What we do
We’re aiming to break down the barriers that stop people getting the support they need to live a life they value. Over the years we’ve developed an array of support services to do that – and become specialists in mental health, alcohol, drugs and related areas along the way.
Defining our support
Our high quality, evidence-based services are designed around the needs of the people we serve. As Waythrough we can now work with our commissioners, partners and the people we support to stitch those services together and develop new integrated ones. Whilst we know that people and their problems don’t fit into neatly labelled boxes we sometimes have to use them to describe our services!
Drug and alcohol support
We run treatment and recovery services across England, in partnership with a range of other charities, NHS trusts and community groups. In Dorset and Cumbria, for instance, we’re the lead provider of large local systems and deliver clinical, healthcare and recovery services. In Haringey we deliver community support, with the local NHS trust providing clinical treatment.
Our keyworkers support people though a mix of case management and psycho-social interventions (PSI) and refer on to more specialist support options such as residential rehab when possible.
We are proud to work with a number of lived experience led organisations (sometimes known as Lived Experience Recovery Organisations or LEROs) including The Basement Project in Calderdale, the Create Strength Group in Bradford and Build on Belief in London.
Mental health
A focus on mental health and wellbeing is a golden thread which runs through all of our services. Some of our projects have run for decades, with a focus on therapeutic communities being the animating force behind the establishment of Richmond Fellowship.
Our crisis services and havens act as short-stay interventions for people in crisis. They are sanctuaries of calm embedded in local communities and connected to local NHS and wider services. Our workers develop specific plans for every person they support and use therapeutic interventions such as motivational interviewing and cognitive behavioural therapy to provide a ‘toolbox’ of strategies.
We also run a range of community-based support services which use peer support models so people can get help from others who have faced similar issues.
Supported housing
Our supported housing services have supported people in various ways for decades.
They range from ‘floating support’ services which flexibly support people in emergency accommodation, hostels and independent tenancies to houses we own and manage as a social landlord. Our model includes both intensive 24 hour support for those that need it, and 12 hour support model with help through the day and an on-call system at night.
The length of stay and level of support will vary, but all supported housing services provide:
- Individualised support and safety plans agreed in partnership with you
- Therapeutic interventions such as motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioural therapy and coping strategies to foster resilience
- Support to develop independent living skills with a focus on recovery and growth
- Practical support to identify move-on accommodation and a successful transition into a permanent home
We work with our social enterprise More Time to repair and clear many of our properties.
Some of our residential services are registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and we’re registered with the Regulator of Social Housing.
Criminal justice
We support people at all stages of their journeys. That includes in prison and in the community after coming out of prison. In the North East we support people in multiple prisons with any drug or alcohol needs – and support the men when they leave through our prison link ‘through the gate’ services as part of our Reconnected to Health partnership. We also run a liaison and diversion scheme in the area to keep people out of prison in the first place.
In the community we work with people issued with Drug Rehabilitation Requirements (DRRs) and Alcohol Treatment Requirements (ATRs) sentences to make sure they get the support they need.
These decade of experience have given us a well developed network of relationships and pathways with prisons, the probation service and the police.
Employment and skills
Working with people to build their skills and confidence can be one of the best ways to support their recovery and growth.
In the Tees Valley area we support people into training, education and employment through our leadership of the Tees Valley Employability Partnership, with support form the National Lottery Community Fund.
We have an established organisational specialism in Individual Placement Support (IPS), which involves intensive, personalised support, a rapid job search and, for those who secure employment, continuing in-work support. We currently run seven drug and alcohol IPS schemes across England and a mental health IPS in Avon and Wiltshire.
Young people and families
We know that families can provide the care and love that sets people up for life. But we also know that sometime families and young people need a bit of extra help.
In the North East we offer friendly, practical support around gender identity and/or sexual orientation to LGBT+ young people. And we take the learning and understanding from this to inform our LGBT+ training for young people and the professionals who support them. In Cambridge we run The Castle in partnership with other local providers to provide accommodation and support for young people who are homeless or at risk of becoming so.
Our Education Centre supports young people aged 16-19 who have faced significant barriers in their education. It offers a bespoke curriculum based around their needs – with some amazing results.
We’re proud to be part of Investing in Children (IiC), a UK initiative that gives organisations national recognition for the good practice and active inclusion of children and young people in dialogue that results in change.
Domestic abuse
We work with both survivors and perpetrators of domestic abuse to keep people safe, get them the support they need – and ensure the people responsible for abuse take responsibility for their actions.
Our survivor programmes enable people to explore their own experiences of domestic abuse in both one-to-one and peer support sessions, allowing people to gain control over their lives and plan for the future.
We also support young people affected by domestic abuse through children’s therapy, and young people who use abusive behaviours towards their parents/carer or partners through YUVA (Young People Using Violence and Abuse).
Our perpetrator programmes get to the root of the problem by putting the focus back on the people responsible for the abuse, preventing future incidents and increasing safety for survivors and their families.
Some of our services were amongst some of the first in the UK to be fully accredited by Respect, the national accreditation body for perpetrator programmes. We’re proud of that.
Social enterprises
We run a number of social enterprises. A social enterprise is a business with a social mission, aiming to make positive changes in the world. Profits they make are reinvested into the community.
Art Matters, in Redhill Surrey enables people with mental health challenges to produce creative work, gaining skills and opportunities along the way. The Old Moat garden centre in Surrey works with people facing similar issues to volunteer and work on vocational qualifications in horticulture and retail.
MoreTime, based at Head Office North provides repairs, cleaning and maintenance services for local properties – as well as volunteering and employment opportunities for the people we support.
