Case studies
Back to previous pageDrugs Worker at a Working Women’s Project, Bradford
DAT(s): Bradford.
Region(s): Yorkshire and Humberside.
Last updated: 04 February 2004
Summary: Drugs Worker at a Working Women’s Project.
The need
The Working Women’s Project has provided broad support to sex workers in Bradford for about two and a half years. Women receive health and social care at the project.
The project recognised that almost all women accessing the service were misusing drugs. The service therefore sought a professional with expertise in drugs issues and treatment services.
The idea
The DAT funds a Drugs Worker who can:
- assess clients and refer them to tier 3 services;
- support clients so they remain in treatment services.
How it works
The full-time Drugs Worker divides her work between:
- project work; and
- one-on-one assessments and sessions with clients.
The Drugs Worker offers advice, counselling and information. She refers clients to other drugs services that are appropriate for their specific drug issues.
The Worker has a background in social work, which enables her to conduct motivational interviewing and community care assessments if required.
The service aims to be client-led, by allowing clients to ask to see the Drugs Worker themselves. However, the project runs a needle exchange, which provides an opportunity to engage with injecting clients who may want to speak to the Drugs Worker.
The Drugs Worker is funded from the Pooled Treatment Budget.
The DAT have started quarterly meetings with recipients of Pooled Treatment Budget funding. These meetings help to identify needs. For example, the DAT have asked the project to collect information on those accessing the service, to inform future planning.
Key Benefits
The key benefits of a Drugs Worker with a full-time presence are:
- harm reduction;
- instant and regular support and advice for clients;
- more women entering and remaining in treatment.
Comments
The Drugs Worker has a caseload of about 200 people. The project hopes to employ another Worker, preferably with expertise in crack, to share this large caseload.
At a quarterly meeting, the DAT proposed setting up a prescribing clinic at the project. However, the project pointed out this would change the nature of the service. The Drugs Worker refers clients to an appropriate treatment service and supports them while they attend it. However, the Working Women’s Project itself is not a service which exists to treat drug use amongst its clients.
For further information
Bradford DAT
Alison Richards
DAT Coordinator
Policy Development Service
4th Floor
Jacobs Well
Bradford
BD1 5RW
Tel: 01274 752012 Email:
alison.richards@bradford.gov.uk
