needs across all the criminogenic pathways identified in Baroness Corston’s report (Corston Report 2007), which include housing, employability, debt and benefits, physical and mental health, substance misuse, family and relationship issues, domestic abuse, sex work, attitudes thinking and behaviour. 

ISIS offers individual and outreach work in the community, alongside a full five day timetable of activities to encourage engagement, including a lunch club, women’s AA and NA meetings, psycho-educational groups and Open College-accredited courses.  We have a crèche, a garden, an IT suite, a training kitchen and a café area. Partner agencies, voluntary and statutory, use the centre to provide a range of specialist drop-in services. We also engage in outreach work to the local women’s prison.

Developments in the first year
A key development within our first year of operation has been the establishment of an innovative Female Offender Specified Activity Requirement (FOSAR) which means that the local courts can sentence women to community sentences which include attendance at ISIS.  We have worked hard to establish a relationship with local judges and magistrates who are strong supporters of the scheme. The county’s domestic abuse services, legal representation unit, the lead psychiatrist for substance misuse and the Independence Trust all run drop-in sessions and offer appointments at our premises. 
In the same building is the Nelson Trust’s Family Focus service, offering therapeutic interventions for families. We have participated in a Home Office funded pilot this year developing a Restorative Justice service for offenders and victims in the county, in partnership with Victim Support and others, and provide volunteering opportunities there for former offenders and recovering addicts.