AN innovative programme to help people with drug and alcohol dependence back into work has been expanded to include Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland.

More than £130,000 will be invested through Middlesbrough Council, to support delivery across Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) announced on Wednesday. 

It will provide up to nine months of intensive of employment support for participants, including actively matching them to jobs, improving employability skills, and building CVs.

This is in addition to four months of in-work support focusing on working patterns, managing pay and help to overcome issues around remaining committed to treatment meetings.

The Individual Placement and Support (IPS) programme saw its funding over the next three years boosted to almost £40 million last December as part of the 2021 Drug Strategy, and this funding will expand the programme in every local authority across England by 2025.

Read more: Teesside man advising officers over drug treatment

All IPS support is included alongside clinical treatment, making it a unique programme which helps around a third of participants find work.

The programme will be delivered by local charity Recovery Connections, working in partnership with a range of services across both Middlesbrough and neighbouring Redcar and Cleveland, overseen by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities.

Minister for Welfare Delivery, David Rutley said: “We know that offering employment help alongside clinical treatment works.

“We can significantly improve peoples’ chances of finding a job and from this comes improved treatment outcomes and sustained recovery from drug use. This is an important expansion into Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, as we roll out across England and strengthen support services across the country.”

Hundreds of people in England have already accessed the programme and data has shown that, despite the severe challenges posed by the pandemic, over a third of people on the programme have reported starting paid employment within nine months of joining the scheme.

Backed by government funding from DWP, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities has been working with partners to deliver the programme, with promising reports.

Many heroin users who have not been employed for several years, including some who have never held a job, are now finding work thanks to this support. And since completion of an initial trial, 46 local authority areas are now delivering the programme.

Read more: Work to do to reduce Middlesbrough’s high rate of drug deaths

"I’ve got amazing purpose in my life again"

 

Jordan* recently found work through the IPS service, South Tees Employment Connections, and spoke proudly about the progress he has been able to make.

“I was starting to look into work, to help my recovery and progress my life, said Jordan. “Trina and Lisa from South Tees Employment Connections were so welcoming, and helpful.

“I had a lot of anxiety about going back into work, but they talked me through the process, which really helped in releasing that anxiety and taking the next steps.”

Jordan continued: “They’re constantly asking how it’s going, checking to see if there’s anything else they can do at their end. They’re also helping me with other positions, looking into full time work, helping me with CV’s. Anything that involves moving forward, you name it, they’re helping me with it. To be honest I’ve never had support like this.”

Also talking about how getting back into work is helping his own recovery, Jordan encourages anybody who hasn’t made contact with the IPS service to do so.

“Whether it’s about recovery, or not, it’s about the process of getting back into work. The IPS team are the way forward to do that. Helping with the littlest things, to anxiety talks, to paperwork. I can’t give them enough credit.”

And on how finding work through IPS has enhanced his own recovery, he added: “It’s moved up a level. I now feel part of a team, a family. I’ve got amazing purpose in my life again as a driver and kitchen assistant with a mobile catering service. It’s absolutely fantastic that I am back in work and moving forward.”

*Name has been changed

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