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February 2015 |
drinkanddrugsnews
| 11
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In 1982
we identified that we needed to
find somewhere in the city where those who
were too drunk to look after themselves could
be given sanctuary. This resulted in the
opening of our support hostel, which housed
people in recovery, with the additional
accommodation in the basement used as the
place of safety. After a service review in 2003,
a specific four-bed unit was then built with all
the required safety features, single rooms,
toilet and shower facilities.
Police, ambulance and local organisations
are able to bring referrals to the unit. The unit
also acts as a funnel for those suffering from
alcohol issues to access services, as there is a
full care assessment, risk assessment and care
plan put in place for each individual.
We have a highly trained, motivated and
caring staff team, some of whom have
suffered such problems in their own lives.
There is a full counselling service, staffed by
volunteers who are specifically trained in
using a CBT approach.
The organisation can also offer work with
external clients looking for help and support.
We offer ongoing support to those in recovery
by providing access to recovery support
practitioners at times convenient to the client,
recovery support groups, and a 24/7
telephone helpline.
In far too many cases, we are finding
people who are alcohol dependant being
referred as they have nowhere else to go.
Government is looking at the idea of ‘drunk
tanks’ – instead, perhaps they could look at
the model created in this unit as an effective
and comprehensive initiative for dealing with
alcohol use.
Brian Cowie is services manager at Alcohol
Support Ltd (ASL)
Brian Cowie
explains how a ‘designated
place of safety’ is providing a safe haven
in Aberdeen for individuals to sober up
and find support
Policy makers
would do well
to look at the
example of
the ASL
support hostel
in Aberdeen.
A sAfe plAce
It is widely acknowledged
that men and
women have different routes in and out of
addictive behaviours, with more men accessing
treatment services. Generally, women do well
in treatment but they present later. So if we
were going to design a women’s group-work
programme, what should it look like?
Research suggested that gender-specific
group work should focus on empowerment
and promoting healthy relationships, helping
women make more effective use of treatment.
Women have unique problems, such as
experiencing higher levels of stigma and
lower levels of self-esteem. In light of this, the
design of the Women in North Ayrshire
(WINAs) group had to ensure a safe and non-
judgemental environment in which women
could improve their confidence.
Mindful of the potential barriers between
facilitators and group members, staff don’t
wear their name badges and sit among the
group members. Sessions are both practical
and creative, and include specific sessions on
accessing support for moving forward into
employment and education.
One of the ways in which we tackled
attrition rates was by asking the women to
help design the course, encouraging them to
feel they had invested in the programme.
Listening to our service users improves the
rate of access, and the women now have both
greater access to the service and better
representation of their views.
The WINAs group is designed as a rolling
programme, eliminating the need for a
waiting list. Sensitivity is given to child-care
requirements, and the group is run within
school hours.
It has given an alternative path out of
addiction and a core group of women have
now undertaken peer research to examine the
‘barriers to treatment’ for women in North-
Ayrshire.
Lisa Goodall and Caryn Smith are addiction
workers at NACAS
Women first
Lisa Goodall
and
Caryn Smith
tell DDN how the North
Ayrshire Council Addiction Services (NACAS) changed parts
of their service to support women
NACAS service
users were
asked to help
design the
programme