North Lanarkshire Alcohol and Drug Partnership (NLADP) has commissioned Addictions Support and Counselling (ASC) Forth Valley to work alongside NHS Lanarkshire to develop, support and promote addiction recovery in North Lanarkshire.
ASC, an independent voluntary organisation that provides addictions support and counselling, successfully won the contract for North Lanarkshire through the NLADP Local Improvement Fund which provides additional funding from Scottish Government to each Alcohol and Drug Partnership (ADP) in Scotland to further invest in recovery opportunities for communities.
Working closely with the Scottish Recovery Consortium, this initiative aims to deliver best practice in recovery development and make addiction recovery visible and embedded in North Lanarkshire communities.
Paul Campbell, development officer, Alcohol and Drug Partnership, North Lanarkshire said: “We look forward to working in partnership with ASC to develop, support and promote a community approach to addiction recovery in North Lanarkshire.
“A key component in the delivery is investing in volunteers/people with lived experience so people and communities can come together to achieve positive change. The ethos is to share lived experience and to reinforce the message that recovery is possible.
“Every person’s recovery journey is individual and each person’s choice of recovery model and therapy should be based on their needs. We aim to ensure individuals can quickly access the right drug or alcohol service that keeps them safe and supports them through their recovery.
“This involves creating a recovery plan that is person-centred and addresses their broader health, care and social needs, while maintaining a focus on safety throughout their recovery journey.
“The goal is to reduce the levels of problematic alcohol/substance use by improving prevention infrastructure and developing a link in local communities between the recovery community and treatment and support providers.
“This project will involve developing a sustainable model of recovery support linked to and enhancing existing services and therefore maximising positive outcomes for individuals. It is vital that families and communities are involved in the process as they have a significant part to play in helping to reduce stigma and increase engagement.”
Note to editors
The North Lanarkshire Alcohol and Drug Partnership (NLADP) will provide the strategic lead to the development of services and programmes to tackle alcohol and drug issues across North Lanarkshire. Right’s, Respect and Recovery (Scottish Government 2018) is Scotland’s strategy to improve health by preventing and reducing alcohol and drug use, harm and related deaths. This sets out the vision and principles for working towards recovery-focused outcomes in alcohol and drugs services throughout Scotland.
Following an invitation from the Scottish Government, with additional monies provided to respective ADPs, North Lanarkshire has committed to investing in areas highlighted by the Scottish Government;
• Increased involvement of those with lived experience of addiction and recovery in the evaluation, design and delivery of services
• Reduction in waiting times for treatment and support services. Improved retention in treatment, particularly those detoxed from alcohol and those accessing opioid substitution therapy (OST)
• Development of independent rights-based advocacy services in collaboration with local and national providers
• Improved access to drug/alcohol treatment services amongst those accessing inpatient hospital services
• Whole family approaches to supporting those affected by problem drug/alcohol use
• The further development of North Lanarkshire Visible Recovery Communities by the creation of a Recovery Development Team comprising of staff with lived experience.
The development plan of North Lanarkshire Recovery Community should mirror the accessible, person-centred and rights-based pathways offered to members, volunteers and associates of the recovery community. There will also be collaboration between the Strengthening Families programme and Getting it right for every child (GIRFEC) wellbeing assessments for children and young people living with substance misuse conducted by Adult Addiction services in North Lanarkshire.
North Lanarkshire Addiction Recovery Team (ART) offers person centred support to people living in the area whose lives have been adversely affected by alcohol and/or drug use. The service offers a range of interventions that support people to make changes to their life that can improve their physical, mental and social wellbeing. We have bases across North Lanarkshire to ensure that the service is easily accessible.
