A lifeline service supporting female offenders to rebuild their lives after drug and alcohol use has closed after two decades due to budget cuts.

Turning Point 218 closed its doors on February 14 after its budget offered by Glasgow City Council was slashed from £1.37m which was previously agreed to a maximum of £650,000.

The innovative service had opened its doors in December 2003 with the intention of offering women a “time out” of their normal, usually challenging circumstances – without resorting to a custodial sentence – where they could explore and address the causes of their offending behaviour.

It worked with approximately 50 women a year, for two decades and delivered a service providing options to improve the outcomes for women involved in the justice system and to address the root causes of their offending.

The service was originally a 12-bed residential unit and day programme, however, a review by the Glasgow Health and Social Care Partnership (GHSCP) included plans to reduce the bed capacity from 12 to eight women.

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