Recovery led Drugs Policy – Employment and Welfare Reform Neil Hodgson 20 July 2010

1. Recovery led Drugs Policy – Employment and Welfare Reform Neil Hodgson 20 July 2010

2. Key Facts - England • Social & economic cost of problem drug use £15billion a year. • 330,000 problem drug users, 80% (270k) on benefit. • 220,000 people in drug treatment. • DWP spends the following on this group: • over £1billion on benefits (around £4500 per person a year); • £15m on on specialist employment support (helping 15k people); • and probably in the region of £40m on mainstream provision; • ie around £350 per year for every person in treatment.

3. What Is Recovery • “Aspirational, person-centred process in which individuals enabled to move on from problem drug or alcohol misuse, towards a drug or alcohol-free life as active and contributing members of society.” – Scottish Government 2009. • “Gainful employment, appropriate housing & functional family relationships” – NTA 2010. • Over 70% of people entering treatment say they want to stop taking all drugs. • Personal - means different things at different times to each individual. • Most effective when person’s needs and aspirations placed at heart of care. • A broad church – incorporates both abstinence and harm reduction which are seen as complimentary.

4. Beyond Treatment: What Sustains Recovery?

5. Role of Treatment in Recovery-led system: • “a turning point”; • “Recovery” should be explicit aim of all services; • personalised - provide range of appropriate local interventions; • integrated with range of other services (e.g. health, housing & employment) to address the whole range of individual needs; • to support and engage families of substance misusers; • where possible, to facilitate access to help through mainstream services to support reintegration in society.

6. Role of Employment Services - Phases of Recovery

7. Identification & Engagement • What should be the aim of employment services in identifying and engaging this group - Benefits, employment, treatment? • Role of benefit conditionality and mandatory activity in relation to substance misuse and treatment? • How and where to most effectively engage – in Jobcentres or through outreach and integration with other services? • Who should be spearheading engagement, JCP staff, employment programme providers or both? • Should the drug co-ordinator role moving forward be enhanced and improved (e.g broaden to social inclusion manger)?

8. Treatment Support - Employment provision • What works – e.g. volunteering, work experience, self-employment, education & training, mentoring & peer support, intermediate labour markets, life skills & confidence building, activity that forms structured routine ? • Large generic employment vs specialist providers • Work Programme (embedded in drug services, or vice versa) or more local integrated approach? • What is right payment mechanism? If we pay only by results, what should these be (e.g. 12 month sustained employment), and how much should we pay? • Should this provide employment part of integrated care plan • Should there be regular case conferences with treatment providers? • Provision of route ways to particular professions? Which – treatment/social sector, construction?

9. Support Treatment & Recovery Activity • How could the benefit system do this better or differently (e.g. recovery allowance)? • In particular, how do we best support: treatment; volunteering; education and skills training; mentoring and peer support work experience • How can JCP staff and employment providers contribute and best integrate with other services (e.g. more case conferencing, embedding within drug services)?

10. How Do we support sustained employment • Set up and support recovery communities for those in employment? • Payment for sustained employment prominent feature of provider contracts? • Provide mentors for first year of employment? • Develop employer engagement strategy – public sector to lead by example

11. Does the Treatment Sector need to change to Support this Agenda?