Drug Interventions Programme
Workforce issues
Autumn 2005 saw the launch of an exciting new recruitment campaign by the Drug Interventions Programme (DIP) (part of the Drug Strategy Directorate) to recruit a number of Criminal Justice Drug Workers as part of the Government’s commitment to break the link between crime and drug use.
The aim of the campaign was to identify people capable of becoming high calibre Criminal Justice Drug Workers (CJDW's) to be based in London. This campaign differed from previous campaigns in that it specifically targeted people from outside of the drugs sector, encouraging a broader spectrum of applicants such as teachers, health workers, ex-police officers and social workers.
Previous recruitment campaigns had focused solely on recruiting those who had previous experience of working in the sector and it was felt that this was not critical to being an effective CJDW.
This innovative approach to recruitment, was a great success. A validation study carried out six months after candidates had been in post found that they were happy in their new jobs and felt that the campaign had given them an insight into what it would be like to work as a CJDW. Line managers were also very happy with the performance of the candidates and reported that having no previous experience of the drug sector did not impact on how well the candidates performed in post.
The Drug Interventions Programme commissioned Skills for Justice to develop and implement an advanced apprenticeship scheme within DIP. An infrastructure for apprenticeship schemes was developed in the London and West Midlands Government Office regions and 35 apprentices were recruited and started the two year scheme in January 2006. The apprentices are based with an employer and attend college part time. Over the two year apprenticeship they will work towards an NVQ and continuing development award for substance misuse at levels 3 and 4. These awards offer a common framework for enhancing the skills of workers who enter the sector from a variety of backgrounds with existing qualifications and skills, and a CPD framework for all workers.
Skills for Justice have developed a national toolkit and guidance for employers, learning providers and apprentices which explains how to implement the apprenticeship scheme. This includes adverts, job descriptions and terms of reference. This is available as a PDF document on the Skills for Justice website.
With the recent growth of the workforce in the drug treatment sector, it has become increasingly clear that vetting processes can lead to delays in the recruitment of new staff. It is also the case that Non Police Personnel Vetting decisions can exclude otherwise suitable and competent candidates because they have a criminal record. The Drug Interventions Programme (DIP) has considered how to improve this situation whilst ensuring that no damage is done to the integrity of appropriate police security procedures.
The guidance produced aims to explain:
- the criteria which police forces adopt in granting vetting clearance;
- the overall vetting process, describing the checks involved;
- the information which is needed before a check can be carried out;
- what employers can do to improve the process;
- the difference between CRB and Police checks;
- how Police might consider exercising discretion in the case of certain drug workers.
Go to workforce guidance to find out more practical information about these issues.
