The Weavers’ Company has announced a £500,000 investment in a new two-year pilot programme designed to prevent girls and young women from entering custody.

The NEST (Nurture, Empower, Support, Thrive) programme, developed by Her Insights Collective, will launch later this year in Leeds and London following support from the Ministry of Justice and His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service.

The initiative will provide early, trauma-informed and gender-specific support for girls and young women aged 14 to 25 who are at risk of entering, or becoming entrenched in, the criminal justice system. Each participant will receive long-term support from a dedicated advocate, helping coordinate access to education, housing, health and wider support services.

The pilot forms part of a wider effort to demonstrate that early intervention can achieve better outcomes for vulnerable young women while significantly reducing long-term public costs. The NEST programme is expected to cost approximately £5,000 per participant, compared with annual custody costs of around £79,000 for a women’s prison place, £129,000 for a Young Offender Institution place and more than £299,000 for secure children’s placements.

The programme will also be independently evaluated, with the aim of developing a scalable model that could inform future policy and practice nationally.

The announcement comes as the Company approaches its 900th anniversary, reflecting its long-standing commitment to supporting initiatives that strengthen communities and improve lives.