WDP News
Find out more about our exciting developments in drug and alcohol treatment and rehabilitation across London and the South East of England
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WDP Drugsline creates garden haven in Hertford
Paul Martin & Kelly Hankin from WDP Drugsline Hertford open the new garden |
Clients and staff at WDP Drugsline in Hertford have turned a concrete yard into a stunning garden.
The former eyesore is now bursting with flowers, vegetables and palms.
Gardening has proved to be a therapeutic activity for clients. David from Cheshunt says, “I find it relaxing. Being out of doors, planting something and watching it grow is satisfying.”
And he says it brings people together as a community. “There is quite a big group of us who have helped build the garden and now look after it. It brings us together, which is much better than sitting at home.”
Jenny from Hertford says, “I enjoyed the whole process from scratch. Even the splinters from the decking! We learned so much. We had no idea how much soil we needed. We got one bag and thought, ‘Great, now we can go and get the plants.’ But in the end we needed ten bags. So it has taught us a lot.”
For Yasmin Batliwala, Chair of WDP, the garden shows how creative, and dedicated, service users can be, given the chance. “WDP provides a framework for recovery. We offer support. But it’s the clients who take that opportunity and make it happen. This garden is a brilliant example.”
Everyone now has a beautiful space to go whether to work or relax in.
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Stopping the revolving door of drug use and arrest in Essex
InsideOut, the service delivered by WDP in Essex to help offenders recover from drug dependency, is proving to be a unique partnership between the police, prison, probation and community drug services.
UK’s best-selling police magazine Jane’s Police Review has profiled the service in its cover article: ‘No more needle: injecting sense into repeat drug offenders’. A PDF of this article can be found below.
Jane's Police Review 09.07.10 (web).pdf (38.61Kb)
WDP Chair Yasmin Batliwala says, “We are excited to be working with the Essex Drug & Alcohol Partnership and all our partners to deliver such an innovative service. By supporting clients to change their lives we can stop the revolving door of drug use and arrest.”
InsideOut aims to provide continuous care for the client whether inside or outside prison. All the partners – police, prison, probation and drug service – are focused on helping the client recover from drug dependency and stop reoffending, rather than stopping at the borders of their traditional responsibilities.
The process of recovery starts in the custody suite
WDP Essex manager Helen Juniper says, “As soon as the police identify a client has a drug problem, a member of the InsideOut team talks to them in the custody suite and the process of recovery starts there.”
Ben Hughes, joint commissioning manager for the Essex Drug & Alcohol Action Team says: 'We wanted to create a service that was truly integrated and properly joined up, so clients would have a seamless service and could access the same level of service no matter where they were."
Essex has been helped in developing the InsideOut service by being given “Drugs Systems Change Pilot” status by the government. Seven such pilots have been launched across the country to test new approaches to the problems caused by drug misuse.
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WDP awarded new DIP contract in Suffolk
WDP is delighted to have been awarded the Non-Intensive Drug Interventions Programme (DIP) contract across Suffolk. The Suffolk Drug & Alcohol Action Team commissioned us to apply our knowledge and expertise in delivering DIP to services across the county – services will operate from Ipswich, Bury St Edmunds and Lowestoft.
Yasmin Batliwala, Chair of WDP said: “I am delighted that WDP is being given the opportunity to work with our partners in Suffolk to deliver such an innovative and exciting service. WDP is committed to effective partnership working and integrated services to deliver the best possible outcomes for service users and their communities.”
Louise Arnold, Criminal Justice Manager, Suffolk Drug & Alcohol Action Team said: “DIP plays a key role in tackling drugs and reducing crime and aims to get adult drug-misusing offenders who misuse Class A drugs (heroin and cocaine/ crack cocaine) out of crime and into treatment and other support. This service aims to improve the lives of the most problematic drug users in Suffolk, as well as the lives of their families/carers and the wider community.”
John Brennan, Operations Manager, WDP said: “We are pleased to announce that we were able to implement the service on the planned start date, 1 July 2010, and are excited about bringing on board a number of existing qualified and knowledgeable local staff. We believe this local expertise, coupled with WDP's knowledge and experience in providing quality DIP services, is a strong foundation from which to build.”
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Core Trust celebrates 26 years with its annual garden party
The Core Trust, a drug and alcohol counselling service operating from a row of old cottages in the heart of London, celebrated in traditional style with a garden party on Wednesday 30 June.
Core, which helps people become abstinent through a structured, non-residential day programme, is part of the charity Westminster Drug Project (WDP). It has a high success rate with 86% of clients, who receive more than one treatment block, completing the Day Programme drug and alcohol free.
Old clients, some from the earliest days over 20 years ago, returned to the organisation that helped them turn their lives around.
One client said, “I am indebted to the Core Trust staff and volunteers for their commitment, integrity and belief in me. They have inspired me to accept myself and I am able to plan a more positive and empowered future”.
Yasmin Batliwala, Chair of WDP, said, “The presence of so many current and former clients is tribute to the work the Core Trust does. WDP offers services to people at all stages of their journey and abstinence-based care is an important part of our provision. Core offers this to a very high standard.”
Lynn Turner, Project Manager of the Core Trust also commented, “Our garden party is one of the highlights of our year! It’s a fantastic opportunity to see so many of our former and current clients, staff, volunteers and visitors come together to celebrate individual and group success. It’s our annual family get-together where we all get a chance to chat, socialise, and see what everyone is up to and how they are doing. Part of the day involves a group drumming session which everyone can get involved in. It’s very popular and brings all the guests together, outside in the sunshine. We were also pleased to welcome Councillor Aziz Toki, a friend of the Core Trust, to open the party.”
The Core Trust offers a range of services to support people while they focus on tackling their alcohol or drug use. It helps clients understand why alcohol and/or drugs have become their coping strategy, and provides a secure environment in which to build new and secure foundations, ensuring long-lasting change.
WDP is a leading provider of drug and alcohol services in London and the South East, which works with over 12,000 service users in both the community and the criminal justice system.
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WDP attended the Harm Reduction 2010 conference
The conference took place in Liverpool between 25 – 29 April. It was the International Harm Reduction Association’s 21st International Conference, returning to the city where it first began.
We hosted a stand at the event and also Lisa Sturrock from WDP service CoreKids presented “The kids are alright: minimising harm to children of substance users” at a session titled: Children and Young People Affected by Drugs on Monday 26 April.
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New service to reduce drug related crime in Essex
Date of release: 30 March 2010
A new service to reduce drug related crime by ensuring offenders get continuous care between prison and the community is being launched in Essex this month (April 2010).
The Essex Drug & Alcohol Partnership (EDAP) has commissioned charity WDP (Westminster Drug Project) to deliver the Criminal Justice Interventions Service (CJIS). Bringing together two independently commissioned services, from the community and HM Prison Service, the new service is the first service of its kind in the country and will deliver targeted and quality interventions to drug related offenders, with services and interventions becoming available across the entire criminal justice system.
Essex is one of seven successful areas taking part in the government’s Drug Systems Change Pilot, which has provided the opportunity to create this new drug treatment system, ensuring offenders get both the support and supervision they need to minimise their chances of relapsing and reoffending.
Yasmin Batliwala, Chair of WDP said:
“I am delighted that WDP is being given this opportunity to work with EDAP to deliver such an innovative and exciting service. WDP is committed to effective partnership working and integrated services to deliver the best outcomes for service users and their communities.”
Donia Slyzuk, Strategic Manager, Essex Drug & Alcohol Action Team said:
“This new approach to delivery has the potential to inform national standards and guidelines from 2012 onwards. It brings a new continuity to breaking the cycle of crime and reducing victims by targeting drug-related offenders and tackling the causes of their offending.
The new service will redirect the lives of the most problematic drug users in Essex and improve the lives of their family and carers and the wider community, by reducing re-offending and increasing reintegration back into community.”
Clive Emmett, Criminal Justice Interventions Service Manager, WDP said:
“CJIS will be more successful for the offender and the community because all partners in Essex, including police, probation and the prison services, will be working together to ensure each person with a drug problem is supported with the right intervention at the right time to break the cycle of drug dependency and crime.
“CJIS allows us to grip or contain disruptive behaviour, to manage each case more robustly, and to share information with partners in real-time to pre-empt relapse.”
Ewen Wilson, Superintendent, Essex Police said:
“Essex Police are very pleased to support the new service. We are keen that the service will proactively engage with those drug-related offenders in our community. One continuous service working across the entire criminal justice system will offer better engagement and ensure less drug-using offenders fall through the gaps.”
For the first time in Essex the service will target and engage with drug-related offenders from 16+ within a custody setting and Youth Offenders Institute in HMP Chelmsford, many of whom are vulnerable and could become further involved in substance misuse and criminal activity.
The service will be supported by a 24 hour a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year single point of contact number (0808 1000 110) that will offer information and advice to drug-using offenders and all professionals within the criminal justice system.
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Notes to Editor
The Essex Drug and Alcohol Partnership (EDAP) works with the communities of Essex to help reduce and prevent usage of illegal drugs and alcohol, minimise their harm, treat and rehabilitate users, reduce related offending and crime and thereby to make a significant contribution to community well being.
In April 2009 EDAP was awarded Drugs Systems Change Pilot status. The pilots have been launched to test new approaches to the problems caused by drug misuse. Within the two year pilot, freedoms and flexibilities can be requested, such as changes to targets, budgets and guidance that will allow innovative approaches to be tried; and that if successful will inform national strategy from 2012 onwards. The pilots are being overseen and commissioned jointly by a cross-government Management Board consisting of Home Office, Department of Health, Ministry of Justice, Cabinet Office, Department for Work and Pensions, Department for Communities and Local Government, Department for Children, Schools and Families and supported by the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse.
One of the freedoms and flexibilities granted under Drug Systems Change Pilot has resulted in EDAP creating a new and innovative drug treatment system for drug related offenders in the criminal justice system. It brings together two independently commissioned services, Drug Intervention Project (DIP) which is the responsibility of the EDAP, and Counselling, Assessment, Referral, Advice and Through Care (CARAT) the responsibility of the National Offender Management Scheme (NOMS).
EDAP have commissioned the Westminster Drugs Project (WDP), to provide the new Criminal Justice Interventions Service (CJIS). The new service builds on good practice, successes and lessons learnt from the Home Office’s Drugs Interventions Programme and is the next stage for delivering improved services to drug using offender in Essex. WDP have an established track record of delivering high quality services in Essex along with invaluable local knowledge.
WDP is a leading drug and alcohol treatment charity in London and the South East, working with thousands of people every year to overcome the harm caused by drug misuse to individuals and communities. For more information go to www.wdp-drugs.org.uk
For more information and advice on drugs and alcohol and the services available in Essex visit www.essexdrugaction.org
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The Score
The Score is WDP's quarterly newsletter for staff and friends of the organisation. It's packed full of useful information on our services, projects and people.
The Score Spring-Summer issue 18.pdf (1441.71Kb)
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'Learning Curves' article in 2nd November issue of DDN
Wandsworth Drug Project appeared in a recent issue of DDN, in an article called 'Learning Curves'. The article looks at how WDP is helping to raise community awareness of drug issues. Please click
here to read the full article.
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The Conference Consortium
WDP are founder members of the Conference Consortium. The Consortium was set up in 2005 to promote conferences, learning opportunities, spread best practice and influence policy across the international drugs field. As a member of Conference Consortium, WDP is partaking in the International Harm Reduction Conference in 2010. |
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Attrition Report Released
Following a one-year placement with WDP, sociology student Vicky Jones has produced an attrition report which provides useful information for drug support providers on the factors contributing to service users’ loss of motivation and enthusiasm about treatment. The research helps to provide higher quality case management service across the drugs support industry. Click below to download the report.
Attrition report.doc (434.00Kb)
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