Mrs Sandra McDade
Team Manager
Lesley Billington was employed in the Prison Service working on a Substance Misuse unit in a female establishment until starting employment as an Alcohol Treatment Worker in August 2007. Currently, she works in a multidisciplinary team which includes: Primary Care Trust, Wakefield & District Alcohol Team, Probation Service, Wakefield Integrated Substance Misuse Service and Turning Point. Her work includes: medical interventions, relapse prevention, and offering various Counselling approaches, including: Motivational Interviewing and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. She is studying for a Counselling Studies Certificate at Huddersfield University.
Areas of particular interest include: identifying the links between alcohol use and criminal activity, implementing different counselling approaches and co-dependency.
Her intentions for future work include: developing the service to offer Comprehensive Assessments to clients on remand in custody, expanding the Alcohol Treatment Requirement to offer support to clients on release after custodial sentences and implementing the Alcohol Treatment Requirement in other districts.
Katie Williamson completed her postgraduate in BSc Psychology in 2006. During her studies she was employed in the homeless sector in supported housing throughout studying for my degree and until commencing employment as an Alcohol Treatment Worker in June 2007. She currently works in a multidisciplinary team which includes: Primary Care Trust, Wakefield & District Alcohol Team, Probation Service, Wakefield Integrated Substance Misuse and Turning Point. Her work includes: medical interventions, relapse prevention, and offering various Counselling approaches, including: Motivational Interviewing and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. She is also studying for an MSc in Applied Therapeutic Counselling at Huddersfield University.
She has particular interest in alcohol dependency and links to abuse and trauma, implementing Psychological approaches when identifying links to dependency and identifying the link between harmful alcohol use and domestic violence.
Introduction
UK has the 10th highest drinking rates in the country with Yorkshire and The Humber the highest for binge drinking.
A partnership was developed between Wakefield Primary Care Trust and The Criminal Justice services.
Links between violent crime and alcohol evident
A key priority of the local area agreement was a reduction in the incidence of alcohol related crime.
2006 proposal put forward through partnership West Yorkshire Probation and Wakefield District Alcohol Team.
Method
Stakeholder group met regularly to oversee implementation
March 2007 two staff recruited
Available for high, medium and low risk offenders
Can be used for stand alone order
The care pathway is delivered within the probation premises to ensure close links with offenders’ managers and gives access to two skilled practitioners in relation to advice and information regarding possible referrals. Prior to referral an Audit screening tool is used to establish typology. A comprehensive assessment is undertaken by the ART worker and recommendations regarding the granting of the order will be given taking into account length of order, possible treatment intervention and levels of motivation and seeks to address the four domains: Alcohol history, social circumstances, health and well being and offending history; a written report is then submitted to court.
Results
134 assessments completed from July 2007 to September 2008, 83 ATR have been issued, 62% of assessments conducted have resulted in an ATR.
Co-Authors
Dr Linda Harris, WISMS Medical Director; Lesley Billington, ATR Worker; Katie Ineson (née Williamson), ATR Worker
