Circles of Care

We welcome guest contributors to this blog. Today’s post comes from Lauren Johnston at STRADA (Scottish Training on Drugs and Alcohol). Lauren’s example highlights an innovation to her sector.

She has outlined how her organisation are supporting others to trial a ‘circles of care’ approach to support. More than that, though, her work also highlights the value of 1). testing things out 2). using knowledge from elsewhere to inform new practice development 3). how taking a strengths based approach can transform the relationships between people being supported and those who provide support – all stuff that is right up our street!

Thanks Lauren for your contribution – looking forward to reading more in September!

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Melting the Iceberg of Scotland’s drug and alcohol problem: Report of the Independent Enquiry (2010) identified the need to develop a whole-population approach as a response to help tackle Scotland’s drug and alcohol problem and to develop a Circle of Care concept.  The concept aims to empower the focus person (service user) by allowing them to explore their needs and identify the support they require from services to help them in their recovery. The focus person also identifies their recovery capital to become part of their Circle of Care. Recovery capital is another term for personal/social assets and can include family, partners, friends, peers, volunteers, community resources. A facilitator, typically a professional, works alongside the focus person supporting them with the process. This style of working requires a shift in power between the professional and service user – where the professional guides and facilitates choices and decision making allowing the focus person to lead.

STRADA are currently developing a Circle of Care approach with a range of statutory and voluntary drug and alcohol organisations across Scotland.  Circle based approaches have a strong evidence base in a range of health and social settings including learning disabilities, sex offending and homelessness.   Currently there is little evidence to suggest that circle based approaches work in the field of substance misuse.  STRADA are therefore coordinating a ‘Proof of Concept’ phase to test the applicability of circle based approaches within this area.

The aims of the ‘Proof of Concept’ phase are in line with the Scottish Government Road to Recovery agenda and Supporting the Development of Scotland’s Alcohol and Drug Workforce statement.  The aims are;

• to gather sufficient evidence in relation to the delivery of recovery outcomes and the operational and practice coherence to allow Circle of Care to be a validated and accepted approach.
• to use evidence to help scale up Circle of Care through the medium of workforce development.  This is turn will help to change culture in the workforce and support the development of new skills.

Circle of Care is not an intervention but a different approach to working with people who are affected by substance misuse.  As practitioners, we have identified that the support network of individuals who are in recovery consist largely of professionals and services.  However, it is just as crucial that other members such as family, friends, and peers become part of that network to support the individual re-integrate into the wider community.

Thus far, facilitators have used various techniques and tools to help the focus person identify their recovery capital including ecomaps, genograms and mind-maps.  However, it would be useful to draw upon a tool which has evaluated in a similar setting and has positive outcomes.  Personal Asset Mapping (PAM) and the WITTY app are both useful tools to integrate into Circle of Care to help the focus person identify their recovery capital or social assets.  STRADA intend to discuss this tool with the Co-Production group members and explore the possibility of integrating the tool into the Circle of Care training module which will be available in 2014.

The diagram below highlights exactly where PAM and the WITTY app could be introduced into the Circle of Care process.

The evaluation of the ‘Proof of Concept” phase is underway and a report will be available in September 2013 which will outline the learning and development which has taken place across the 6 host organisations. If you would like further information about Circle of Care or would like to receive newsletters please contact the Circle of Care Coordinator: Lauren Johnston via email; l.johnston@projectstrada.org