Agenda item

Mrs V Tovey, Senior Commissioning Manager, was in attendance for this item.

1.            Mrs Tovey introduced the report and referred to the recent visit to the Addaction service by the Cabinet Member, which had shown the commitment of staff to helping young people struggling with drug and alcohol issues.  The performance of Kent’s service had exceeded all targets and compared very well with the national average treatment rates. Mrs Tovey and Mr Scott-Clark responded to comments and questions from the committee, including the following:-

a)    asked about the low number of young people who reportedly ‘had used’ drugs, and what was meant by this term, Mrs Tovey advised that the relatively low figure quoted was taken from responses to a survey, so it was important to consider how honest young people may have been when responding.  Mr Scott-Clark added that it was more helpful to look at trends rather than spot figures, and trends showed that use of all addictive substances was reducing;

b)    asked if a larger number of ‘moderate’ users could be concealing a core of heavy users, and if use of ‘legal highs’ was covered by the service, Mrs Tovey advised that the service covered use of all addictive substances, including legal highs;    

c)    asked about the work of the Probation and Youth Justice services in identifying and addressing use of drugs and alcohol, Mrs Tovey advised that, at the time of arrest, the Youth Justice service, would assess a young person’s usage of drugs and alcohol in order to best support them during custody.  This approach achieved good outcomes, partly because young people entering the Youth Justice system were given no option but to engage with treatment programmes as part of their sentence.  Mrs Tovey advised that the service did not operate in prisons;

d)    asked about the value for money represented by the County Council’s investment in the service, Mrs Tovey explained that many of the young people who engaged with the service needed only minimal, short-term support rather than anything longer term. The service reached young people very effectively via schools, using the ‘Risk It’ programme, which offered good engagement. Addaction also sent staff to festivals and other events to strengthen their front-line engagement.  This range of measures ensured that the service achieved the best value for money from the funding available;

e)    asked about the training available to professionals delivering the service, Mrs Tovey explained that the team was made up of professionals with mental health and social work backgrounds as well as students and volunteers, offering a good mix of skills;

f)     asked about the detail of the referral process for young people, Mrs Tovey explained that  a young person would be contacted and invited to meet a worker for one-to-one support, including the use of a workbook, ‘my journey’, and a plan for a safe exit from their current usage;

g)    asked how the service would engage with young people who definitely did not want to engage and had no interest in using a workbook or the other methods on offer, Mrs Tovey said these young people could be contacted via schools to take part initially in group sessions to build up trust and confidence in the service before trying any more personalised approach, with the ultimate aim of engaging successfully with the young person, however long that might take.  Mr Scott-Clark added that the support offered aimed at changing behaviours.  He offered to arrange a visit to the service for any Members who wished it, and this was subsequently arranged;

h)    the Chairman pointed out the range and complexities of behaviour which could go on in the background of, and could support, the use of drugs and alcohol, including petty crime to raise money;

i)     the case studies included in the report were welcomed, and Mrs Tovey was asked how the service linked to the Children and Young People’s Mental Health Service (formerly CAMHS). Mrs Tovey explained that the latter could be accessed via an multi-disciplinary team case conference or via a referral from a School Health team. Addaction could help a young person to access cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT);

j)     asked about the geographical reach of the service, Mrs Tovey explained that it was county-wide and could also be accessed via text and online.  Meetings with a worker could take place wherever a young person most felt comfortable to meet, for example, at a youth club or school, and the service aimed to be as accessible and responsive as possible to a young person’s wishes and needs. The approach and materials used could be adapted to suit the age of the young person;

k)    asked about the reliability of statistics for rates of re-offending, Mrs Tovey explained that statistics should be reliable.  Low rates of re-offending were due to the planned and managed way in which young people moved out of being supported by the service, with realistic goals being set for their future behaviour;

l)     asked how prisons could build on the work of the Youth Justice system and Young Offending Institutions, Mrs Tovey advised that this could include work on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and undertook to look into this and advise the speaker outside the meeting; and

m)  asked how young people could come into the service if they were addicted to substances but were not apprehended through any involvement in crime, Mrs Tovey advised that they could self-refer, be referred by their parents or a guardian or by a GP. The service was well advertised in schools and youth clubs but advertising would be monitored to make sure it was robust. Training of a wider workforce would help social workers, teachers, etc, to understand the service and make referrals into it. 

2.            It was RESOLVED that the commissioning and provision of a Young Persons’ Drug and Alcohol Service in Kent, the contractual performance to date and work to deliver continuous improvement be noted and welcomed.