Agenda item

Briefing Note of the Director of Health and Wellbeing

The Committee considered a Briefing Note, appended to which was a report approved by Cabinet at their meeting on 13 December, 2022, (their Minute xx refers) which provided details of a Rough Sleeping Drug and Alcohol Treatment Grant (RSDATG) of up to £640, 361 to support rough sleepers and those at risk of rough sleeping to engage with and access drug and alcohol treatment.

A comprehensive presentation at the meeting provided information on:-

• Grant aims and objectives:-

-  Transform services

-  Access to treatment

-  Early Intervention

-  Support

-  Engagement approach

  • RSDATG in Coventry:-

-  Established a RSDATG team at Change Grow Live which includes outreach workers

-  Employed a worker in the CCC housing outreach team who works closely with the CGL colleagues

-  Provides additional physical and mental health support in the form a physical health outreach nurser, non-medical prescriber and Occupational Therapist

• Drug and Alcohol Treatment:-

-  Unstructured treatment and harm reduction

-  Structured treatment

-  Residential rehab

• Impact of the funding:-

-  Improves access to services by being responsive the individuals needs and providing additional support

-  Offers individuals easier and more timely access to structured into drug and alcohol treatment

-  Helps stabilise individuals housing and move then forward on their housing and benefits journey

•  Success for this funding is moving the service user into mainstream drug and alcohol treatment services and maintaining/gaining appropriate accommodation.

•  Facts and Figures, including engagement numbers and  

   gender/age/profile of clients

•  A case study

The Committee asked questions and made comments on a number of issues including:-

-  Why Coventry had been identified as a priority for the grant funding

-  Details of the posts identified to support the delivery of the grant

-  The amount of support/cost required for each client, including health economic information

-  Grants available to support this work from other sources including Police and Probation sources

-  Concerns that the Council has to constantly bid for grants rather than the funding being part of the core funding. In particular, the resource/time intensive nature of bidding for grants and the time limited aspect of the grants which impacts on recruitment was noted

-  The national shortage of trained and experienced staff and work being undertaken in this regard

-  The costs associated with the use of agency staff (it was noted that this information would be circulated to the Committee after the meeting)

-  The timing of the grant funding and work being undertaken to ensure the grant is spent during the timescale

-  The importance of monitor and evaluating the grant funding and how this will be undertaken and measured

-  Levels of engagement and outreach work with clients and how this will differ depending on the individual needs

-  Work undertaken with other agencies, including the Police, in this regard

-  The designation of a key worker for each client and activities being provided during the day

-  Work being undertaken with the Job Shop in terms of employment and education

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The Committee welcomed all of the work being undertaken in this regard.

RESOLVED that the Scrutiny Co-ordination Committee:-

1)  Notes the information provided in the Briefing Note and presentation

2)  Requests that a further report on progress be considered at an appropriate time, to include evaluation data and information regarding the logic modelling/framework