Forward awarded contract for new service in Medway
The service, which will go live on 1st April 2023, will support people in in Medway towns and the surrounding areas who have issues with drugs and/or alcohol. Open Road, who are experts in empowering a diverse range of people to lead healthy and more meaningful lives, will help those who are supported by the service to maintain their sobriety through the recovery element of the service.
It will build upon Forward’s existing support for people in the surrounding areas with substance misuse issues, as we already deliver community substance misuse services in East Kent and Southend.
This new service also provides us with an opportunity to deliver some original, innovative and exciting interventions, including the use of virtual reality, digital programmes and a Recovery Village, where clients will have access to a variety of different support agencies. We will also deploy extensive outreach as part of the service – taking support to people where they are at and actively working to engage some of the hardest to reach communities, including street homeless.
Service users are always at the heart of everything we do. As such, we’re delighted that co-design, a process which involves clients in the design and delivery of services, will form a crucial part of this new contract. We will also embed peers with lived and living experience throughout service delivery.
Interventions will have a strong focus on support for the friends and families of clients. Those involved will be offered specialist support, including a tailored course delivered by lived experience expert George Charlton.
Other local partners will include organisations such as supported accommodation provider AMAT UK.
Cllr David Brake, Medway Council’s Portfolio Holder covering Public Health, said: “We are looking forward to working with The Forward Trust to provide a holistic treatment and recovery service for our residents. We will work closely with all services to ensure a smooth transition as we continue to strive towards person-centred care.”
Forward Trust CEO Mike Trace said: “I am absolutely delighted that Forward have been awarded the contract to provide substance misuse services in Medway. We are excited about this new way of working, which means we can support more people to break the cycle of addiction and transform their lives for the better.”
Open Road CEO Sarah Wright said: “We are delighted to be working in partnership with Forward Trust in Medway, delivering a wide range of services to people with drug and alcohol issues, assisting them on their road to recovery.”
For more information about this or any of our service, please contact communications@forwardtrust.org.uk.