The research described in this article emerged in response to the implementation of the Women’s Strategy for Kent, Surrey and Sussex Community Rehabilitation Company.
In evaluating the effectiveness of the strategy, priority was given to exploring the realities of the Women’s Lead role. Widely understood as demanding and multifaceted, and producing a proportionally higher turnover of staff than other frontline probation roles, there was a commitment to finding out what being a Women’s Lead really asked of staff with the ultimate goal being to identify what could or should be done to better support them in future. This mixed-methods project comprised interviews with 8 Women’s Leads and 4 managers (3 Senior Probation Officers, and 1 Through The Gate Manager), with an online survey involving 13 Women’s Leads (resulting in a 45% participation rate).
