In 2018 Synapse partnered with the NSW Department of Justice and Guthrie House, a not-for-profit transitional service for women exiting the prison system, to support women who may have a brain injury. Synapse has been training staff within this service to use the Guddi Screen (2018). This will enable women using the service and those working with them, including Probation and Parole officers to understand how each person’s brain injury may impact on their capacity to reduce offending behaviours.
We are also working in partnership with other systems which the women may be linked to, that are integral to a successful pathway back into community. These include housing, child protection, domestic violence, employment, mental health, and drug and alcohol services. The work has generated knowledge about the impacts of brain injury in these areas and facilitated intersectoral collaboration to produce positive outcomes for women involved in the criminal justice system.