apas Working in the County

apas currently have alcohol practitioners based in the north of the county being hosted by the Framework Solutions Team (North) operating from an established base in their Ollerton office. There are a number of different facets to role of the practitioners, but with the overall objective of supporting those clients who are having problems with alcohol.

The Solutions Team works with clients who have problems with their tenancy and have either drug or alcohol issues. Clients are referred from the Framework Central Access Point and have an initial interview in order to determine their suitability for the service and their priority requirements. Once they are accepted as being appropriate for the service to work with they are either allocated a Floating Support Worker (FSW) or placed on the Waiting list, as their circumstances and resources dictate. At this stage they are identified as either a Drug or Alcohol Schedule Client. If it is Alcohol then I am made aware that they will be referred for an Assessment at an appropriate stage in the future.

Once a FSW has been allocated then an assessment of their needs and a risk assessment is undertaken. Following the assessment, the client will be referred to apas for an assessment of their alcohol issues and to determine the most appropriate treatment requirements.

The alcohol assessment is performed using the apas standard alcohol assessment documentation and a copy is provided to the allocated FSW for inclusion in the overall client file, as well as a copy for the alcohol client file. At this stage there are a number of different possible permutations available depending upon the needs and circumstances of the client. These options are summarised below;

• Clients is assessed and is engaged with a treatment provider and happy with the support that they are receiving – no further action
• Client is assessed and is engaged with a treatment provider but would like some additional support – apas will contact and liaise with the treatment provider and will agree a joint support package that is appropriate for the client’s needs
• Client is assessed and is not currently engaged with a treatment provider – where appropriate, as indicated by the assessment, and if the client wants to then apas will work with them to provide appropriate support or refer onwards to a more appropriate treatment agency where this is indicated
• Clients are allocated on the drugs schedule, but they also have alcohol issues – apas can provide support where appropriate
• Clients are discharged from the service following resolution of their tenancy issues, but still have problems with their alcohol misuse – apas can provide support where appropriate

The above summarises the possible options available to the solutions client caseload. There can be significant benefit in working in partnership with organisations like solutions which can address the other issues in their life whilst apas concentrates on the alcohol side.

When trying to address alcohol issues, alcohol is such an integral part of the Clients life; and if all you are trying to do is to reduce the problem and harm caused by this but do not give anything tangible as a benefit in return, it becomes more difficult to achieve a successful outcome. If at the same time as working with a client’s alcohol issues they are being supported around their tenancy and potential debt issues, then it is much easier to establish that things can improve if they address their alcohol issues but will probably not if they don’t.

The benefit of this dual approach helps to provide the client with an expectation that their lives can improve, provided they also make the effort to work with us. This, of course, is not a universal formula for success. The nature of the clientele means that there will always be a mixed outcome whatever support is in place. However, the dual approach does mean that some positive benefits and outcomes can be achieved and that some things will change for the better, thus providing a baseline to build upon.

In addition to the work with Solutions, we also provide an outreach service for clients in the County who are not able to access the apas Service in Nottingham. apas have always had an open approach to dealing with clients, regardless of the geographical location. However we have been limited in the past by only providing support from the office in Nottingham. Now, if a client in the north of the County calls the Alcoline and cannot easily access services in Nottingham, then they can be referred to apas and a visit can be arranged. These visits often occur in a client’s home, where appropriate, or alternatively at a neutral venue, often one of the Framework venues where we can book a room and ensure safety and confidentiality.

Once contact has been made with a client then the standard alcohol assessment is undertaken and appropriate action taken or recommended accordingly. Where indicated, apas can work to support the client or where more intense or complex intervention is required apas can refer to a more appropriate agency.

This new initiative has enabled apas to provide an outreach facility for those needing support in the north and south of the County, which is provided by a colleague performing the same duties. This demonstrates apas’s commitment to service improvement and providing alternative treatment and support options to the greatest number of clients.