Drug Interventions Programme
Throughcare and Aftercare
A national framework for continuity of care, comprising throughcare and aftercare, has been set up to deliver an end-to-end approach for the needs of drug-misusing offenders.
This involves the Drug Interventions Programme, the National Treatment Agency and the National Offender Management Service (NOMS - made up of prison and probation services). The framework sets out arrangements to ensure continuity of care of clients between the Criminal Justice Integrated Teams (CJITs) who deliver DIP in the community, the drugs teams (CARATs) based in prisons, offender managers and treatment providers.
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"Throughcare" is the term used to describe arrangements for managing the continuity of care provided to a drug misuser from the point of arrest through to sentence and beyond.
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"Aftercare" is the term for what happens after offenders are released from custodial sentences, complete community sentences and/or leave treatment.
It is accepted that drug treatment plays only one part in supporting rehabilitation and re-integration. Aftercare is not one simple discrete process and can involve addressing other factors if these have not already been addressed during treatment. The gains made in health, improved social circumstances and reduction in re-offending which arises from successfully completing treatment in community and prison might be lost if ongoing support is not provided.
CJIT workers can provide, or broker provision of, appropriate wraparound services to address these issues.
