Westminster Community Project
'Helping Sustain Recovery'
'Recovery from addiction is hard. Anon'
Treatment providers offer a multitude of support for people accessing services to build recovery but once abstinence is achieved support levels can fall to dangerously low levels.
People exiting community, or returning from residential, treatment currently have no structured support to help them access recovery capital in the community. This often leads to a spiral of lapse, relapse and reengagement with treatment providers costing tens of thousands to the local economy not to mention the human and social costs of addiction.
Offering people in recovery the opportunity to contribute to their community can have a profound and therapeutic effect. Time bound community support, when the window of motivation is open, can empower an individual to sustain their recovery. This can happen while building skills, gaining work experience and confronting stereotypes of people in recovery.
Complimenting the Turning Point Structured Day Programme with the skill and experience of the Volunteer Centre Westminster, the Westminster Community Project will support people in recovery to access recovery capital in their communities.
Furthermore, routes to volunteering and employment are currently restricted by stigma and prejudice, which this project will start to address.
The progression from supported volunteering with a mentor, into the Volemploy programme will lead on to the next stage of job search and employment and a longer term solution.
Westminster Community Project will:
· Provide people abstinent from substance misuse supported voluntary positions
· Increase participants employability
· Provide work experience and a recent work related reference
· Reduce the taboo and stigma of employing staff with addiction issues
· Reduce relapse and subsequent treatment need of participants
· Provide a mentor to support participants placements and encourage continued recovery
· Provide advice and information on finance and money management
· Improve the digital skills of participants
· Refer completers of the Westminster Aftercare Project to VolEmploy
Participants will be identified by the local treatment providers and a referral will be made to the Westminster Community Project Coordinator at Volunteer Centre Westminster. Participants should be nearing the end of treatment or have recently completed detox or rehabilitation and be engaged in aftercare such as a mutual aid provisions in the community. Participants on a reduction plan from substitute medication will be encouraged to join and all will be supported to inform the DWP of their volunteer status.
In addition to the core volunteer assessment there will be a brief discussion on the past substance use and/or criminal activity of the participant. From this assessment the aftercare coordinator will use the VCW network to source a relevant voluntary placement. Key stakeholders at the placement will be informed of the participant’s history and given a brief overview of addictions.
All participants will receive regular structured 1-1 support with the Project Coordinator and be assigned a mentor. The mentor will have completed accredited peer mentor training and will have personal experience of addiction and volunteering. The mentors will support the participants with weekly phone contact, 1-1 and group meetings and by accompanying them to their volunteer placements when needed. Mentors will also be accessing a varied array of recovery capital and will be line managed by the Aftercare Coordinator. All participants and mentors will meet regularly to further increase the mutual aid aspect of this project. These meets will be run from the volunteer centre and chaired by the Aftercare Coordinator.
The emotional wellbeing and physical health of participants will be of paramount importance. Programme length will be dependent on the participant but is expect to be between three and 12 months. On completion of the programme the participant will be assessed and referred to the VolEmploy service.
Gareth Owen - 07739260139 Eoin Bolger – 07739144957