Individual placement and support: can personalised employment support to people in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction be both effective and affordable? Paul Anders & Kyriacos Colocassis
Supporting customers with histories of drug & alcohol use into work – the context Paul Anders Senior Policy Officer DrugScope
2010 Drug Strategy, 2012 Alcohol Strategy, 2012 Social Justice Strategy Emphasis on prevention and recovery – hope vs. fear Recovery capital - housing, employment, social support etc. Recovery as a journey – where does it end? Good quality advice - prevention Supported by recovery champions Alcohol strategy emphasises crime / ASB elements & binge drinking – plus MUP Key component of Social Justice Strategy & Outcomes (Key Indicator 5)
Between , 41% successfully completed and did not return, compared to 27% in Number of heroin / crack users lowest on record – but still around300,000 (c.80% unemployed) c.200,000 in treatment – average wait 5 days, down from 9 weeks in 2001 “It’s not stopping that’s hard. It’s staying stopped.” – this is where recovery capital generates returns Better outcomes
Trouble ahead? Drugs and alcohol contribute 3/66 public health indicators Impact of youth unemployment – but no “typical” drug user and increasingly, no typical drug Proliferation and availability of novel psychoactive substances (“legal highs”) Deprived authorities facing heaviest cuts Prevention & young people’s services most vulnerable (UKDPC, DrugScope, JRF, all 2012) Impact of sanctions – offset by tailored conditionality (including for Work Programme participants)
A word about the Work Programme Around 400,000 claimants (8%) dependent on drugs / alcohol - £1.6bn per year Two pilots: Recovery Works – additional £2,500 at job outcome (East of England & West Yorkshire) Recovery and Employment – collaborative working with supply chains (West Midlands) Proof of concept for other groups with evaluation Can Recovery & Employment model work elsewhere? Sub-contractors with strong track records in place in (at least) 16 out of 18 CPAs – c.30 contracts at Tier 1 & 2.
Contact Details Paul Anders Tel: