Drink and Drugs News DDN July_August 2019 | Page 15

Czar GazinG
A hopeful sign
Concluding his theme of
how to rejuvenate the sector,
Mike Trace sees opportunity
in the appointment of the
recovery champion
C
entral government has been happy to
allow the drug/alcohol treatment sector
to drift and suffer cuts over the last six
years. But the appointment of a
government recovery champion, Dr Ed
Day, gives some hope that a coherent
national strategy can re-emerge. The role has no salary
and no budget, but Dr Day will report directly to
ministers so has the opportunity to articulate a strong
case for rejuvenating the sector.
Of course ministers currently have a life span of
one to three months, but we have to hope that a
stable government emerges in the autumn – one with
the bandwidth to think seriously about social justice
and social inclusion.
By that time the recovery champion should be
prepared with a concise set of data and arguments
that will persuade the government to re-invest in
treatment for drug and alcohol problems, and to
ensure that investment is properly targeted. Here are a
few ideas of what his advice should include:
REMIND THE GOVERNMENT WHY THIS
SECTOR IS IMPORTANT
Substance misuse care and treatment is one of the
strongest social inclusion weapons the government has
in its armoury. Hundreds of thousands of the most
marginalised people in our society – struggling with
homelessness, worklessness and alienation, and
unwilling to engage in mainstream services – decide to
make contact with drug/alcohol services, presenting an
opportunity to improve their physical and mental health,
and start a journey towards recovery and reintegration.
When this works, the government reaps rewards in
terms of reduced crime, improved public health,
reduced homelessness, reduced benefit dependency,
and improved family and community relationships.
There is also the added bonus of undermining the
power and reach of illegal drug markets.
PROVIDE THE DATA TO BACK UP ARGUMENTS
I know from experience that treasury officials need to
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see credible calculations of benefit before the purse
strings are opened. Numbers in contact with
treatment, and numbers leaving treatment and not
returning, will not cut it. Neither, I am afraid, will a
reduction in the risk of drug-related deaths, as long as
the total number continues to increase. We have to
show that our efforts deliver real outcomes for
government and communities.
One of the biggest failings of the NTA, and my
office before it, was not to have put in place
longitudinal research that showed the sector’s impact
on crime, health, employment and
family/accommodation. We do have a number of
small-scale studies that show positive results – Dr
Day needs to compile these into the best current
evidence base, and make arrangements for much
more meaningful evaluations in the coming years.
GIVE THEM A CLEAR DESCRIPTION OF
WHAT RECOVERY LOOKS LIKE
The sector can continue debating its definition of
recovery – does it require abstinence, can you be ‘in
recovery’ and still drink or smoke problematically –
but government needs a clear ‘mission’ to buy into.
The UKDPC definition works best for me: voluntarily-
sustained control over substance use which maximises
health and wellbeing and participation in the rights,
roles and responsibilities of society.
But government needs to have a way of recording
when someone can be considered to be ‘in recovery’.
We can’t run client surveys to answer this question,
nor can we define it in terms of the nature of their
contact with services. For me, if someone is not
committing crime, is in positive contact with
family/significant others, and is engaged in work,
study, or other positive activity, then this is a pretty
good proxy measure of recovery.
BRING BACK THE POOLED BUDGET
Everybody agrees that the behaviour change that can
result from drug/alcohol treatment has benefits for
many government departments, but since the demise
of the pooled budget, the funding burden is falling on
the NHS and local authorities, while other
departments such as the Home Office, DWP, and
justice, are taking a back seat. (This is happening right
now with the redesign of probation, where the
Ministry of Justice is simultaneously saying that
drug/alcohol treatment is essential to its objectives,
but that local authorities must pay for it.)
The drug
treatment pooled
budget that was in
place from 1999 to
2012 balanced this
shared interest and
responsibility and
gave all
departments an
interest in
contributing to
shared costs and
shared outcomes,
at a level that no
department would
shoulder on its
own. We need to
get back to that
system – with all
departments
contributing to
programmes and pathways that deliver personal
development and recovery.
‘A new crop
of ministers
needs a new
vision for
drug/alcohol
treatment
and recovery’
A new crop of ministers needs a new vision for drug/
alcohol treatment and recovery – it lies in a positive
investment in the potential of people who, for most
of their lives, have been neglected, abused,
stigmatised and punished. If we are to take social
inclusion seriously, providing support to recovery
and reinte gration for these people is one of the most
humane and cost-effective policies a government
can take.
Mike Trace is CEO of Forward Trust
July/August 2019 | drinkanddrugsnews | 15