Wolverhampton Drug Service User Lifestyle Magazine · months after smoking the drug, which is...
Transcript of Wolverhampton Drug Service User Lifestyle Magazine · months after smoking the drug, which is...
Wolverhampton Drug Service User Lifestyle Magazine
Also available online @ www.suiteam.com
SUIT Christmas Lunch 2012
Stress at Christmas and Recovery
Interview from behind the gate
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Whilst every care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of this work, no responsibility for
loss or damage occasioned to any person acting or refraining from action as a result of any
statement in it, can be accepted by the editor or by Wolverhampton Voluntary Sector
Council Service User Involvement Team,
as publishers. We would also like to thank all those that have contributed to this edition of
Welcome to issue 32 of Substance magazine, yes I know its
nearly that time of year again, the adverts are on the TV and
the shops are stocked to the rafters. Here at SUIT we are
getting ready for our Christmas meal, this year we are asking
for people to donate their old clothes so that we can raise
some money towards the cost of providing the Christmas
lunch (see page 13).
On page 8 you will find some information to help you cope
with the stresses that Christmas can bring, after all Christmas is
a time for giving and spending time with your loved ones, not
a time to be worrying.
Christmas aside we have some interesting interviews for an
insight into the services you may come into contact with, on
the back page we have an interview with SUBS the young
persons drug and alcohol team and inside an interview from
a substance misuse worker at HMP Oakwood.
As always a massive thank you to everyone who has
contributed to this edition of Substance and if you would like
your work featured in the next magazine please send it into us
on our freepost address or use page 15.
Finally everyone at SUIT would like to wish you all a very Merry
Christmas and a Happy New Year, stay safe and enjoy!!
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Local & International News Pg 4-5
Poem– Dug addiction to life Pg 6
Yoga classes Pg 7
Christmas stress and recovery Pg 8-9
Interview from behind the gate Pg 10-12
SUIT clothes collection Pg 13
SUIT activities Pg 14 A page for you Pg 15-16
Recipe Pg 17
Volunteer opportunities Pg 18
Cocaine??!! Pg 19
YMCA Bridge drop-in Pg 20
Christmas word search Pg 21
Poem– Liberty lost Pg 22
SUIT Christmas lunch Pg 23
Local NA meetings Pg 24
Needle Exchange Pharmacies Pg 25
Local service Directory Pg 26-27
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Give heroin addicts free tin foil,
say Government drug advisers
The chairman of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs recom-
mended that aluminium foil be added to the list of “paraphernalia” that
can be given out by doctors and pharmacists, along with syringes.
Prof Les Iversen said giving addicts foil would help them switch from inject-
ing the drug, which can lead to the transmission of deadly diseases, to
smoking it.
The ACMD is also recommending to the Home Secretary, Theresa May,
that a “particularly potent” so-called legal high known as Annihilation
should be banned.
Nine people in Scotland are said to have been hospitalised in three
months after smoking the drug, which is marketed as herbal incense, and
becoming “severely agitated and over-stimulated”.
In addition, the ACMD is “concerned” about increasing misuse of
Tramadol, a powerful painkiller, and is looking into fears that addiction to
prescription drugs could become a problem in Britain, as it is in America.
At the ACMD’s full council meeting in London, Prof Iversen outlined its cur-
rent work and recommendations it is making to the Home Office.
He said: “We recommended that aluminium foil should be part of legal
paraphernalia. Heroin addicts and other injecting drug addicts can al-
ready obtain needles, sterile water and alcohol wipes etc legally so
we’ve suggested that foil should be added to that list.
“Foil can be used as a way of smoking heroin instead of injecting it and is
thus considered safer, avoiding the hazards of injecting with possibly con-
taminated needles.
“We’ve been subjected to a number of questions from the Department of
Health about the safety of smoking versus injecting, and we are still wait-
ing a response. We’ve been promised one by the end of the month.”
Asked why drug addicts should receive the foil free, he replied: “I think it’s
a good idea because it avoids the harms associated with injecting drug
use, both infection at the site of injection and also the danger of transmit-
ting viral and bacterial disease.
“That can certainly lead to a large charge for the National Health Service
and if we can find a safer way I think we should use it.” Source: The Telegraph
International News
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Seventy years jail for
drug syndicate
The leaders of the 29-strong syndi-
cate had laundered at least £2 mil-
lion through casinos and were using
the drug money to fund a luxury life-
style. The group used fake IDs and
falsified bank statements to rent
homes and industrial units in Smeth-
wick, Tipton, Sandwell, Edgbaston,
Halesowen and Nottingham. The
units were kitted out with hydropon-
ics set-ups to heat, ventilate and
water the plants while others were
used as storage facilities to hold
harvested cannabis before being
sold to dealers.
SUIT Clothes Collection
We are trying to raise funds to help
towards our Christmas meal. We
are asking everyone who may
have old clothes that are no
longer wanted to donate them to
us. We are going to recycle them
for cash and use the money to
help us put on a three course
Christmas meal for the service
users of Wolverhampton, if you
have anything you may be able to
donate please call us on 01902
328983. Thank you!!
Teenager warned after £3,000 drugs are seized
A teenager has been warned he faces a long stretch behind bars after
admitting possessing class A drugs with the intent to deal them.
The male, aged 19, appeared at Wolverhampton Crown Court.
He pleaded guilty to possessing cocaine, crack cocaine and heroin with
intent to supply. He also pleaded guilty to driving while disqualified.
The offences relate to the discovery of around £3,000 worth of drugs in the
vehicle and during a subsequent search of his home, the court was told.
The teenager, from Bushbury, was remanded on conditional bail with an
electronic tag controlling a night time curfew while pre-sentencing re-
ports are prepared.
At the hearing Judge Amjad Nawaz told him: “You have pleaded guilty
to very serious offences but because of your youth and lack of en-
trenched pattern of criminality, a report will be useful for the judge who
sentences you.”But he added: “Do not read into the fact that you are
being granted bail the possibility of you receiving anything other than a
lengthy period of custody.”
The teenager will return to the crown court to be sentenced in November
when the case against him will be outlined in full. Source: Express & Star
Local News
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Drug Addiction to Life
Can't live without it?
Is it what makes your life go on?
You believe it makes you happy?
I'm sorry but you're wrong
You're better than that
You just don't know it
It's about time you took control of your life
Now, before you blow it
It's just not that easy
Is what you will say
I know it will be hard
I will be here to support you each and every day
You won't regret it
I can promise you that
Your life will be better than before
And when it happens, you won't look back.
By Anonymous
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Managing stress at Christmas in recovery
The holidays are stressful for everyone, but those who are recov-
ering from addiction can sometimes have an even more difficult
time dealing with stress. Addicts often use their addiction as a
coping mechanism for stressful situations. When they are recov-
ering, it is can be hard to know how to constructively address
these emotions.
In order to deal with your stress in a helpful rather than hurtful
way, it is first wise to learn to recognize the symptoms of stress.
Stress is what a person experiences as a result of difficult or up-
setting events, especially those that continue for a long time.
Also, stress is the experience people have when the demands
they make of themselves or those placed upon them are
greater than what they feel like they can handle.
Sometimes, we are not aware of the stress and what it is doing
to us until it manifests itself physically. Some of the physical symp-
toms of stress are sleep problems, such as trouble falling asleep,
waking up during the night, nightmares, waking up early, and
being unable to fall back to sleep. Some other symptoms of
stress are headaches, stomach problems, fatigue, moodiness,
and irritability. You may have trouble concentrating and feel a
general dissatisfaction with life or you may feel overwhelmed.
If you have been experiencing two or more of the classic symp-
toms of stress, you need to start thinking about how to address
the situation before it interferes with your addiction recovery
process. You need to have a network of recovery support. The
people who relapse are usually the ones who have failed to ob-
tain a support system.
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People in addiction tend to isolate themselves, withdraw from
others, and be convinced that they can take care of problems
on their own. This is relapse waiting to happen because the brain
is trying in any way it knows to find a justification to start using
again. Because of this, it is very important to have people that
can be supportive of your struggles.
During the holidays, try not to overdo it. Don’t invite the whole
family over to your house for Christmas dinner and plan to make
all the food yourself. That may be too much for anyone, let alone
the recovering addict. Don’t decide you need the best gifts for
everyone you know when you can’t afford to buy them. That will
only stress you out. Do what you can do and forget about the
rest.
Holidays are ultimately supposed to be about spending time with
family and friends. Try your best to concentrate on that and
leave the rest behind.
www.rehab-international.org
Call 0800 781 7082 for
support and help on how to sort out any debt issues that you are facing.
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Interview from behind the gate.
Adam Bird - Team leader of Substance Misuse
Services at HMP Oakwood
What does your job entail ?
I am one of the team leaders of the substance misuse service at
HMP Oakwood. We promote and advertise the service within the
prison, with the aim of getting anyone with drug or alcohol prob-
lems into treatment. From here we assess individual needs to ensure
that a client specific care plan is built around them to help support
them on their road to recovery. Services here at HMP Oakwood
range from; clinical prescribing, 1:1 sessions, groupwork, family inter-
ventions, NA meetings, mentoring, support from local service user
groups and multi-agency working with local community provider
teams. We also link in with other services that are available within
the prison, such as: resettlement, education, chaplaincy, employ-
ment and the gymnasium.
What is the most rewarding part of your job?
The most rewarding element is being part of a service users recov-
ery. Helping them to take back control of their situation and work-
ing with them as they progress through the different stages of
change. People suffering with substance misuse issues within prison
can find themselves isolated from services, with low self-esteem
and feeling powerless over the position they find themselves in. It is
very rewarding to see how by helping people deal with their sub-
stance misuse issues, clients are able to build upon their own self-
confidence. With this boost in self-esteem, service users are able to
engage in wider services to tackle other issues they may be facing
at that time.
Following on from this, it is excellent when service users who have
worked through their substance misuse issues then want to involve
themselves in our service and help others who are struggling. The
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involvement of service users is extremely powerful as it promotes
the message of hope and demonstrates that change is achiev-
able.
Another element of my role that I particularly enjoy is working
alongside community agencies and forging links between the
prison and community. When service users leave prison and go
back to their local communities, this can be a significant risk factor
for them and can lead to a lapse or relapse. Therefore, it is vital
that we link in with local services as early as possible to ensure ser-
vice users have the right support available to help them continue
their recovery within their local community.
What is the most difficult part of your job?
We have service users engaged with our service from all areas of
the country, this can be challenging when looking at pre-release
work. As we have really good links with our local community provid-
ers. However, with clients being released to London, Liverpool and
South Wales it can be a challenge for our team as different areas
have different procedures, criteria’s and prescribing services.
A challenge for our service is to balance service user expectations
with what is realistic within a prison setting. This is the reason why we
hold monthly service user forums to keep listening to ideas and sug-
gestions that clients put forward. This gives us the opportunity to
take the service forward, but also ensure that our service users feel
listened to. This is often about compromise; an example of this
would be that our service users identified daily NA meetings would
be of a benefit. However, we can only currently facilitate these on
a weekly basis, although we are working towards having three
meetings a week.
Within the prison setting clients often report issues regarding sleep.
This can be problematic for our service users as this can increase
feelings of worry and anxiety which in turn put our clients in a vul-
nerable position. Therefore, we ensure that we do run sessions on
sleep-hygiene and relaxation to help clients build a solid pattern of
sleep.
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Is there a big problem with substance misuse
in prisons?
Substance misuse is a challenge within the prison, approximately
60% of new admissions into prison disclose alcohol or substance
misuse issues. This can often link into other problems throughout the
regime in terms of self-harm, bullying, mental and physical health
problems. To be able to effectively deal with such a large dynamic
client group our service has to be responsive, flexible and innova-
tive. To ensure that we can deliver interventions that are appropri-
ate to clients at various stages within their treatment journey.
What advice would you give to someone who
wanted to work within substance misuse within
the prisons?
My advice to people interested in this area of work would be first to
contact their local DIP team or service user groups to see if there
are any volunteer placements in any of their Criminal Justice
Teams. As this can be a great introduction to the area and oppor-
tunity to take part in some in-reach work. Working in a prison can
be very hectic, busy and stressful, therefore, by doing some in-
reach visits this will give you an opportunity to get a real insight into
the day to day work. Upon completion of this, I would advise peo-
ple to look out for vacancies on the internet, local newspapers and
job centres. All our vacancies are advertised on www.jobs.nhs.uk
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SUIT run a number of free activities which are set
up for users of Wolverhampton Drug or Alcohol
services. Call us on 01902 328983 for more info.
Plus Much More........
15
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16
A Page For You!
This page has been left blank so you can send us
your stories, poems or anything else you would like
to see in the magazine, simply tear the page out
and send it to our freepost
address printed on the opposite side of the page. (If you don’t want your name with it, you don't have to)
17
DON’T FORGET
Anyone can contribute an article, poem, story, question etc. Send your stuff FREE to:
SUIT, c/o WVSC, FREEPOST MID14051, Wolverhampton, WV2 4BR.
Sausage and Potato
Casserole
Perfect for those cold
winter nights.
Serves: 4
Prep time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 25 mins
Total time: 35 mins
Skill level: Easy peasy
Costs: Cheap as chips
Ingredients:
1tbsp oil
500g new potatoes, halved
454g pack sausages
1 onion, sliced
1 green pepper, diced
340g jar tomato pasta sauce
Method 1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the potatoes and sausages for
five minutes
2. Add the onion and pepper and cook for a further five minutes, turning
the sausages occasionally until browned.
3. Add the pasta sauce, rinse the jar out with a splash of water and add to
the pan. Cook, covered for twenty minutes.
All of these ingredients (not including the oil) can be purchased from Asda
for £3.10!!!
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Cocaine
Cocaine is white powder that is snorted through a straw or rolled-up note
in the nose. But what does cocaine do to your body? And how does it
come from? Get clued-up...
What is it?
Coke is a white powder that comes from the Coca plant.
It is usually snorted (inhaled through the nose with a straw). It can be in-
jected or swallowed.
It can be made into a smokeable drug - known as crack .
How does it make you feel?
Coke makes you feel exhilarated, confident, excited and speedy.
The buzz lasts for up to an hour. There is an immediate comedown when
you might feel you want more.
What are the health effects?
Because the buzz is so short it can be tempting to put off the comedown
by taking more and more. This makes it really addictive. You can develop
a tolerance to coke over one night. By the end of the night you'll need
more of it to get the same effect that you got when you started.
Snorting coke can damage your nose. Long term it can give you serious
heart and breathing problems. It can also make you feel depressed, anx-
ious and paranoid.
The law
Cocaine is an illegal class A drug. The maximum penalty for possession is
14 years in prison. For supply it's life in prison. You can get an unlimited fine
for both Source: BBC News
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A Bit of Christmas Inspiration
“Christmas gift suggestions: To your enemy, Forgiveness. To an
opponent, tolerance. To a friend, your heart. To a customer,
service. To all, charity. To every child, a good example. To
yourself, respect” - Oren Arnold.
“We make a living by what we get but we make a life by
what we give” -Winston Churchill.
“There is no ideal Christmas; only the one Christmas you de-
cide to make as a reflection of your values, desires, affections
and traditions” -Bill Mckibben.
22
Liberty Lost !
When I smiled at the world peeps called me smiley
Now unless it’s unguarded I smile only slightly.
There’s this thing in the mirror that no longer impresses
Deep scars, no teeth and bald from life’s stresses
With these sunken teeth and mouth that’s caved in
I’m in my middle years, am I past saving?
I receive sincere handshakes and dazzling smiles
But they’re mostly fake expressions like crocodiles,
I can still close my eyes as the world goes by
Imagining emerald green fields with azure blue sky;
But once open again reality confronts me
Creamy dirty paint crumbling miserably.
I imagine tattooed teardrops tracing tracks
Along the wrinkly laughter lines where I laughed
And I’m no longer raging at the outing of lights
But got love and hate ready for a left and a right
I used to sing sweetly like birds in the trees
Now it’s more like a hurricane blending into a breeze
There’s been lover and loves lost over the years
All those tears soaked into walls along with my fears
Scared to be alone with no real home
Scared to have phone credit with no one to phone
Am I really the architect of my own self destruction?
Or do I blame the shirts and ties (you know) corrupt men?
Either way no defeat, no surrender, I’m not here to stay
For any cost for my freedom is too high to pay!
By J. Smith
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SUIT Christmas Lunch
All Drug and Alcohol service users in
Wolverhampton are invited to our SUIT
Christmas Lunch on Friday 14th December
at Lea Road Community Church.
Look out for invitations at your
treatment provider!!!
Or call 01902 328983
for more Information
24
W o l v e r h a m p t o n ►Thursday 4:30 pm YMCA Bridge, Temple St
►Friday 7:30 pm Methodist Church, Darlington Street
W e s t B r o m w i c h ►Wednesday 7:30 pm Chapter House, Phoenix St
(upstairs in lounge ring bell for access).
W a l s a l l ►Tuesday 6:45pm Lantern House, 130 Lichfield Road, Walsall
►Tuesday 7:00 pm S.t Matthews centre, Walsall
(women’s meeting)
S t o u r b r i d g e / D u d l e y
►Tuesday 8:00 pm Gibbs House, Gibbs Rd, off Bald Lane, Lye.
►Wednesday 6:30 pm ‘The Warehouse, Atlantic House,
Dudley Rd. (Building behind the Bronx).
NA Help Line: 0300 9991212
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A List of Pharmacies In Wolverhampton who Offer Needle Exchange
A Brickley Ltd, 88 Griffiths Drive, WV11 2JW
All Saints Pharmacy, 91-93 All Saints Road, WV2 1DR
Alpharm Ltd, 468 Stafford Road, WV10 6AP
Anderson Chemist, 311 Dudley Road, WV2 3JE
Boots Pharmacy, 40-41 Dudley Street, WV1 3ER
Boots Pharmacy, Bentley Bridge Park, Wednesfield, WV11 1BP
Boots Pharmacy, 100 Church Street, Bilston, WV14 0BJ
Brooklands Pharmacy, 48 Brooklands Parade, WV1 2NE
Brutons Pharmacy, 1 Mervyn Place, Bilston, WV14 8DD
Co-op Pharmacy, Avion Centre, 6 Bargate Drive, WV6 0QW
Co-op Pharmacy, 425 Dudley Road, WV2 3AH
Co-op Pharmacy, 8 Showell Circus, WV10 9BA
Co-op, Pendeford Health Centre, Whitburn Close, WV9 5NJ
Essington Pharmacy, 129 Long Knowle Lane, WV11 1JG
HN Pharmacy, 124 Cannock Road, WV10 8PW
Jhoots Pharmacy, 50 Newhampton Road West, WV6 0RY
Lloyds Pharmacy, 323/325 Penn Road, WV4 5QF
Lloyds Pharmacy, 34/35 Thornley Street, WV1 1JP
Lloyds Pharmacy, 18-20 The Broadway, WV10 8EB
Lloyds Pharmacy, 45 Church Street, WV14 0AX
Lloyds Pharmacy, Lower Street, WV6 9NS
Lloyds Pharmacy, 181 Wednesfield Road, WV10 0EN
Lloyds Pharmacy, 18 High Street, Wednesfield, WV11 1SZ
Meerapharm, 331 Bushbury Lane, WV10 9UJ
Murrays Healthcare, 128 Childs Avenue, Coseley, WV14 9XB
Phoenix Pharmacy, Phoenix Health Centre, Parkfield Road, WV4 6ED
Staveley Chemist, 212 Staveley Road, WV1 4RH
Supercare Pharmacy, 135 Dudley Road, WV2 3HD
Superdrug Pharmacy, 65/67 Mander Square, WV1 3NN
Tettenhall Wood Pharmacy, 12 School Road, WV6 8EN
A l l e q u i p m e n t i s p r o v i d e d f r e e o f c h a r g e
Look out for this sign on the shop front to
find out if they provide the service
LITTLE BROTHERS OF THE GOOD
SHEPHERD
The Methodist Cen-
tre. 24 School Street,
Wolverhampton
Morning Service
10.30 – 11.30 a.m.
Monday & Thursday: Dry Food,
Gents Clothes, Male Showers
Friday: Gents Clothes, Male
Shower
Afternoon Service: 2 – 3.30 pm.
Daily: Service of Food Packages
If you need any advice or guidance on Homelessness
issues feel free to
contact Wolver-
hampton City
Council on the
details below -:
Homeless Services
Unit
Social Services
Wolverhampton City
Council
Civic Centre
St. Peter's Square
Wolverhampton
The Lords Soup
Kitchen Full Meals served
between
7 & 9pm - :
Sun and Wed.
For anyone in need.
All Welcome Temple St, W’ton
● Provide advice & guidance
● Activities like life skills, literacy
etc
● Signposting
● Benefits & Tenancy advice
● Base for Big Issue Plus much
St. GeorgesSt. GeorgesSt. Georges
Tel -:
(01902) 421904
St Marks Rd
Chapel Ash
W’ton
WV3 09H
Hub Opening Hrs
09:15 -17:00
Thornhurst,
1 Connaught Road,
Chapel Ash,
Wolverhampton,
WV1 4SJ
0300 2002400
L o c a l S e r v i c e s
Service User Involvement Team
S U I T Full Address:
c/o WVSC
16 Temple Street
Wolverhampton
WV2 4AN
Tel No -:
01902 328983
w w w . s u i t e a m . c o m
Helping to improve
drug treatment and lives
Subs – See young
people across
the city at various
community
venues.
Telephone
Number:
(01902) 572041
Opening Hours:
Monday to Thursday - 9am - 6pm
Friday - 9am - 5pm
Offers; Group Work, Key Work, Harm
Reduction, Substitute Prescribing,
Acupuncture, Family Therapy, Gen-
eral Drug Information.
Dental Health Project Free dental treatment and
advice for service users!
Every second Monday @
Horizon House all day
Tuesday’s 1:30pm to 4:30pm @
Whitmore Reans health centre (behind
Avion centre)
Just drop in or call 01902 444460 for
more info.
L o c a l S e r v i c e s
28
Interview with Jo Heany
Team Manager of SUBS
What is SUBS?
SUBS is Wolverhampton’s young person’s drug
& alcohol specialist treatment service working
with 11- 18 year olds where substances are
having a negative impact in their lives per-
haps on their physical health, mental health
or with their family relationships.
We can offer a young person and their family
a comprehensive care package that can
incorporate, one to one work, group work,
family support/sessions, substitute prescribing,
health assessments, sexual health interven-
tions, life skill programs and a PAYP program
(positive activities for young people) i.e. art,
sport, music and accredited courses peer
mentoring/first aid.
We support young people by working in part-
nership with other agencies where necessary
to support their development.
The service operates with a youthwork model
and aims to “alleviate harm of substances
within a young person’s life”
Where are you based?
We are based at St. Johns House Church
Street Wolverhampton where we have a
newly refurbished centre for young people
with counselling rooms, a music room, com-
puter suite and a sensory room. As well as
having a town centre base we work across
the community and will see young people in
a variety of settings i.e. schools, youth centres,
GPs, and home visits. We also have a team
member based at Wolverhampton Youth
Offending team.
How can people access the service?
The service can be accessed in a number of
ways through professional referrals, parental
referrals or a young person making a self
referral. All referrals can be received by
phone, fax, e mail or presenting at the cen-
tre. We aim to offer an initial assessment
within 5 working days from referral.
The service has an open access drop in on
Wednesdays from 3.00pm – 6.00pm.
Is it a confidential service?
YES the service is a confidential service.
Sometimes when there are safeguarding
concerns about a young person’s welfare
and safety we legally have a duty to share
this information, where possible always dis-
cussed with a young person & family when
this occurs. We also encourage parental
involvement and will offer a safe space and
mediation for this to happen.
Can parents bring their child if they are
worried about them misusing substances?
Absolutely we will support parents in engag-
ing their son or daughter into treatment, if
however a young person is not ready to en-
gage we will refer parents to appropriate
support services for themselves. The service
can offer drug screening but usually as part
of an order, medical treatment, and child
protection plan or with a young person’s
consent.
Please call if you have any further questions
or would like to come and see the centre or
meet the staff team.
01902 572041