Employment And Drug Treatment
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Employment/Treatment
Enterprise ÐŽÒtreatmentÐŽ¦ services
„h Treatment and rehabilitation services
e.g. ÐŽÒsoftÐŽ¦ skills such as CV writing, cover letters
„h Specialist employability programmes and mainstream education
e.g. ÐŽÒhardÐŽ¦ skills for local labour markets
„h Training and employment services
e.g. work experience in voluntary sector
Nai Zindagi (New Life) case study
Nai Zindagi, Pakistan
„h Project founded in 1990 by Tariq Zafar
„h Argued that ÐŽÒtraditionalÐŽ¦ treatments focus on substances not on individuals
„h Enterprise approach partly due to Tariq ZafarÐŽ¦s commercial background
„h Intervention: Detox and residential rehab, peer counselling and support, entrepreneurship
„h Outcomes:1200 detox places, 600 rehab places, 250 places for vocational skills training and paid employment
Nai Zindagi, Pakistan
„h Outcome: 7 businesses in and around Islamabad and Lahore e.g. interior design service, environmentally friendly bespoke houses, designer clothing and leather goods, reconditioning old army jeeps
„h 80% of drug users who have entered project are now employed. Profits are at 30-35%
„h Success suggests the ÐŽÒholisticÐŽ¦ enterprise approach is sustainable for businesses and durable for recovering drug users
Why Nai Zindagi works
„h Shift away from a ÐŽÒcaringÐŽ¦ paradigm
„h Honesty about drugs
„h Enterprise supports clients in experiencing rewards and disappointments, risks and uncertainties and opportunities
„h Clients learn skills and the more experienced they become, the greater their salary
„h Innovation and charismatic leadership
The role of employment in the recovery of drug users
„h Most treatment seeking drug users are unemployed
„h Link between positive physical and mental health and employment
„h Employment proven to aid the process of recovery from chaotic drug use
Barriers to employment for recovering drug users
„h Fear of losing welfare benefits
„h Poor health and disability
„h Standard recruitment requirements and procedures (e.g. disclosure of criminal record)
„h Childcare
What is ÐŽÒtreatmentÐŽ¦ for drug use?
„h Treatment is “any structured attempt to improve lifestyle, health or social functioning involving a specialist third party”
„h Can be medical or non-medical
„h Can be delivered by agencies in the voluntary sector including charities
The aims of drug treatment service providers (reported by NTORS)
„h Reduction of psychological, social and other problems directly related to drug use
„h Reduction of psychological, social and other problems not directly attributable to drug