Purpose

This report seeks approval to
award grant agreements to external providers to deliver substance
misuse interventions. 
 
Savings
generated by the contract value awarded to Change, Grow, Live (CGL)
to deliver Camden’s Integrated Drug and Alcohol Service has
resulted in a £500,000 underspend across the Health and
Wellbeing Drug and Alcohol Cost
Centres.  According to the
requirements of the Supplementary Substance Misuse Treatment and
Recovery Grant, local authorities must demonstrate that substance
misuse budgets from the Public Health Grant are fully spent on
drug/alcohol related interventions.  Therefore,
any underspend generated in this cost centre must be reinvested in
substance misuse services.
 
Officers propose to issue three
grant agreements using some of this underspend. 
One of £3,200 to Change, Grow, Live to provide clinical
supervision to Camden’s (in-house) young people’s
substance misuse service (FWD).  One to Via Care
(providers of the designated drug and alcohol service to people
experiencing homelessness – InRoads) for £15,000 to
provide clinical psychologist supervision/support to staff to
assist with staff retention.  The final grant of
£17,000 will be awarded to The Reader Programme which will be
offered to people accessing (or contemplating accessing) drug and
alcohol treatment.  The Reader is a national
charity and has pioneered the use of Shared Reading as a simple
activity to build personal stronger, more supportive communities.
Shared Reading groups bring people together on a weekly basis where
novels, stories and poems are read aloud. The group will pause to
think and talk about what they’ve read, and a trained Reader
Leader will help guide discussion. Group members are invited to
read aloud, share their thoughts or simply listen.
 
 

Content

 
THAT the Director of Health and Wellbeing approves the
awards of three grant agreements using drug and alcohol 2024-25
cost centre underspend to:

      
i.         
Change, Grow, Live, for £3,200 to provide clinical
supervision to the young people’s substance misuse service
(FWD)

     
ii.         
Via Care, for £15,000 to provide clinical psychologist
supervision and support to InRoads staff.

   
iii.         
The Reader Programme, for £17,000 to provide a series
of Shared Reader groups for people accessing (or contemplating
accessing) drug and alcohol treatment.