Executive Summary

City Area Parent Support (CAPS) are looking into the development of a new project, the project will serve parents and carers whom are caring for a loved one struggling with substance misuse issues or addiction. Evening Support Sessions (The ESS Group) will give carers an opportunity to engage in structured group support sessions.

CAPS have identified through research a gap in provision for those carers who perhaps can’t access support because of other responsibilities such as needing to work, within the typical service delivery hours of between 9am & 5pm. This project will serve any parent or carer living in the City area including surrounding areas. This will be a pilot short term project with the hope of development in the future depending on the outcomes and its success.

It is a simple plan which will promote social inclusion, tackle isolation and provide an opportunity for carers to build effective relationships and friendships with others in a similar situation.

Introduction

City Area Parent Support (CAPS) is a registered charitable organisation established since 2007 and based in the xxxx Area of City. CAPS provide both practical and emotional support to parents and carers whom are troubled by addiction within the family across the city.

Mission

CAPS – Providing a warm non- judgemental, confidential and friendly environment to parents and carers suffering the negative effects caused by a loved ones problematic substance misuse or addiction.

Aims

CAPS aim to encourage and support local people and organisations who have an interest in the future of residents in the City and surrounding areas, to work together sharing ideas, information and skills. A co-ordinated and collective approach will enable concerned parents and carers to access resources in which to relieve stress levels and gain support, advice, information and sign posting to other relevant organisations. This project enables these parents/carers to meet others in a similar situation.

Objectives

• To raise awareness of social issues and address drug and alcohol concerns within the community
• To provide a focal point for parents/carers to receive information and support in a safe environment
• To develop activities within the area as a means of improving health, education, employment, increasing confidence and reducing isolation
• To pursue these objectives with due regard to equality of opportunity and without discrimination on the grounds of age, disability, race, religion, gender or sexuality

(CAPS Annual Report 2012)

Needs Assessment

Although CAPS strive to deliver their services to all existing and potential clients providing a drop in service 4 days of the week along with a 24 hour crisis helpline. Face to face support is currently only available Monday to Friday 9:30am – 4:30pm, recently we have observed clients who are in full time employment finding it difficult to access any face to face support and we began to consider would an evening session be something we could provide to both existing and any potential clients to promote equality for all service users and in effect removing any barriers to provision.

Research

Research was conducted over a 3 month period looking into the lives of carers of drug and/or alcohol users. The research was carried out by 9 carers who have all been trained in research techniques and the main aim of the research was to highlight the voices of some of the most vulnerable members of our society and to present the findings to local councillors, researchers, staff from both statutory and third sector, government office and those working in carer organisations to hopefully better inform them of the issues carers face and help other agencies to meet their aims and objectives.

As an unplanned part of the research CAPS were able to identify gaps in provision within the employment section of the final written report. 34% of respondents were in employment but reported having difficulties holding down their job due to their caring role and 17% claimed they were unable to access support because of the typical 9 – 5 service hours. Along with this we then looked into similar organisations in the area and discovered that none were offering face to face support after the hours of 5pm and although out of hours telephone support could be available this was usually only used in crisis situations. (Author, 2011)

Furthermore following a retendering process and a new service delivery model, City’s drug and alcohol services have been massively affected. Prior to the 1st of July which was when the changes went live, City had 7 organisations delivering different levels or approaches to drug/alcohol support or treatment all 7 were commissioned to deliver these services each receiving different amounts of public money. From the former 7 services only 3 remain and they have joined forces to provide a more integrated pathway to treatment.

Since these changes CAPS have been inundated with new referrals, the transition seems to have created panic amongst families caring for loved ones accessing or perhaps not accessing drug/alcohol support or treatment.

CAPS are working closely with the newly branded “xxAR TLC” informing management and staff of the difficulties parents and carers are enduring within their caring role to better help them to meet their aims and objectives. Monthly meetings are in place to raise any issues regarding service delivery and we now have a single point of contact for crisis situations.

CAPS already have a well-attended group support session every Thursday from 10am – 3pm, however due to space and capacity it is unlikely we could offer this to any new referrals coming through the doors. To have the evening session as an alternative would be beneficial to both the organisation and its client base.

Need Identified

The Project is needed to meet a previously unmet need identified within research and to enable CAPS to offer an equal opportunity of group support to all parents and carers accessing services.

Project Description

A fortnightly evening drop in group support session specific for parents and carers whom are caring for a loved one with problematic substance misuse issues, consisting of 6 two hour sessions delivered over a period of 12 weeks. This will be a short programme to determine how beneficial it is to its clients with prospects of further future development depending on its success.

Project Aims

• To initiate and provide a venue for evening group support sessions
• To provide support to local people affected by substance misuse within the family
• To remove any barriers to service provision
• To provide a safe and friendly environment for parents and carers struggling with similar issues

Project Objectives

• CAPS will use its existing business address to provide an opportunity of access to support
• CAPS will provide a specialised alcohol and drug support worker (lead worker) and 2 qualified peer mentors (volunteers) to assist and support local people affected by addiction within the family
• CAPS will promote and allow access to an out of hours service to enable those whom find it difficult to engage in normal working hours of service delivery
• Staff will facilitate evening group support sessions encouraging social inclusion, challenging isolation in a friendly and safe environment

All aims and objectives are following guidelines using the “SMART” tool. They are specific, measurable, achievable, realisitic and time related.

Project Activities

This facilitated peer support group will provide individuals who are affected by someone else’s use of drugs or alcohol with an opportunity to receive support from a specialist support worker, peer mentors and other people who have been in similar situations as themselves.

Sharing experiences and knowledge will become an integral part of the group along with focused topics which will range from the effects of alcohol and drugs, how they are administered, the drugs appearance or form, treatment options etc. Other areas to be explored will be the role of the carer, relationship issues, stress and crisis management.

Other aspects of support could include;

• Signposting
• Referrals to other agencies for other issues possibly related to the alcohol or drug problem i.e domestic violence, physical/mental health, counselling, drug treatment services.
• One to One Support

Communication

It will be the lead workers responsibility to feedback to the manager following every session, all feedback will be recorded within the workers report, by the manager and prepared in advance for any upcoming Management Committee Meetings.

It will then be the Chairpersons responsibility to facilitate a discussion within the meeting sharing the information with the other stakeholders.

Resources Required

• Staff x 3 inclusive of 1 paid employee (Lead Worker) and 2 qualified volunteer mentors requiring travel expenses
• Clients – minimum of 5 and maximum of 15
• Venue with a capacity to hold 18 people always considering safety regulations (SAPS business address)
• Internet and printing facilities
• Stationary (pens, paper)
• Refreshments (tea & coffee)

Estimated Costs

• Lead Worker x 20 hours – 12 hours sessional work & 12 hours inclusive of plan, prep and final written evaluation report. 24 x £15 per hour – Total £360
• 2 volunteers - £10 per session to cover travel expenses & 24 hours in kind sessional work – 24 x £10per hour = £240 + £10 – Total £250
• Venue – free inclusive of all facilities, gas, electricity, internet etc. Cost incurred if sessions needed to be costed £30 per session x 6 – Total - £180
• Internet, printing & stationary est- £5per session – Total £30
• Refreshments – est - £2.50 per session – Total £15

Total Cost £835
Actual Cost £385

Swot Analysis

• Strengths – Low cost, no competition delivering evening sessions for this specific service,
• Weaknesses – Location, the venue is not central and could be too far for clients to travel. Capacity – The venue is quite small.
• Opportunities – Opportunity for further development in the future depending on the success of the pilot programme.
• Threats – Not enough participants (Low Threat) when considering need assessment

Pest Analysis • Political – Although this project is relatively low cost, funding could still become an issue in today’s unfortunate financial climate.
• Economical – Because of recent changes in drug and alcohol delivery services, already showing signs of sudden panic amongst parents and carers there could become too great of a demand for this service which would need a larger venue and possibly extra workers.
• Social – Stigma is often associated with substance misuse, some parents and carers may not access services because of the shame and embarrassment they feel about their loved ones issues. Furthermore local people who realise the project is related to substance misuse may have misconceived ideas of the user group which enforces stigmatisation,
• Technological – Any research, evaluations or written reports regarding this piece of work become the intellectual property of CAPS

Work Plan

Sessions will begin in the second week of January and end in March the table below will give a detailed description of times, dates and activities to be included:

The ESS Group Time Table

Time and Date Activities
Wednesday 8th January – Venue – SAPS – 7pm – 9pm Introduction – house rules, boundaries, ice breakers etc. Giving participants and staff an opportunity to talk about themselves and experiences.
Wednesday 22nd January – Venue – SAPS – 7pm – 9pm Focused group discussions including refreshments and opportunity of one to one support where necessary
Wednesday 5th February – Venue – SAPS – 7pm – 9pm Focused group discussions including refreshments and opportunity of one to one support where necessary
Wednesday 19th February– Venue – SAPS – 7pm – 9pm Focused group discussions including refreshments and opportunity of one to one support where necessary
Wednesday 5th March – Venue – SAPS – 7pm – 9pm Focused group discussions including refreshments and opportunity of one to one support where necessary
Wednesday 19th March – Venue – SAPS – 7pm – 9pm Final session including semi structured group interviews to collect the thoughts and feelings of parents and carers overall experiences within the group

Roles and Responsibilities

The Lead worker will oversee the project from beginning to end, her responsibilities will include;

• Planning – the planning of all sessions inclusive of any research required, feedback sheets etc
• Preparation – preparing a brief for the two successful nominated volunteers for each session
• Facilitating – The lead worker will facilitate each session accordingly
• One to One Support – where and when necessary
• Feedback – A sound and precise account of each session sent electronically to the Manager
• Evaluation - will be on going using simple evaluation methods to record the number of participants, level of enjoyment, how useful did they find the session, could it have been made any better or was there any gaps. A final evaluation will record people’s thoughts and feelings of their overall experience, all of the information collected will then be used for a final evaluation written report which could be presented to funders if the pilot project is deemed as successful by the Managing Board of Directors and clients are keen to engage in further sessions.
• Final written evaluation report.

Volunteers

Volunteers are expected to be enthusiastic at all times encouraging and part facilitating in discussions. Taking the lead where necessary and building relationships with the carers to gain trust, making themselves available for one to one support when required.

CAPS value each and every volunteer and a specific role such as this would be an opportunity for two volunteers to become involved with. As this is a pilot programme only two would be required for sessional work, keeping the same volunteers throughout the six sessions will allow an opportunity of building trusting relationships with parents and carers. If more than two volunteers expressed an interest in becoming involved, the lead worker would look into creating roles and responsibilities for any additional volunteers and could include general admin duties such as filing, printing, telephone duties etc.

All staff and volunteers must have up to date CRB documentation and have a good understanding of the organisations policies and procedures before engaging in any sessional work. Volunteer Mentors are trained within CAPS and the policies and procedures are embedded within the training package as are “Child Protection” “Confidentiality” “Breach of Confidentiality” etc

Advertising

All existing new and old service users will be notified of the proposed project and they will also be made aware that this group does have its limitations and spaces are limited. They will also be informed of future plans at a later date depending on the outcomes and success of the pilot group. Caps are quite confident that informing all existing and new service users will be sufficient in bringing the carers through the door as many have already expressed an interest.

Risks and Mitigations

Potential risks would include everything already discussed with the swot and pest analysis, risks are low in this respect. Other risks could include staffing the project, if volunteers expressed no interest in supporting the project but once again this is low risk as CAPS have a great team of dedicated volunteers. Competition is no risk, however if another organisation was to copy this could create a risk of any future developments of The ESS Group. The lead worker will strive to deliver a service of high quality to alleviate this risk and make the project a new and exciting opportunity for parents and carers to engage in. Promoting social inclusion, challenging isolation and providing an opportunity for carers to build friendships with others whom struggle with similar issues.

The Future of The ESS Group

The future of The ESS Group will depend on the success of the pilot programme which will be written up in a final professional written evaluation report by the lead worker. The report will then be discussed within the first Management Meeting following its completion, if the group is successful there is definitely potential to develop the group further. Board members will then direct the management with the final decision of further development.

Funders would then be contacted to secure a more permanent source of funding and fortnightly sessions could possibly be made more regular and on a weekly basis. Further activities could be implemented into upcoming sessions where and when possible, focus groups could become an advantage for the growth and development of such a project. A larger venue could become necessary or split sessions to ensure all service users have an equal opportunity to support of this nature.

The possibilities could be endless but would need to be kept realistic, always considering time, money and careful planning.

When considering everything discussed within this proposal it is easy to identify the need for this type of project, I believe the project could be very successful and beneficial to Caps, its service users, partner organisations (xxAR TLC) the local communities and to the families as a whole.