PICC has remodelled its Women's Healing Service to provide better services to women resident, or at risk of being resident, in the Townsville Women's Correctional Centre.
For 2024, PICC has restructured the Service to strengthen its critical goal of preventing women from entering prison, and to give better assistance to women before and after their stays in custody.
The Service now operates three regular programs: - The Re-entry Program, for women soon to leave custody - The Women on Remand Program, for women in custody awaiting trial - The Early Intervention Program, for women at risk of entering prison (on Palm Island)
The Service now has an office in Aitkenvale, Townsville, as a service centre for clients in the community, conveniently close to other services with which the Women's Healing Service collaborates. This office is collocated with the PICC NDIS team.
The restructured Women's Healing Service is funded by the Department of Justice and the Attorney-General.
Rachel Atkinson
Palm Island, Queensland
Rachel Atkinson is the inaugural Chief Executive Officer of Palm Island Community Company, serving since 2007. A Yorta Yorta woman with a family lineage of activists — her great uncle William Cooper and cousin Sir Douglas Nicholls (first Indigenous Governor of South Australia) — Rachel holds a Bachelor of Social Work and previously led the Townsville Aboriginal and Islander Health Service (1996-2006). She transformed PICC from a single employee to 210+ staff, with 95% local employment generating $5.8M in annual wages. Rachel led the 14-year campaign that achieved full community control on September 30, 2021. She co-chairs the Queensland First Children and Families Board and Family Matters Queensland.
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