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drinkanddrugsnews
| 1 March 2010
BACK TO WORK
With employment the ‘tipping point
between recovery and relapse’, trainees
from Dumbarton Area Council on Alcohol
(DACA) explained how a pilot project had
opened doors for them to work in the care
field, while SURF demonstrated how a bit
of peer support can be life transforming
Service users bridge the care gap
West Dumbartonshire had one of the highest levels of unemployment in Scotland, as well as a
declining population, Tom Jackson of DACA (Dumbarton Area Council on Alcohol) told the
conference. The care gap created by the latter created opportunities for service users to start
work in the care field, he said. ‘Employment is one of the key tipping points behind recovery
and relapse.’
DACA had set up a pilot Intermediate Labour Market (ILM) project as a way of helping to
reintegrate service users and boost client involvement. ‘What better way is there to shape the
culture of an organisation than to broaden the representation?’ he said. There were different
ways to develop service user opportunities, he stressed, and ILMs were not a cheap option. ‘You
need to get partners around the table and the resources to support this.’
‘I’m not saying there aren’t any barriers,’ ILM supervisor Kate Hamill told the conference.
‘There’s an eight-week induction programme to get people used to employment.’ Another barrier
was changing the attitudes and perceptions of other professionals in the field. However, trainees
had without exception opted to accept a monthly wage rather than remain on benefits. ‘We all
know that’s all about self worth,’ she told delegates.
Last year’s project had had a 100 per cent success rate, she said, and it was the same this
year. ‘ILM has given me an opportunity to put something back into the community that helped
me recover – I’ve gained qualifications and become part of the care field,’ said Roddy Dyer, who
attended the conference with fellow ILM trainees TamWood and Vinnie Dolan. Each of the
trainees thanked DACA for giving them the opportunity to get back on the ladder to
employment.
Avowing change
‘Let those of you who know tell those who don’t,’ Peter Jones, volunteer coordinator of the
Service Users Reaching Forward group (SURF), told delegates. This was the ethos of his
organisation, which was purely service user-led, he said.
SURF was part of AVOW (Association of Voluntary Organisations in Wrexham), which aimed
to offer to support and help get people back into employment and training, he said. SURF offered
the opportunity to become a mentor to anyone.
Volunteer Les Green told the conference how he was approached in a detox centre by SURF
after his drinking had led to him becoming homeless. He had now been a volunteer member for
10 months, completed extensive training, and even been presented with a certificate by the
mayor of Wrexham for completing 630 hours of voluntary work.
‘The past is the past, the present is now,’ he told the conference. ‘You cannot change the past
or the future. But you can use the present to influence your future.’
‘Let those of you who know tell those who don’t.’
Peter Jones, Service Users Reaching Forward group (SURF)
Vox pops
Delegates visited the video booth throughout the day to share their views and tell their stories.
Here’s a taster – visit www.drinkanddrugsnews.com to see more