FAMILY REHAB
Byron Taylor is confident that through the partnership with Settlement Support , Change Grow Live is ‘ reaching deeper into the community ’ to connect people with the support they need . ‘ By training community champions we ’ re breaking down barriers and building trust where it ’ s been lacking for too long ,’ he says . ‘ This collaboration allows us to listen , respond , and make real impact in a way that resonates with our community .’
NAVIGATE THE SYSTEM Champions are there to help individuals navigate the system , whether that ’ s by being present at appointments , acting as translators , or just making sure the person feels supported . One of the key things we ’ ve learned is that flexibility is crucial . You can ’ t expect every community to fit into the same structures or timeframes . When we first started working with Byron , he made it clear that Sunday was the best time for us to engage , as that ’ s when people would gather for church . We don ’ t usually work Sundays , but we knew we had to make it happen if we wanted to build trust .
It ’ s that willingness to adapt and meet people where they are that ’ s allowed us to start building stronger connections with the community . Trust is a big issue for many Black and minority ethnic groups , who have longstanding mistrust of institutions like ours . The community champions help us break down those barriers by acting as a trusted voice . They ’ re from the community , so people are more likely to listen to them and feel comfortable opening up about their problems .
‘ It ’ s not just about getting our voice out there – it ’ s about giving the community a platform to have their voice heard ,’ says Molly . ‘ The champions advocate for their community to us , and for us to their community . It ’ s a true partnership .’
AN EFFECTIVE MODEL The work we ’ ve done with Settlement Support and the Black African community in Coventry has shown us how effective this model can be . But we know that this is just the beginning . We ’ re looking to replicate the community champions model with other groups , including the Polish and Sikh communities – because we recognise that every community has its own unique challenges .
We know people aren ’ t always comfortable coming to us , so we need to go to them . That ’ s the key to all of this – getting out there and making sure our services are accessible , approachable , and responsive to what people need . It ’ s not just about getting more people into our services . It ’ s about reclaiming the narrative around how people from underrepresented communities engage with substance treatment .
We ’ re still learning , and we expect to keep refining our approach as we get more feedback from the communities we serve . But one thing is clear . The community champions are helping us build trust and change lives .
Kevin Ruddock is services manager at Change Grow Live in Coventry . If you ’ d like to find out more about this project or discuss this work in more detail , please get in touch at Kevin . Ruddock @ cgl . org . uk
BACK FROM THE BRINK !
Phoenix Futures have good news on saving the last residential rehab for families in
England , says James Armstrong
We were recently forced to announce that despite significant investment in drug treatment in recent years , none of this funding had reached residential treatment services ( DDN , November , p14 ). Combined with short-term and sporadic funding processes this left the National Specialist Family Service based in Sheffield , the last residential family treatment service in England , on the brink of imminent closure .
We are delighted , to say the least , to announce that the future of the service has now been secured . Closure plans have been cancelled and we are looking forward to a future we had thought was disappearing from sight .
The support of frontline drug treatment staff across the country has been invaluable , and with the convening support of OHID and the efforts of substance use commissioners across England , Change Grow Live ,
A block funding model will enable us to plan for the future .
and amazing specialist support organisations Women ’ s Reform and Mother2Mother , we are back from the brink !
The key challenge we faced was the spot purchasing of placements ( pay-by-night per resident funding ). Spot purchasing means that each family had to argue their case for an individual funding package across budgets that span adults and children , rehab and social services . It ’ s too complicated for families in need of urgent support , and already overburdened social workers and drug treatment staff . Due to such an amazing response from so many we have been able to move the service to a block funding model that will improve access for families and enable us to plan for the future .
The National Specialist Family Service provides a unique opportunity to offer parents the core benefit of treatment alongside specialist parenting and childcare support . Research suggests that substance use treatment alone is not a protective factor for families striving to stay together . There is a growing body of research demonstrating the effectiveness of whole family interventions for families where parents experience substance use problems .
There is so much more work to be done and with the future of the service secured we will now move back to supporting families to stay together , evidencing what works , fighting stigma and pushing for appropriate support for parents and pregnant women . James Armstrong is director of marketing and innovation at
Phoenix Futures
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