HMP WYMOTT DARS SERVICE
The DARS team stands for the drug and alcohol recovery service . The service has a service manager , care coordinators , recovery practitioners and recovery peers to offer prisoners at HMP Wymott the best opportunities to reach their personal recovery goals .
THERE ARE THREE DIFFERENT STAGES OF SUPPORT :
Connect – When clients are first referred into our service , a DARS duty worker will visit them and assess their immediate needs . They will be allocated a recovery practitioner who will complete their triage assessment with them .
Dependence – Once clients have completed their initial and triage assessment , they will be moved to Dependence . Their recovery practitioner will work with them in a client centred way , to form a holistic recovery plan . During Dependence they can engage in group work and one-to-one work with their recovery practitioner and refer to the TC if they need to . Clients will stay in Dependence until they feel they have completed all their goals .
Freedom – The Freedom offer is available to all clients being released from custody with an option to refer to community services if they wish . This can be their local drug and alcohol service , community groups , rehab and supported housing . Freedom clients can also apply to become a recovery peer to support others and continue to engage in peer support sessions .
WHAT ELSE CAN CLIENTS GET INVOLVED WITH ?
The DARS team understands that everybody ’ s recovery journey is unique to them . It offers a service that tries to reach as many people as possible , and can provide even more support through the following group sessions :
• Lancashire release
• Mutual aid
• Recovery gym
• Awareness
• Peer support
• Family days
• Motivational speakers
• Life skills
• Acupuncture therapy
• Creative therapy
• Relaxation
• Recovery peers
• SMART recovery
SO WHAT WORKS WELL IN A PRISON ENVIRONMENT , AND WHAT CHALLENGES DO WE FACE ?
CLAIRE ILLINGWORTH Delphi Medical , area operations manager – central Having worked in prison substance misuse treatment for over 20 years I sit here pondering the changes in the offer I ’ ve seen , and our clients have experienced , over the years .
I often describe working in prisons as Marmite – you either love it or hate it . It ’ s a restrictive and challenging environment , and equity of treatment is vital . In the prison , treatment is not mirrored to the community in my experience . One example is that community-based rehabs are all over the country , but when we look at our prison offer there ’ s only one and we ’ re fortunate that it falls in the Northwest – HMP Wymott TC .
We have other options across the country including supportive environments , enhanced living , drug-free environments , recovery wings – these are having a good impact , but this isn ’ t mirroring the community offer .
RACHAEL ASHCROFT Delphi Medical , care co-ordinator DARS lead – HMP Wymott Having worked in HMP Wymott for 18 years in various roles it ’ s been interesting to see services develop over time and see the different drug trends throughout the establishment .
At times , it can be challenging due to the ever-changing selection of psychoactive substances and their effects . But for me , I enjoy working in Wymott as no two days are the same .
Working in substance misuse brings variety as you get to engage with many different people from different backgrounds who are wanting to achieve different goals , but all wanting to recover from substance misuse and really change their life .
‘ Why work in prisons ? Because change can and does happen !’
KATE COOKSON Delphi Medical , service manager health and justice – HMP Garth , HMP Wymott , HMP Manchester , Barton Moss and Marydale Working within prisons is not everyone ’ s cup of tea , and for some it can be too restrictive while others thrive .
Prisoners are able to engage with services and get a top-quality service , but we must remember this is voluntary and change happens when someone wants recovery , not when forced . This is often forgotten in the prisons , and it can be pushed on from various places – often meaning recovery is not genuine , and we can see a lot of revolving doors . But when it is genuine it works and it ’ s amazing . Having more TCs , recovery wings and funding for prison substance misuse services would support this journey and allow the amazing work being done by our teams all across the country to be even more successful .
Why work in prisons ? Because change can and does happen !
MONICA SUMNER Delphi Medical , therapeutic community care co-ordinator lead – HMP Wymott I ’ ve worked on the therapeutic community at HMP Wymott for over five years , starting as a volunteer , and now managing the programme .
From my experience , I can say this is an extremely challenging , yet extremely rewarding , field to work in . We face different obstacles each day regarding drug use and offending behaviours , right down to prison regime restrictions . Nevertheless , being able to say that as a team we deliver an intense structured treatment programme for 70 men , daily , is something we ’ re very proud of .
Being one of the only prison-based drug and alcohol rehabilitation programmes left in the UK is a very sad statement to make . Further intensive support within prisons , in my opinion , is urgently needed .
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