5 - Alcohol and Drugs Change Programme Update
Renfrewshire Council · 22 February 2023
Back to Leadership Board — 22 February 2023 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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___________________________________________________________________ To: Leadership Board On: 22 February 2023 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Chief Executive ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Alcohol and Drugs Change Programme Update ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 This report provides the Leadership Board with an update on the progress of the Alcohol and Drugs Change Programme which was established following the publication of the Renfrewshire Alcohol and Drugs Commission final report in December 2020. 1.2 The report set out 27 recommendations to be progressed by partners, and the Council allocated £2m of funding to support the local response to these recommendations. 1.3 The report and its recommendations were endorsed by Renfrewshire Council, Renfrewshire Integration Joint Board and Renfrewshire Community Planning Partnership Executive Group, with full support gained to respond to these recommendations on a collective basis. 1.4 A Programme Board, chaired by the Council’s Chief Executive, was established to oversee the local partnership response to the Commission, meeting regularly. 1.5 The delivery of this Programme remains a key priority for all partners and it is important that it continues to be delivered at pace, given the significant harm that local people are currently experiencing in relation to alcohol and drug use. Moving forward work will be undertaken to further develop this programme of work, to ensure activities are closely linked to the wider Fairer Renfrewshire programme, and activities being progressed by the Alcohol and Drugs Partnership. 1.6 This paper provides an update on the progress that has been achieved to date, with specific focus on the applications to be considered for Recovery Change Fund support, as well as the proposed approach to evaluation support for the Programme. ___________________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations 2.1 It is recommended that members of the Leadership Board:
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a) Note the progress of the Alcohol and Drugs Change Programme since the last update provided to the Leadership Board on 22 June 2022; b) Allocate £40,000 funding to support the evaluation of the Change Programme projects, detailed at 4.7; and c) Approve the allocation of £12,500 from the Recovery Change Fund to support the initiatives detailed in section 5 of this report. ___________________________________________________________________ 3. Background 3.1 In late 2018, Renfrewshire Community Planning Partnership Executive Group agreed to establish an independent Commission to consider the true impact of alcohol and drug use across Renfrewshire’s communities. The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 caused the Commission to pause its work, however this resumed in September 2020, with the Commission’s final report being published in December 2020. 3.2 The report sets out the Commission’s main findings and provides 27 recommendations to guide the local response. Priority actions identified included: urgently addressing issues in relation to mental health service provision, including provision for young people; considering trauma as part of everything that partners do in Renfrewshire; and introducing a whole system approach to supporting people with their alcohol and drug use. 3.3 The report and its recommendations were endorsed by Council, Renfrewshire Integration Joint Board and Renfrewshire Community Planning Partnership Executive Group, with full support gained to respond to these recommendations on a collective basis. 3.4 Prior to the report’s publication, Council allocated £2m of funding in March 2020 to support the emerging recommendations of the Renfrewshire Alcohol and Drugs Commission. Given both the impact that the pandemic has had on local people and communities and the urgent nature of some of recommendations identified within the Commission’s report, officers worked with partners to bring forward an initial tranche of funding proposals which would target the priorities identified as being most urgent by the Commission. 3.5 In December 2020, Council agreed to allocate £1.34m of the £2m allocated funding to support a range of projects which will aim to pilot new ways of working across the community planning partnership, with the opportunity to use this learning to transform the way in which people receive support across Renfrewshire. Following further allocations to projects agreed at December 2021, and June 2022 Leadership Board meetings, £1,629,500 of the funding has been allocated to a range of projects. 3.6 A Programme Board was established to oversee the local partnership response to the Commission, and this is chaired by the Council’s Chief Executive. Partners are working very closely to ensure that all of the activities being progressed are joined up and make maximum use of the funding and resources available. ___________________________________________________________________ 4. Progress of the Change Programme 4.1 Following the Alcohol and Drugs Commission’s final report in December 2020, partners have prioritised a range of actions in response to the key recommendations, as well as establishing a Programme Board to drive the local response, ensuring that all partners work together, join up service developments, and maximise the resources available. Key developments which have been progressed include the following projects, under the themes of the Commission’s final report:
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4.2 Risk of Harm Harm Reduction Response Team (HaRRT) - Outreach programmes enable services to be more responsive to the needs of individuals who use drugs, and those who may be less likely to engage with services. The Harm Reduction Response Team (HaRRT) has been developed in Renfrewshire, aiming to deliver harm reduction services to individuals on an outreach, flexible, and accessible manner, to reduce the risk of overdose and other drug related harms, and to proactively link individuals into treatment and support services. The Service is provided outwith traditional core hours, on a dynamic and responsive basis across local communities in Renfrewshire – this is informed by the review of drug related deaths data, together with ongoing feedback from service users. The Service is delivered through a mobile unit, which has recently been situated in specific areas in relation to near fatal overdoses and suspected drug deaths postcode data. The Team have been engaging with patients through a number of mechanisms, including Accident and Emergency, Daily Tasking meetings, Community Safety information, and Alcohol and Drug Recovery Services. Referrals are received and responded to from a number of services, including Scottish Ambulance Service, Emergency department, Self- referral, Turning Point Scotland, Core Service, and Access Service. Launching in early summer 2022, around 153 clients were supported by the service throughout 2022. MYLA (MyLifeAhead) – This housing-led project provides holistic wraparound support, using many of the elements of Housing First approach. The project can offer supports to households in Renfrewshire, regardless of tenure, whose life is being affected by alcohol/drugs, and builds on the concept that in order to have good health, you need to have a good, settled home. A specialist support provider has been appointed to provide this bespoke support intervention via experienced staff, deploying a therapeutic and trauma informed approach, with support being centred and tailored around the individual, to help sustain their settled housing and stabilise their lives. A coordinator in Communities and Housing Services has been appointed, with the project launching in May 2022. A steering group has been established, involving partners such as Renfrewshire HSCP, and third sector support providers. The project is already supporting 25 service users, with referrals coming from a broad range of services/agencies. FIRST Crisis - This project involves extending the current out of hours crisis support service provided by RAMH to include support in relation to alcohol and drugs. The Service operates between 9am-8pm Monday-Friday and 9-5pm Saturday/Sunday and public holidays, predominantly through telephone support. A number of referrer agencies link into the service, with onward referring and signposting taking place. The Service engages on an ongoing basis with a number of stakeholders and partners, including Police Scotland, British Transport Police, Social Work teams, Emergency Department, Women’s Aid, and Migrant Help. Launching in April 2022, 171 clients were supported by the service throughout 2022. Building Based Services - The Alcohol and Drugs Commission and the HSCP Whole Systems Review of Alcohol and Drugs Services, identified issues with stigma and the environment at the Back Sneddon Street service. As a result, the HSCP are reviewing accommodation requirements and the findings will used to inform a Property Strategy. Currently services are utilising space at Back Sneddon Street, Torley Unit (Dykebar Hospital) and New Sneddon Street. The HSCP are also considering expanding the use of space in other buildings across Renfrewshire to support a shift to a more community-based model, for example more clinical space has been agreed for ADRS use in areas such as Johnstone and Renfrew.
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Hidden Harm - It is important that partners across Renfrewshire better understand the level of hidden harm in Renfrewshire, recognising that local drug and alcohol services will not engage with all people experiencing issues with alcohol and drugs locally. This is important to understanding how services can better reach out to support people at an early stage. Independent research was commissioned and completed by We are With You and the findings from this research have been shared and discussed with partners. 4.3 Mental Health Trauma Informed and Responsive Renfrewshire Programme - Recognising the fundamental issue of trauma that local people and families told Commission members they had experienced, work has commenced on a partnership programme of work to ensure that recognising and responding to trauma is part of every service we deliver. A coordinator has been recruited to lead this programme of work, taking up post end of October 2022. Further engagement with the Improvement Service and other local authorities has taken place through national networks for trauma champions and trauma leads, and the steering group will reconvene in early 2023 to further explore the draft plan for the Programme. Leadership training for the Corporate Management Team will be undertaken in March 2023. Mental Health Support for Children and Young People - The Commission identified that children and young people need to be able to access the right type of support for any mental health issue, including lower levels of anxiety and stress. The Youth Health and Wellbeing Service began in mid-September 2022, and provides drop-in facilities for young people who require access to both health and wellbeing support direct from health professionals, including mental health support, there is also a circuit class incorporated into the session. It is available one evening a week (Thursday evening) with in the Lagoon Mirin Centre, for 12–17-year-olds or S1- S6 where they can seek and learn support mechanisms as well as referral to other services. The Service complements the wider health and wellbeing work taking place across Renfrewshire, including REN10’s work to improve families’ access to health and wellbeing support. A second phase of the approach to further supporting children and young people’s mental health will involve undertaking more targeted work in specific schools experiencing very complex needs. Proposals are currently being developed for a multiagency pilot project for young people experiencing significant mental health difficulties and are at risk of missing out on education. The proposal will involve partners from various agencies working with the young people within the school setting and within their communities to provide a targeted approach to supporting pupils to attend school and remain in classes. 4.4 Prevention and Early Intervention Alcohol Policy - A partnership officer has been recruited to drive policy change across Renfrewshire, focusing on issues such as alcohol availability, supply and promotion and also how employers across Renfrewshire can identify and respond to support people and their families who are affected by alcohol use. Actions over the last six months include: continuing to support the Licensing Forum, as well as community councils around their role in the licensing process and for the Licensing Statement Review; and, supporting Council HR colleagues in developing a Workplace Alcohol and Substance Policy, as well as supporting a review of similar policies in West College Scotland. 4.5 Young People and Families Enhanced Education and Training Across Educational Establishments - Children’s Services in partnership with I Am Me Scotland have developed a digital,
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interactive and progressive curricular programme in substance use for early years to senior phase, aligned to the principles of Curriculum for Excellence, and reflecting the context of alcohol and drug use within Renfrewshire. The ‘Alcohol and Substance Awareness Education’ pack, including nursery, primary, and secondary resources, has been produced with Renfrewshire Children’s Services, Teachers, Police Scotland, NHS, Renfrewshire HSCP and, most importantly, children, young people, and those who have lived experience of drug and alcohol use. The resources are complete and have been made available to schools. Training has been provided for teachers, and an event to promote the programme and evaluate the initial impact, is planned for 1 March 2023. Family Support Review - Families told Commission members that they often felt they had nowhere to turn when their loved one was in crisis and that support was needed to help them to manage the issues that were being experienced. An independent review of existing family support provision Renfrewshire has been carried out, engaging with local families and frontline staff to assess where possible gaps in provision exist, and making recommendations on how to address these. The report has been produced, with a mapping exercise against the recommendations currently being carried out across core partners. 4.6 Recovery, Relationships and Connections Peer Worker Model - The Commission heard that often people who use drugs and alcohol would benefit from peer support as they worked towards their recovery. A Peer Coordinator and two peer workers have been recruited, and are actively promoting recovery within Continuing in Recovery Changes Lives Entirely (CIRCLE) and within wider communities. CIRCLE is a Recovery Hub in Renfrewshire for individuals affected by mental health and/or alcohol and drugs, based on a peer-led model that involves people with lived and living experience in all aspects of service planning. The model delivers a core programme of activities and is developing links for future implementation. Current service provision includes activities such as a book group, gardening group, focus group, football, drama etc. The Coordinator and workers have been hugely involved in the Connected and Caring Renfrewshire programme and its development and delivery, including the Listening Event detailed further at 4.8. Link working has been established with Recovery Workers liaising with designated areas within Renfrewshire in order to promote the service and increase referrals. The Recovery Workers have been proactive in establishing and maintaining links with a number of agencies, including ADRS, Family Support, Homeless Services, One Ren, and Community Mental Health Teams. Recovery Change Fund - The aim of the Recovery Change Fund is to support the development of local groups and organisations which provide social connection and support recovery in Renfrewshire. The Fund is also intended to provide opportunities to support piloting new ideas and projects in relation to mental health, recovery, stigma, and social isolation - gaps in provision identified through the extensive engagement during the work of the Commission. To date £43,938.54 has been allocated to groups and organisations, supporting initiatives such as Renfrew Smart Connections, additional addiction support for Kilnside Road, Our Mind Our Space, Peer Recovery in FIRST Crisis, and YI Love Me. As agreed at November Leadership Board, the Fund will remain open until end of February 2023, after which an initial review of the funding will then be undertaken, in order to assess links with other national funding streams and to develop options for the funding going forward. Applications recommended by the Assessment Panel for award in this current round, which closed 20 January 2023, are detailed at section 5. Connected and Caring Renfrewshire – The Scottish Recovery Consortium (SRC), working in partnership with colleagues in CIRCLE, developed a proposal for a programme of events and activities throughout 2022, with the ambition of building a
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strong recovery community in Renfrewshire, building links with the wider community through positively promoting recovery. A Host Group involving SRC, CIRCLE, and a number of local partners, coproduced and delivered a series of local events and activities that took place throughout 2022, such as Barshaw Park Gala Day, Blend Event, Live it Up in Linwood, Connected and Caring Carnival, the Art of Recovery Festival, and the Recovery Walk Scotland, which took place in Paisley on 24 September 2022 during Scotland’s celebration of International Recovery. The Programme is joint funded by the ADP and the Alcohol and Drugs Change Programme. Stigma/Language Matters – The work of the Commission identified the need for partners to act robustly to eradicate stigma and promote positive conversations around recovery. Although the initial focus for this initiative was focused on alcohol and drug stigma, there is the opportunity to widen its scope to include other existing and emerging priorities, such as The Promise, Tackling Poverty, Trauma Informed and Responsive Renfrewshire and Our Values for example. High level themes and initial actions have been identified, including supporting staff to understand the power of language, be confident in their use of language, and to challenge stigma by speaking up when people make negative or wrong comments; and supporting national campaigns to help people in Renfrewshire understand the power and impact of language. 4.7 An outcomes-based approach to evaluating the Programme has been developed, aligning to themes identified in the Commission’s final report. Work on the evaluation approach for the Programme continues to be developed, with the Programme Board considering options for engaging an external evaluator to support specific elements of the evaluation. Given the significance of the Change Programme investment, resourcing external evaluation support for the Programme will be of benefit in terms of being able to better understand the impact of the projects within the Programme, providing support and capacity to gather and analyse relevant data and information, as well as providing a level of independence to the findings. Particularly in relation to the Test of Change service development projects; the opportunity to strengthen the evidence of impact available will be crucial in helping to inform any future service and funding decisions going forward after the Change Programme is complete. It is proposed to allocate £40,000 of the remaining Change Programme funding to supporting the evaluation, with work currently being undertaken to commission a partner. 4.8 Continuing the listening aspect of the Alcohol and Drugs Commission, two years on from the publication of its final report, a conversation café engagement event will take place in early March. The aim of the event is to have a further conversation with individuals and families who are impacted by alcohol and drugs in Renfrewshire, and provide an opportunity for services, strategic leaders etc. to hear directly from local people about what it is currently like in Renfrewshire, since the publication of the Commission’s findings, and discuss areas of focus going forward. This engagement will help to inform the work of the next stages of the Connected and Caring Renfrewshire Programme, as well as Renfrewshire’s approach to alcohol and drugs going forward. A group including the Scottish Recovery Consortium, Renfrewshire HSCP, and Renfrewshire ADP has been set up to design and deliver the event. 4.9 The delivery of this programme of work remains a key priority for all partners and it is important that it continues to be delivered at pace given the significant harm that local people are currently experiencing in relation to alcohol and drug use. ___________________________________________________________________
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5 Recovery Change Fund 5.1 As agreed by the Leadership Board on 30 November 2022, another round of the Recovery Change Fund application process was launched, with applications being accepted until 20 January 2023. In total two applications were received. 5.2 A formal evaluation process was undertaken by a multiagency Assessment Panel, including officers from Renfrewshire Council, Renfrewshire HSCP, and Engage Renfrewshire, scoring each application using a scoring matrix with weightings against key criteria agreed by Leadership Board: • Impact: the extent to which activities will make a positive impact on the lives of those affected by alcohol and/or drugs, and how this can be evidenced. • Social connection: the extent to which the initiative provides opportunities to reduce social isolation and loneliness for individuals and families impacted by alcohol and drug use. • Sustainability: how you could sustain the level of support you would be offering beyond the funding period. • Innovation: how new and innovative the project is, particularly for applicants piloting new ideas. • Past experience/track record: the extent to which your organisation has past experience of providing support to individuals, families, and communities. • Partnership working: the extent to which projects work in partnership with others, including the wider recovery network. 5.3 The Panel recommends that the two projects detailed in the table below are awarded funding, with a total combined commitment of £12,500. Organisation Funding Requested Name and Purpose of Project Decision Glenvale AFC £2,500 Senior Club Wellness – mental health first aid training course for age groups 16-33 to help educate around mental health, alcohol and drugs etc. Recommend for Award Families Outside Ltd £10,000 Supporting children and families affected by Imprisonment – variety of support for families of those affected by imprisonment Recommend for Award 5.4 Progress on all projects funded through the Recovery Change Fund will be monitored, with regular updates provided to the Leadership Board. 5.5. At previous Board it was agreed that the Recovery Change Fund remains open for new applications until end February 2023. An initial review of the funding will then be undertaken, in order to assess links with other national funding streams and to develop options for the funding going forward. ___________________________________________________________________ Implications of the Report 1. Financial – The paper proposes that £40,000 funding from the Alcohol and Drugs Change Programme be allocated to support the evaluation of the Change Programme. The paper also recommends the allocation of £12,500 for Recovery Change Fund initiatives 2. HR & Organisational Development – none
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3. Community/Council Planning – The Commission was established by Renfrewshire Community Planning Partnership and the report has been endorsed by the Community Planning Partnership Executive Group. 4. Legal - subject to the approval of new funding proposals, officers will work with colleagues in Legal Services to incorporate any compliance arrangements 5. Property/Assets - none 6. Information Technology - none 7. Equality and Human Rights - The Recommendations contained within this report have been assessed in relation to their impact on equalities and human rights. No negative impacts on equality groups or potential for infringement of individuals’ human rights have been identified arising from the recommendations contained in the report because it is for noting only. If required following implementation, the actual impact of the recommendations and the mitigating actions will be reviewed and monitored, and the results of the assessment will be published on the Council’s website. 8. Health and Safety - none 9. Procurement – subject to the approval of the Evaluation Support proposal, officers will work with colleagues in Corporate Procurement 10. Risk – none 11. Privacy Impact – none 12. COSLA Policy Position – none 13. Climate Risk – none Author: Laura McIntyre, Head of Policy and Commissioning, Chief Executive’s Service