Pictured from top left : |
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Early days for the Kaleidoscope |
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team , founded in 1968 ; working |
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with the teams across Wales ; |
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celebrating the charity ’ s |
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anniversary of 20 years in Wales ; |
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and the Blakebrough family , |
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including Rev Eric Blakebrough , |
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who founded Kaleidoscope . |
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and after five years of success , a tender process was put in place and despite exceeding all our targets we lost our Gwent contract . Newport City Council didn ’ t accept the decision and decided to leave the Gwent consortia , contracting all its services to Kaleidoscope . We only survived because of some real champions and the initial shock turned out to be a blessing as we became contracted to not only treat people medically , but to support care planning .
We continued to recruit amazing staff and won a wide range of contracts across Wales . The Powys and North Wales
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services are run in partnership with CAIS ( now Adferiad ) and , together with Barod , they ’ re our two most important partners in Wales . Powys is the most complete service as it is both treatment and social support – an innovative and dynamic community service , as well as a criminal justice service . In North Wales we are linked with the North Wales police and crime commissioners , which has been vital in making sure those in the criminal justice system are properly supported .
CRIMINAL JUSTICE In Kaleidoscope ’ s early days we existed despite the police . We avoided criminal justice contracts but were approached in 2005 to set up a DTTO and prescribe to people in the criminal justice system . This was a very difficult decision to make , as
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we were rooted in community services where people chose to use us . Nevertheless , we were persuaded to work in this strange environment , and by doing so we have come across many inspiring people who have been the biggest champions of change .
We ’ ve worked together in Wales with third sector agencies with a focus on making real change for some very vulnerable people – most notably , in South Wales through Dyfodol and in Gwent , where we work with G4S and Barod .
POSITIVE FUTURES Kaleidoscope ’ s belief is that supporting people with drug and alcohol issues must be about positive futures , not just treatment . The establishment of our peer ‘ out of work ’ service allowed us to do this . Today this is funded by the Welsh Government , but for most of its 15-year existence it was funded by the EU . The service helps people to gain confidence , training and experience , creating pathways to employment .
As Kaleidoscope plans the
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next chapter co-production is a cornerstone of our plans . The Kaleidoscope board has committed £ 100,000 per year from investments to develop a team with lived experience to ensure we not only listen to people who take drugs , but that they are shaping our services . We want to amplify the voices of people who use drugs , and this investment is the next step in our co-production journey . This fresh focus will also see the creation of a shadow board comprising peers .
We always seek to work on an evidenced-based approach , and this drives our innovations . Thus , we ’ ve always gathered evidence to inform policy . The Senedd Cross-Party Group on Substance Use and Addiction , chaired by Peredur Owen-Griffiths MS , drives an ongoing debate on policy which we facilitate , while the Welsh Council ( WCAD ) – led by Professor Wulf Livingston and supported by Kaleidoscope – is another way of ensuring research continues to guide the future in Wales .
Martin Blakebrough is CEO of Kaleidoscope
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