Guide for Professionals Referring into the Drug and Alcohol service in Warwickshire
Things to consider before you make the referral:
- Is the client a Warwickshire resident aged 18+?
- Has the client identified any problematic impacts of their use of drugs/alcohol?
- Has the client indicated that they want to explore change in their use of drugs/alcohol?
- Does the client agree to a referral?
- Does the client have access to a phone/the internet, or an address so that we can contact them to arrange assessment?
Referring someone to Change Grow Live Warwickshire
If you are a professional making a referral with your client’s consent, please complete this referral form.
When completing this form please provide us with as much information as possible regarding the client’s substance use and advise us if there are any risk factors involved.
Clients can also self-refer to Change Grow Live either through our website or by phoning 01926353513.
Please note, if they opt to self-refer, we won’t always have consent to share information with you.
One-off advice and information
Anyone who presents with non-dependant problematic substance use e.g., occasional binge drinking, recreational drug use, and are concerned that their use has moved or is moving from occasional/recreational to problematic.
We will provide them with harm reduction advice, signpost them to additional support, and provide supporting literature. The client can contact us again for more information, or if their concern about their use has increased.
Referral to ongoing support
Assessment of Need & Service User Plans are completed when clients identify that they need more than brief advice and information. These are service user led and based on what they want to achieve. They are reviewed throughout their treatment to reflect progress that they have made and changes in their plan.
Clients are invited to a Welcome group that talks them through all the treatment options available for drug & alcohol treatment at Change Grow Live
If your client remains ambivalent about their substance use or are concerned about attending Change Grow Live groups, we have ‘soft start open groups’ that clients can attend prior to and during assessment, throughout treatment and prior to treatment exit.
Other things to know about referral
Unless referred to our Criminal Justice Service via the Police or Court system, clients’ attendance is voluntary and cannot be enforced, only encouraged.
If we received a referral from a professional that states ‘client consent to refer’, we will inform them of the outcome of the referral.
Clients may get all that they need from their first appointment, they may change their mind or choose alternative support (e.g. Alcohol Anonymous/Narcotics Anonymous); if this is the case, they may not attend for further assessment. Should this happen, we will send them a closure letter inviting them to contact Change Grow Live should their circumstances change.
Just as dependency is a dynamic process, so is recovery, and clients may not complete their treatment plan. When clients don’t attend appointments, we offer a second appointment. If they don’t attend the second appointment, we will send them a final engagement letter to encourage them.
Throughout treatment, clients are signposted to additional support appropriate to their needs including detox/rehabilitation/employment/housing and they are encouraged to access recovery groups.
Our group programmes, Foundations of Recovery, can be completed consecutively. Clients can attend for up to 22 sessions over several months which will mean that they remain open to the Group Program.
When clients complete their active treatment at Change Grow Live, they are encouraged to continue to attend post-treatment groups to support them in the early stages of recovery, including Self-Management Recovery Training (SMART), Peer Support and Mindfulness sessions that run throughout the week, including some evening and weekend Mindfulness sessions.
Clients who are prescribed medically assisted treatment for opiate use or alcohol post detox medication will remain in active treatment whilst they continue to be prescribed by Change Grow Live.