Caffi CAIS

A new amenity for Llandudno is open for business and will be formally launched on 21^st July by Assembly Member, Janet Finch-Saunders.  Caffi CAIS is located on the Mostyn Broadway coach park, following refurbishment of the old structure which had been unused for some years.  Llandudno-based charity, CAIS, is behind the venture, which as well as providing a refreshment spot for residents and visitors, will offer employment and training opportunities for individuals recovering from problems with drugs and alcohol.  Development of the site followed a successful bid to the Welsh Government Substance Misuse Action Fund, which was supported by both Conwy CBC and the Llandudno Town Council.

The café offers a range of freshly-prepared meals, snacks and drinks, and is already proving popular with both coach travellers and local residents.  Under the supervision of experienced managers, staff undergo an intensive 13-week course in all aspects of retail catering, including food hygiene and preparation, health and safety, customer service and basic business skills.  The aim is to enable trainees to hold down jobs in the many hotels and catering establishments in the area.  The café will operate as a social enterprise and profits will be re-invested in client services.

CAIS Chief Executive, Clive Wolfendale, said “We are delighted to have the café up and running to meet the busy summer period.  We have been able to revitalise a rather forlorn part of the coach park and offer a cheerful welcome for visitors to the town.  The venue is already very busy and our cakes are simply the best!  The project will enable individuals to develop the skills necessary to live lives away from benefits and dependency, and to become economically productive and self-sufficient.  The staff are responding brilliantly to the opportunity.  CAIS is very grateful to all the partner agencies who have made this project possible.”

The opening celebration will begin at 11.00 a.m. on 21^st July and will feature a specially-commissioned balloon model and cake made by the team.  Entertainment will be provided by members of the Llandudno Youth Theatre, whose production of Wiz opens at Venue Cymru that day.

Rehab

A battle is raging in England between opposing opinions on the best way of treating people with drug and alcohol problems.  The letter (below) published in the Daily Telegraph last Saturday outlines the argument.  Experience that CAIS has gained in 30 years or so of delivering treatment services points to a clear and optimistic reality - properly managed residential rehabilitation as part of a holistic programme of support and integration can enable people to get off drink and drugs, and stay off.

Helping addicts quit
SIR – We represent leading voluntary and private sector abstinence-based rehabilitation centres in England. We were concerned by the revelations in Kathy Gyngell’s report, published by the Centre for Policy Studies, Breaking the Habit: why the state should stop dealing drugs and start doing rehab (“Benefits and treatment for drug addicts cost £3.6 billion a year”, telegraph.co.uk, June 19).

We call on the Government to make abstinence-based rehabilitation central to the implementation of its drugs policy. Fewer than 2 per cent of addicts seeking help to quit drugs are currently referred to rehab. An immediate goal of 25 per cent is feasible. Such a commitment is necessary to turn around the tanker of dependency.

In the two years before the general election, an average of one rehab unit closed each month. A progressive decline in statutory referrals, with the loss of about 1,000 beds, continues. Yet taxpayers are funding the continued dependency of the 98 per cent of addicts in so-called treatment, to the tune of billions of pounds. This process will continue if the Coalition leaves current commissioning arrangements for drugs and alcohol services in place under the direction of the National Treatment Agency, soon to be transferred to Public Health England.

Unless the Coalition takes action quickly, the Prime Minister’s call to help addicts to become clean, free of drugs and build new lives, will be thwarted.

Deirdre Boyd
CEO, Addiction Recovery Foundation
Ed Smith
Director, Acorn Treatment and Housing
Peter Walker
CEO, Addiction Recovery Agency
Richard Johnson
Director, ANA Treatment Centres
Ges Schofield
Manager, Ark House
Derek Mace
CEO, Bosence and Boswyns
Gina Dormer
CEO, Broadreach Group
Brian Dudley
CEO, Broadway Lodge
Clive Wolfendale
CAIS Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation
Simon Stephens
Director of case work, Addictions UK
Barnaby Guthrie
CEO, Clinical Partners
Chip Somers
CEO, Focus12
Wendy Dawson
CEO, Ley Community
Anthony Massouras
Chairman, Mimosa Healthcare Group
Ruth Allonby
CEO, Mount Carmel
Jan and Carl de Vera Davey
CEOs, Open Minds
Carl Edwards
Director, Park View Project
James Peacock
Senior statutory coordinator, Perry Clayman Project
John Grady
Director, Pierpoint Addiction Treatment
Steve Spiegel
Director, Providence Projects
Arlene Rodgers
Director, Quinton House
Jon Harman
Director, Ravenscourt Trust
Gavin Cooper
Managing director, Trust the Process
Tom Kirkwood
CEO, TTP Recovery Communities
Amanda Thomas
CEO, Western Counselling
Ken Wiltshire
Director, Yeldall Manor
Matthew Franzidis
Chief operating officer, Priory Healthcare

Drug and Alcohol Charities in Joint Working

CAIS and Kaleidoscope, the two largest drug and alcohol charities in Wales, have formed a collaborative partnership in the delivery of substance misuse services across much of Wales.  North Wales based CAIS and South Wales based Kaleidoscope have agreed to work together in the development of treatment projects and in sharing back office support.  This will create greater efficiency leading to improved healthcare for client groups.

The two organisations commenced joint delivery of drug and alcohol services in the Powys area in April, following a successful bid to local commissioners.

CAIS Chair, Dr Dafydd Alun Jones, said “It is increasingly important that charities demonstrate their willingness to work together.  The complementary strengths of the two organisations will enable a wider range of services to be provided across the whole of Wales”.

Kaleidoscope Chair, Dr Medwin Hughes, said “It is vital that in Wales we look to creating the best possible services to vulnerable people.  The combined strength of CAIS and Kaleidoscope will mean that in Wales we have an agency that can demonstrate the best in drug and alcohol treatment in the UK”.

For further information please contact:

CAIS Chief Executive, Clive Wolfendale, on 01492 863007.

Kaleidoscope Chief Executive, Martin Blakebrough, on 01633 245012.

www.cais.co.uk

www.kaleidoscopeproject.org.uk

New Year's Resolution

I guess most of us have made a promise to ourselves somehow to be better people in 2011.  Having already lost an extraordinary amount of weight and tidied up the garden, I was looking around myself for a new theme this year.  I was therefore very pleased the other day to come across some material which is used by the CAIS Training team in delivering its day programme of activities for people recovering from substance misuse problems.  The Five Ways to Wellbeing is a simple philosophy of how to make life a little more enjoyable and fulfilling.  I defy anybody not to take something from it.  See what you think?  Happy New Year.

Five Ways to Wellbeing

A review of the most up-to-date evidence suggests that building the following five actions into our day-to-day lives is important for well-being:

Connect...
With the people around you.  With family, friends, colleagues and neighbours.  At home, work, school or in your local community.  Think of these as the cornerstones of your life and invest time in developing them.  Building these connections will support and enrich you every day.

Be Active...
Go for a walk or run.  Step outside.  Cycle.  Play a game.  Garden.  Dance.  Exercising makes you feel good.  Most importantly, discover a physical activity you enjoy and that suits your level of mobility and fitness.

Take Notice...
Be curious.  Catch sight of the beautiful.  Remark on the unusual.  Notice the changing seasons.  Savour the moment, whether you are walking to work, eating lunch or talking to friends.  Be aware of the world around you and what you are feeling.  Reflecting on your experiences will help you appreciate what matters to you.

Keep Learning...
Try something new.  Rediscover an old interest.  Sign up for that course.  Take on a different responsibility at work.  Fix a bike.  Learn to play an instrument or how to cook your favourite food.  Set a challenge you will enjoy achieving.  Learning new things will make you more confident as well as being fun.

Give...
Do something nice for a friend, or a stranger.  Thank someone.  Smile.  Volunteer your time.  Join a community group.  Look out, as well as in.  Seeing yourself, and your happiness, linked to the wider community can be incredibly rewarding and creates connections with the people around you.

Centre for Wellbeing, NEF (the New Economics Foundation)