Drug Interventions Programme
Throughcare & Aftercare
Drug misusers are often vulnerable people with complex needs. A range of additional flexible support is needed to help rehabilitate and re-integrate former drug-misusing offenders, such as access to and help with housing provision, skills development and access to employment, help with mental health issues, family issues, managing finances and debt and building social and peer networks. Re-establishing stable lives, and reducing re-offending which often arises from successfully completing treatment in community and prison might be lost if ongoing support is not provided.
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. Aftercare is the term for what happens after offenders are released from custodial sentences, complete community sentences and/or leave treatment.
National framework for continuity of care
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 (DIP), the National Treatment Agency (NTA) 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.
CJIT workers can provide, or broker provision of, appropriate wraparound services to support drug misusers’ reintegration and help with long-term resettlement.
