We have been delivering Drug Services in the Devon Prisons since the early 90s. Funding at that time was primarily from the Health Authority or from the individual establishments. From 1999 the Home Office provided national funding for drug treatment services in Prisons including both CARAT services and Rehabilitation Programmes. Since this time we have been commissioned to deliver CARAT services within the three Devon Prisons and the Drug Treatment Programme at HMP Dartmoor. Over this period we have been instrumental in the development of these drug treatment services. Following a national tendering process we were successfully awarded new contracts in early 2005 for the continued delivery of the services for the next three years with possible extensions of up to seven years. The key to the success of our work in Prisons is the multidisciplinary approach. We work alongside Prison Officers, Probation staff, Healthcare staff and other disciplines working within the prisons. In addition, we have good links with community services to ensure continuity of care for prisoners being released. To build upon our work over the last decade we are committed to maintaining our healthy working relations with the Devon Prisons and to continue development of quality services for this client group. We also deliver drug treatment services in Prospects House, a post release premises which opened in January 2006.
CARAT Services
Counselling - Advice - Referral - Assessment - Throughcare
We work jointly with Prison Officers to provide CARAT services within the three Devon Prisons: HMP Exeter, HMP Channings Wood and HMP Dartmoor. CARAT services are available to all prisoners across England and Wales who have, or have previously had, drug misuse issues. CARATs is a tier 2 and 3 multi-disciplinary drug treatment service, which provides a gateway to drug treatment services for those in custody who misuse drugs. The service provides low to medium intensity, non-clinical drug treatment including advice and information, assessment of need, care planning, relapse prevention, harm minimisation, crisis intervention and release planning. The service also provides an access route for prisoners to engage in a range of more intensive Prison Drug Treatment Programmes including the P-ASRO programme at HMP Dartmoor. In addition, CARATs provide a gateway and link to other services both within the Prison and in the community (via the Drug Intervention Programme) to ensure continuity of care.
P-ASRO Drug Treatment Programme
Prison – Addressing Substance Related Offending
We have been delivering a Drug Treatment Programme at HMP Dartmoor since 1999. In 2001 we took up the option of piloting the P-ASRO-programme, contributing to the development of the programme and implementing it into a prison setting. The Criminal Services Accreditation Panel has accredited the programme and following a two-year pilot phase it has been implemented widely across the Prison Estate. We continue to work alongside Prison Officers to deliver this cognitive-behavioural programme and the feedback from service-users has been very positive. P-ASRO consists of twenty group-work sessions spread over five weeks and is divided into four modules: Motivation to Change, Personal Scientist (identifying triggers and ways to cope with them), Relapse Prevention and Lifestyle Change. The programme also looks at developing skills such as problem solving and negotiation. Access to the programme is via the CARAT services. P-ASRO is one of a range of Prison Drug Treatment Programmes available across the Prison Estate.
The CARAT Team has been in place at HMP Exeter since 1999. In that time the service has grown and developed to a point where it now boasts a large, multidisciplinary team. EDP employs a CARAT Team Leader, four full time workers and one part-time worker who work alongside one Senior Officer, two Prison Officers, two Administrators and a soon to be appointed Probation Support Officer.
At Exeter the CARAT Team work closely with the Detox Team to ensure continuity of care for those prisoners who have received a medical detox on reception into Prison. We are currently developing these links in the hope of providing more comprehensive support to people during their detox, ensuring that motivation to maintain the abstinence achieved through detox is sustained throughout custody and on release. Because HMP Exeter is a local Prison, often CARAT workers will not have much time to engage with their client and prepare them for release. It is for this reason that the work is low intensity and focuses on harm reduction, overdose risks and relapse prevention with the aim of reducing post custody deaths and hopefully encouraging people to engage with more structured, longer term treatment either in another Prison or on release (including Prospects House Post Release Premises). The CARAT Team also work closely with the Short Duration Programme (one of the Prison Drug Treatment Programmes) and the Resettlement Department.
CARAT Teams have also been in place at HMP Dartmoor and HMP Channings Wood since 1999. The teams in these two training Prisons provide a similar service and an EDP Team Leader covers the two Prisons. In HMP Dartmoor there are four CARAT workers (2 EDP staff and 2 Prison Officers) and an Administrator; in HMP Channings Wood there are three full-time and one part-time EDP staff and one Prison Officer and an Administrator.
As well as assessment the CARAT Teams provide both one-to-one and group-work. The one-to-one sessions are used to plan care whilst in prison including links with other departments, entry into Prison Drug Treatment Programmes and planning for release back into the community. CARAT workers will also see prisoners to provide support for those feeling in crisis regarding their thoughts and feelings around using substances. Group-work is supportive, relaxed and friendly. It covers relapse prevention, harm minimisation and where to get support in the community. HMP Channings Wood run a series of group-work sessions and a one-day relapse prevention group. At HMP Dartmoor, as well as relapse prevention more specific groups are run, such as crack cocaine advice and information. The CARAT Teams also provide support for prisoners entering and leaving Prison Drug Treatment Programmes such as P-ASRO at HMP Dartmoor and the Drug Therapeutic Community at HMP Channings Wood. They also have good links with community DIP workers; helping prisoners to maintain the changes they have made in Prison and to provide support in the community.
We have been managing and delivering the drug treatment services within Prospects House since the opening in January 2006. The House is a new, purpose built, approved premises in Exeter. It is one of five pilot projects across the UK, funded by the Home Office, to provide accommodation for the re-integration of offenders from prison into the community. We are working alongside Devon and Cornwall Probation Authority (DCPA) in the implementation and delivery of this exciting new project.
The drug treatment element is a structured cognitive-behavioural therapy programme. It is aimed at helping residents to address their substance use and offending behaviour. Each of the 5 Prospect House pilot sites will run their own, individual programmes. Therefore, we have written a programme specifically for Prospect House, Exeter. Prisoners who are selected as suitable for the project will go directly from HMP Exeter to Prospects House when released. They will reside in Prospects for a period of up to twelve weeks before going on to follow-on accommodation. The following entry criteria will be used to initially identify prospective residents:
EDP drug workers, in conjunction with DCPA staff, will liaise closely with the Prison CARAT team, and regularly go into the Prison to help identify and assess prospective residents.
Prison Drug Treatment Programmes
The Prison Service delivers a range of drug treatment programmes. These programmes are accessed through CARAT workers; who also provide post-treatment support. The programmes running in the South West area are:
Short Duration Programme (SDP)
HMP Exeter
HMP Dorchester
Prisons - Addressing Substance Related Offending (P-ASRO)
HMP Dartmoor
HMP Guys Marsh
HMYOI Portland
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How to contact us:
Head of Service:
Phil Hawksley
EDP Prison & Prospects
Services
Dean Clarke House
Southernhay East
Exeter
Devon
EX1 1PQ
Telephone:
01392 666710
Email:
info@edp.org.uk