Ballymena Family & Addicts Support Group (removed due to invalid GD)

Public benefits

1. To provide a therapeutic Centre to help all people who struggle with complex substance use/misuse/abuse problems. The direct benefits which flow from this purpose include reducing the intake of substances by delivering rehabilitation programmes, education, counselling, mentorship, support and fitness advice using an holistic approach. The

public benefit from less crime associated with less substance misuse, the emergency services are utilised less and there is less antisocial behaviour. These therefore all have a wider positive effect on the community. These benefits can be demonstrated by a sense of wellbeing by decreasing substance consumption within the service users. This is monitored through receipt of feedback and questionnaires completed. Purpose 2 – to provide service users with appropriate programme of support, information and education. The direct benefits which flow from this purpose include delivering rehabilitation programmes which are ongoing for the service users as well as ongoing information delivery and education to all service users and their families. This benefit will apply to the extended family as well as young people within the education system. These benefits can be demonstrated by a greater knowledge of substance misuse as well as a better informed community on issues relating to substance misuse. Purpose 3 – to provide support for their families members/Carers. The direct benefits which flow from this purpose include direct family support sessions, peer led group meetings, distribution of newsletters, signposting to other agencies as well as access to all the facilities offered within the BFASG. These benefits can be demonstrated by ongoing monitoring and evaluation, through the registrations completed by service users and through the feedback returned by the service users. Purpose 4 - to advocate for, and raise public awareness of people suffering from substance use/misuse/abuse and the current gap in provision of their treatment. The direct benefits which flow from this purpose include raising public awareness by the web page and its notifications, Facebook page, leaflet distribution, partnerships set up, open days held, conferences hosted, press releases and networking continuously carried out. These benefits can be demonstrated by the website and Facebook being updated regularly, the number of press releases and by the leaflets drops being carried out continuously. Purpose 5 - to support volunteers and help them to achieve experience working in a community setting prior to employment. The direct benefits which flow from this purpose include volunteers being supported, training needs analysis carried out and training provided, being given job experience, building up their CV, experiencing interview techniques and having a good grasp of the client base. These benefits can be demonstrated by how volunteers go on to seek employment and then to gain employment. Volunteers then can also develop their volunteering and transfer their skills to other groups within the community. The beneficiaries are those who are affected by substance misuse individually, the families and carers of those affected by substance misuse, the children of those affected by substance misuse, young people in education and other agencies benefiting from our services. There is no harm flowing from these purposes. The only private benefit flowing from the purposes is that as our staff are being continually trained and developed and as a result when they leave employment when their funding ends these skills are taken by the employee to their new employment .The employees leave BFASG better qualified than when they first were employed and this is incidental and necessary because the staff need to be trained and developed in this area of work so as they can do their jobs and support service users to their best ability.

What your organisation does

To support individuals who have an addiction and their families/carers.