Cymorth Cymru – Working with providers, partners and policy makers to improve the lives of people who need support.
Produced by Cymorth Cymru
Sample Drugs Policy 2008
Notes on the Sample Drugs Policy
The following Sample Drugs Policy is taken from the Cymorth Cymru publication Working with drug users - Guidance for accommodation providers and other support services. This document discusses a range of issues which agencies might consider in developing approaches to managing drug-related issues, and is available in hard copy or PDF format from Cymorth Cymru.
The Sample Policy and accompanying Guidance are intended to be of use to any and all services working with client groups which may include people who use illicit drugs and/or alcohol. This includes services specifically designed to work with drug or alcohol users, such as wet houses or other projects with a drug-related specialism, though will also include services which provide more generic, non-specialist support or accommodation, such as:
The Sample Drugs Policy is intended as a starting point or template for agencies as they develop or review their approaches to working with drug users. This will involve careful consideration of a service’s particular function or remit, its location, the nature of its client group, and so on, and consultation with a range of stakeholders. Please see Guidance referred to above.
Certain generic terminology may need to be amended, and the document may be converted into a house style.
The policy presented recognises that a significant proportion of homeless people (particularly those who sleep rough) are dependent on drugs and/or alcohol, and that homelessness can often create acute and unnecessary drug-related risks to individuals - as well as barriers to treatment or other support. At the same time, on-going drug use can sometimes exclude people from hostels or other accommodation.
TDG
What is Tai, Dysgu a Gwaith (TDG) Cymru?
Tai, Dysgu a Gwaith Cymru is a Welsh Assembly funded national pilot project managed by Cymorth Cymru, the representative body for providers of housing related support in Wales. TDG Cymru aims to establish a long term secure funding stream for housing related support organisations working with homeless clients so that they can provide learning and personal development opportunities as well as meet housing and support needs.
“[The project] has built my confidence and made me more
aware of my potential and of possibilities I had not
previously thought of.”
Why do we need Learning and Work Programmes?
Organisations working with homeless people recognise that many of their clients lack the confidence, skills and support they need to succeed in a formal educational setting. The positive relationships and trust built up between homelessness organisations and their clients provides the perfect environment in which to overcome these obstacles. By providing learning and work programmes in a supported housing setting, organisations are able to develop a holistic, citizen focused service which meets all the clients’ needs, enabling them to take their first steps in building successful, independent lives which contribute to their community.
Without the support and encouragement of these organisations, many homeless people would not gain the skills and qualifications they need to re-engage with society and find work. For policy makers, if we want to ensure that the most socially excluded people in our communities are able to move towards employment, learning and work programmes provide the vehicle through which this can be achieved.
How does the programme work?
The Learning & Work Programme is made up of the following components:
Potential learners are referred (or self-refer) to the projects and take part in a settling in process consisting of group activities, one-to-one discussions with Learning Champions and key workers to assess their readiness to engage with the programme.
Learners commit to the programme and undertake to follow their individual customised learning programme.
Learners are inducted into the way in which the scheme will work and their rights and responsibilities are explained.
In order to tailor the programme to the individual learning needs of each client, a detailed Learning Needs Assessment is carried out, which includes an assessment of his/her numeracy & literacy skills.
An Individual Learning Plan for each person is drawn up by negotiation between the appointed Learning Champion and the learner.
Learning is delivered though one-to-one sessions or group activities as appropriate.
Whether learning is accredited or informal, the Learning Champions check that clients have learned what they set out to and that they have progressed in accordance with their learning plans.
One-to-one meetings are held on a regular basis (at least monthly) to ensure that the Individual Learning Plans have been followed, and explore progress made. From this a new action plan for the next period is produced. This process continues until all learning targets have been completed.
Records are kept by projects on the progress of learners in terms of their “distance travelled” since joining the scheme, in addition to any formal educational or other achievements.
Learners are reviewed as they complete their Learning & Work programme to ensure all stated needs have been met and that the learner is able to move on into independent living successfully.
It is essential that a Learning and Work Service takes the needs of the individual as its starting point; consequently, the content of each project will differ. However, although programme content and delivery will vary, the Learning and Work scheme adheres to a set of national guidelines laid down in the Guide to the Delivery of Learning & Work in Homelessness Organisations, which was published prior to the start of the pilot and which received backing from the Minister for Education and Life Long Learning, Jane Davidson AM.
Where did TDG Cymru come from?
Tai, Dysgu a Gwaith Cymru came into being as providers of housing related support to homeless people understood that for their clients to build successful lives within the community, they not only needed support to find and keep a secure home – they needed to be successful in education and learning to really improve their life chances.
A number of organisations provide some form of learning within their projects but funding is precarious and piecemeal. TDG initially provided an umbrella organisation for such organisations and together they asked the Welsh Assembly to consider establishing a long term secure funding stream. In 2005 the Assembly agreed to fund a pilot made up of four projects from across Wales to see how this would work. The four organisations taking part in the pilot are:
Where do we go from here?
Cymorth Cymru and its partners working on the Tai, Dysgu a Gwaith Cymru pilot project want to see as many homeless people taking advantage of this holistic, citizen centred service. Once the pilot has established the necessary funding and administration mechanisms, we will be working with our partners in both policy and practice to ensure learning and work projects can be delivered across Wales to benefit all our communities and the vulnerable people within them.
If you would like to see the work being done for yourself, please contact the pilot organisations directly:
Kay Hughes, Cymdeithas Tai Hafan
Tel: 01267 225555
Fax: 01267 221592
Email: Kayhughes@tai-hafan.co.uk
Sian Browne, Llamau Ltd
Tel: 02920 239585
Email: Sianbrowne@llamau.org.uk
Gillian Wakeman, Trothwy Cyf
Tel: 01792 460609
Email: gill.wakeman@gwalia.com
Wendy Bailey, Cymdeithas Tai Clwyd Alyn
Tel: 01745 357680
Fax: 01745 583020
Email wendy.bailey@clwydalyn.co.uk
For further information on Cymorth Cymru or the pilot generally contact Joy Kent on joykent@cymorthcymru.org.uk
Address: Cymorth Cymru, Norbury House, Norbury Road, Fairwater, Cardiff, CF5 3AS
Telephone: 029 2055 3687
Fax: 029 2056 4165
Email: enquiries@cymorthcymru.org.uk