Laura Steynen was sentenced in Wollongong Local Court on Thursday after pleading guilty to indecently assaulting an 11-year-old girl on the footpath of a CBD street last year.

According to agreed facts before the court, Steynen, 46, left Wollongong police station about 8.20am on September 19, and was heard yelling and screaming incoherently as she walked along Market Street.

At the time, the young girl was walking in the opposite direction, headed to school, and had to jump onto a retaining wall to avoid being confronted by Steynen.

Steynen stepped directly in front of the girl, blocking her path, and moved her right hand towards the girl's crotch area.

The girl placed both her hands over her vagina, to block Steynen's advances.

Steynen reached forward and tried to touch the girl's vagina.

She made contact with the victim's hands, prompting the girl to step back and push her away.

The girl fled and was helped by a witness, who took her to the police station. Steynen was charged the next day.

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In sentencing Steynen on Thursday, Magistrate Mark Douglass took into account her mental health.

The court heard she was "very unwell", was being treated for schizophrenia and had an intellectual disability.

Magistrate Douglass sentenced Steynen to 20 months' imprisonment, with a non-parole period of nine months, back-dated to September 20 last year.

Having spent nine months in custody, Steynen was released on Thursday and will be under strict supervision while on parole.

The conditions include she remain in contact with community corrections, live at a specified address and accept mental health treatment as directed.

Magistrate Douglass said the victim, who was present in court, "could rightly feel anxious in the community" after the incident.

He said Steynen's guilty plea had saved the girl from giving evidence.

Steynen was supported in court by her partner, to whom she gave a thumbs up upon hearing of her release.