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drinkanddrugsnews
| February 2013
International |
Learning
www.drinkanddrugsnews.com
P
hoenix Futures has been involved over the past year with a European
Commission ‘mobility’ project under their Leonardo de Vinci scheme,
working with ECEtt (European Companionship in Education training by
travel). ECEtt helps organisations to work with partners across Europe,
exchange best practice and increase staff expertise by enabling them
to share skills, knowledge, networking and partnerships.
This year Phoenix Futures sent 15 staff members from a range of services and
roles, in groups of three, to centres across Europe – in Belgium, Greece, Poland and
Spain. Staff were sent for two weeks and gained invaluable experience through
witnessing projects and services similar to their own, and Phoenix Futures also
facilitated visits from trainees from these countries to our own projects in the UK.
‘Working with ECEtt has enriched our organisation’s practice in so many ways,’
said learning and development manager at Phoenix Futures, Fran Gray. ‘Not only
have the 15 members of staff benefited through their travel experiences and shared
best practice but it has created an awareness and acute interest throughout
Phoenix Futures of our EU partners’ work in similar services and shared the common
theme of improving service users’ lives. The staff returned with elevated motivation
which has been infectious, interesting and enlightening.’
The ECEtt placement created a sense of unity among European colleagues and
‘enables us to see just what amazing work is taking place across so many
fascinating services’, added Nicola Owens, programme manager at Phoenix Futures
Wirral Residential Service.
Recovery navigator at Phoenix Futures Trafford Recovery Service, Helen Cleugh,
travelled to Poland alongside two other staff members and had the opportunity to
live as a member of a therapeutic community – an experience that will ‘stay with
me forever’, she said.
Senior practitioner at Phoenix Futures HMP North Sea Camp, Lucy Morris,
meanwhile, travelled to Spain with two colleagues. ‘My biggest learning point was
the way that Proyecto Hombre embraced not only the service user but their family,
and how they provide support and treatment to the family to educate them in
how to support their loved ones in the best possible way,’ she said. Since her return
she has designed a leaflet for service users and their families about the family
support available and how to access it.
After travelling to De Kiem in Belgium, Jennifer Robertson was able to enhance
her own service in Scotland. ‘We have begun to implement certain practical features
from De Kiem in the Scottish residential,’ she said. ‘Residents now have their own
office and computer to complete certain administrative duties – trust, responsibility
and respect are essential elements of any therapeutic community and this is a good
way of offering this to residents. We are implementing budgeting groups in line
with good practice at De Kiem and residents now spend more time in departments
to expand the principle of work as therapy.’
Families are at the heart of what Phoenix Futures does and one programme
that has been implemented since the ECEtt project began is FLAMES, which was
developed by Nicola Owens in the Wirral and has now been rolled out to all
Phoenix Futures residentials. The key elements of FLAMES (Families and Loved ones
Accessing Mutual and Emotional Support) are not only providing families with
Learning from peers across
Europe has helped to enhance
services at home, writes the
team at
Phoenix Futures
Services wit