3 Reducing the risk of relapse
15. The National
Treatment Outcome Research study commissioned by the Department
of Health had found that about 40% of people treated in residential
or community methodone programmes in 1995 were still using heroin
at least once a week four to five years later. Most drug misusers
are therefore likely to require treatment and support over a sustained
period before they achieve abstinence.[16]
16. Around 71% of current Drug Treatment and Testing
Orders are intended to last around twelve months and, in some
areas, Orders frequently last as little as six months. Taken on
their own therefore, Orders may not be long enough to achieve
sustainable change. The National Treatment Agency for Substance
Misuse had significantly expanded the availability of drug treatment
in the community over the last two years and aimed to provide
a seamless treatment service irrespective of the outcome of the
Order. Offenders interviewed by the National Audit Office were
concerned that treatment and support available beyond the end
of the Order would not be of sufficient intensity to enable them
to sustain their progress. The Agency was confident that treatment
would be continuous in this context. It assigned caseworkers to
all drug misusers to provide advice and support even after the
offender had come off drugs, to see them through times when they
might be particularly vulnerable to relapse.[17]
17. Some of the drug misusers we interviewed had
experienced practical problems that might, if unaddressed, hinder
their progress on the Order. Some for example, had experienced
delays in obtaining Job Seekers' Allowance whilst on the Order.
The Service recognised that other agencies had a significant part
to play in helping people on the Order sort out their lives. It
was working with other agencies to address these issues. It had
not been aware of the difficulties faced by some offenders in
claiming benefits but undertook to raise the issue with JobCentre
Plus, the agency responsible for paying the Job Seekers' Allowance.[18]
18. Offenders we met had experienced difficulties
in obtaining accommodation away from their drug misusing peer
group, and some offenders interviewed by the National Audit Office
were homeless. The Service had sought to increase access to hostel
places but had difficulty in obtaining planning permission for
new facilities. Probation teams tried to find suitable accommodation
for people on the Order, although the Service had no evidence
that offenders had been allowed to jump existing housing queues.
The National Offender Management Service was working with the
Office of the Deputy Prime Minister to improve access to housing
and had also held discussions with the Local Government Association.
Its aim was to convince other departments and agencies that the
more they could help with resettlement the greater the impact
on reducing reoffending.[19]
16 Q 9 Back
17
Qq 8-9, 84-85 Back
18
Qq 12-13 Back
19
Qq 12, 36; C&AG's Report, para 3.22 Back
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