Drug Strategy – Humankind

Tag: Drug Strategy

Humankind approaches to drug-related offending and dual diagnosis showcased in first national drug strategy report

Jack Keery

An image showing an opened door. The humankind logo appears in white to the left of the door
Two Humankind services, Calderdale Recovery Steps and Staffordshire Integrated Co-occurring Needs (ICoN) have been featured in the first annual national drug strategy report for their innovative approaches to supporting people with a drug related support need.

The annual report is the first collection of evidence and case studies published relating to progress towards achieving the aims outlined in the Government’s 10-year drug strategy, ‘From harm to hope’.

Calderdale’s approach to drug-related offending

Calderdale Recovery Steps, a CQC-rated ‘Outstanding’ service which supports people who have issues with drugs and alcohol in the West Yorkshire borough, has been recognised for its innovative approach to supporting people arrested for drug-related offences.

Since September 2022, the Calderdale community has benefited from ‘Fine Line’. The programme offers a bespoke support pathway for people arrested for offences related to cocaine. Anyone who has a positive test is directed to a required assessment with Calderdale Recovery Steps. The support service then determines the most appropriate support for that person, including flexible group sessions and individual check-ups with professional staff facilitated jointly by Humankind and our partners at The Basement Project.

79% of people eligible to access support from the programme did so, with over three quarters of those not re-offending over an average period of six months.

ICoN

Funded by Staffordshire County Council and the NHS, Staffordshire ICoN, a partnership between Humankind and Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (MPFT) has also been spotlighted. The new initiative supports people in the county with both mental health and drug and alcohol issues.

Dame Carol Black recently attended an event to mark the launch of ICoN, commenting on her hope that “other areas will now find out more about ICoN and think about how they could borrow it, follow it or perhaps adjust it to best meet the needs of their local communities and the people who need their support.”

The power of partnerships

Both innovations highlight the significance of collaboration across criminal justice, health, and community organisations. The government’s drug strategy guidance for local delivery partners on participating in Combating Drugs Partnerships underscores the importance of this collaborative approach. Humankind is proud to identify ‘partnerships’ as one of the three key themes in our strategy Being Human. We are proud to see these innovations helping to build healthier and happier communities in the places we work.

Read From harm to hope: first annual report 2022-23

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Dame Carol Black welcomes new approach to mental health and substance use treatment

Jack Keery

Dame Carol Black poses for a picture with the Staffordshire ICoN team

A new initiative to support people with both mental health and drug and alcohol issues has been welcomed by Dame Carol Black, who led a landmark national review on drugs.

Dame Carol visited Staffordshire to find out more about our new ICoN (Integrated Co-occurring Needs) initiative, which brings together local authority, NHS, voluntary and community sectors in a single approach.

She also commented on her hope that other areas would find out more about the Staffordshire initiative to see if elements could be replicated to help better meet local priorities.

Dame Carol Black said: “In my review presented to Government, I said it was essential that we looked at mental health when it comes to problems with substance use, so I think it is excellent that Staffordshire has linked this support together.

“I hope that other areas will now find out more about ICoN and think about how they could borrow it, follow it or perhaps adjust it to best meet the needs of their local communities and the people who need their support.”

Funded by Staffordshire County Council and the NHS, ICoN has been formed as a partnership between Humankind and Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (MPFT) to support people in the county.

Julia Jessel, Staffordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Health and Care, said: “Mental health issues and drug or alcohol use often come hand in hand and there needs to be more focus on addressing the root cause of problems.

“We were delighted to get to share our new partnership with Dame Carol and look forward to the approach making so much more of an impact on the lives of Staffordshire residents.”

ICoN has a dedicated team of professionals including, psychologists, mental health practitioners, and substance use coordinators. This team will use phases of intervention to offer the right support, to the right people, at the right time.

The ICoN pathway will support people for at least six months, coordinating any transitions into local services whilst offering a follow-up review to provide an opportunity to reflect on progress and any challenges.

The service is viewed as a model of best practice, directly responding to issues with current drug and alcohol treatment provision outlined by Dame Carol’s landmark independent review of drugs and the Government’s subsequent 10-year drugs plan.

Emma Cormack, Service Manager from Humankind, said: “We know from experience that the vast majority of people with substance use issues are also living with mental health challenges so our team will help make sure people don’t fall through gaps between services and can in fact make positive life changes with the correct integrated support and specialist interventions.”

Dr Nina Vass, Consultant Clinical Psychologist with MPFT said: “With a shared commitment to trauma-informed care, this new approach has brought together mental health and substance use treatment to help meet the needs of people more effectively and efficiently.”

Watch the video below to hear from the ICoN team and experts within the service on their trailblazing approach, as well as leading expert Dame Carol Black.

The video was produced by John Paul Chapman of Chase Recovery and The Detox Factor.

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