Since 1988, Willowdene has delivered a unique model of rehabilitation. Combining therapeutic input, vocational and life-skills training, and purposeful and meaningful use of time in a work-focused setting, this model has consistently delivered sector-leading outcomes that have underpinned lasting life-transformation in the men and women who access our services.
These results, together with our ongoing innovation in service-design and delivery, have led to Willowdene being regarded as one of the premier providers of rehabilitation and training in the UK. We have worked closely with probation services (both CRC and NPS), the Ministry of Justice, and Public Health to develop ground-breaking services for men and women facing wide-ranging and significant barriers to purposeful living.
To find out more about our model of rehabilitation please see below.
We passionately believe that everyone is capable of achieving lasting freedom from destructive thought and behaviour patterns and building a purposeful lifestyle filled with hope and aspiration.
That belief shapes our approach, which identifies and tackles the root cause of those destructive patterns, equipping and empowering the individual to remove at source the factors that keep them from living with purpose, hope and aspiration.
Our model combines therapeutic input, gaining skills and qualifications, and developing a purpose-driven mindset through exposure to real-world work opportunities, to equip and empower men and women of all abilities to live the life they were made for.
With unparalleled success rates, Willowdene has a proven track-record of delivering outstanding outcomes.
Average retention and completion rates in excess of 85% across all of our interventions, and pass rates of 98% for qualifications offered through our training prove the effectiveness of our interventions in equipping and empowering our students to achieve meaningful change.
In addition, independently verified reductions in reoffending (our women’s residential alternative to custody showed a three-fold improvement in reducing reoffending compared with prison releases, for example), demonstrate that Willowdene’s services are not only effective, but offer true value for money.
Since 2013, Willowdene has had a strong focus on developing women’s services. The creation of the UK’s first (and, currently, only) residential female alternative to custody established a solid foundation that has underpinned the ongoing development of innovative interventions across both residential and community based women’s services.
Wrapped up in our LINC (Local Initiatives Nurturing Change) project, these services provide a holistic, gender-specific model that brings together both public and third-sector organisations, as well as private businesses to equip and empower women to break free from situations and circumstances including domestic abuse, sexual exploitation, offending, substance misuse, poor mental health and homelessness, and to build a purposeful, hope-filled and aspirational lifestyle.
Our one-stop-shop approach enables timely access to appropriate support in a familiar and inviting setting, enabling women to identify and deal with root issues safely and confidently. Working with over 40 voluntary organisations, and with dedicated LINC workers to guide progress, this model delivers sustainable solutions and supports women as they build a new future.
Willowdene has specialised in providing residential rehabilitation and respite services since it began in 1988. Originally operating as a male-only site, before more recently moving to a mixed facility, we now operate a female-only residential option.
Based at our Northwood site, the home of our Women’s Recovery Centre, women reside in a tranquil rural setting in self-contained multi-occupancy log cabins, with access to a well-equipped communal area.
Whether through a Public Health referral (primarily for substance misuse), or through Criminal Justice (primarily as an alternative to custody), women stay at Willowdene for between seven and twelve weeks.
During their placement, women not only access training, counselling and therapy, and work opportunities, before making a supported exit back into the community once their placement ends, but also focus on building the life skills they need to build a sustainable and purposeful lifestyle..
Day services comprise community-based interventions, where students from either a Criminal Justice or Public Health referral are collected from a convenient location and brought to Willowdene to undertake a structured day of purposeful and meaningful activities.
With over 20 qualifications across ten vocational areas on offer, as well as practical work experience, our students engage in skills training in a non-institutional and supportive environment.
For many of our students, coming to Willowdene is the first time they have actively engaged in learning and personal development, and this often becomes the catalyst in developing a positive attitude to life-long learning.
Our day services overcome traditional barriers to engagement, in particular those arising from issues of rurality, and deliver outstanding results, with a 98% pass rate for qualifications and a retention rate of over 85% across the range of community interventions we offer.
The best way to understand what we do, how we do it and why it is so successful is to experience it first-hand. If you are a Public Health or Criminal Justice professional and would like to arrange a visit, or simply get answers to your questions, please contact us on (01746) 718658, or use the contact form below.
If you are a Criminal Justice or Drug and Alcohol service-user based in Warwickshire or West Mercia, and would like to explore whether Willowdene’s residential or day services may be a possible opportunity for you to start your own journey of life-transformation, please speak to your key worker, who will be able to discuss your options with you.
If you are a professional and would like a copy of our day services flyer for professionals, you can download a pdf version by clicking here. If you are an individual who would like more information, you can download a pdf of our day services flyer for students by clicking here.
We would love you to share in our story. To receive updates about developments at Willowdene, just put your email address in the box below and we will keep you up to date (we are unlikely to email you more than once a month, so we won’t be flooding your inbox).
© 2024 Willowdene Rehabilitation Ltd
(01746) 718658
email: info@willowdenefarm.org.uk