Allington House, Bournemouth
Provides treatment program for up to 16 people whose primary problem is either drugs or alcohol.
About us:
Allington House provides both primary and secondary treatment programmes for up to 16 people of either sex. We can take clients between 18 and 64 years of age with a past or present addiction to drugs and / or alcohol. New clients maybe asked to share a bedroom, this is because when a client first arrives they can be particularly vulnerable and feel isolated from a group of people they don’t yet know – sharing a room is designed to give such new clients a period of time where they are not alone. We aim to meet a clients needs, however we do not have the facilities for severely disabled people. We may not be able to meet the needs of some faiths as we have only one kitchen. However we are happy to discuss meeting various physical, spiritual and dietary needs on an assessment to see if our organisation can meet your needs.
Treatment is expected to last for between 13 weeks and 26 weeks. The process a client will become involved in, whilst at Allington House will start with an assessment period, this will help clarify the nature of a persons problem, both for the client and the staff team and give an opportunity to look at realistic goals and the creation of a tailor-made treatment plan designed to meet the specific needs presented.
Running parallel to this will be daily group work. This will vary from group to group. Some groups will be structured around specific tasks. Some will be around both group and individual goals. Other groups will be about here and now issues, which will involve problem solving education and the identification of intra personal difficulties and interpersonal problems and their relationship with relapse and other problematic behaviour. There is an introduction to the 12-step program and groups, these can help with the maintenance of recovery. There is access to college each week to begin looking at IT skills, educational needs and further education for future employment. Clients will have the opportunity to attend local self-help groups, get involved in the community through voluntary work and start outside activities whilst in treatment.
On graduation from Allington a client will have a better understanding of themselves and their past relationship with substances. There will be an opportunity to look at and consider a realistic ongoing treatment plan, such as re-integration and after-care, based on individual need. Intended Service Users and Range of Needs Allington House provides treatment program for up to 16 people who primary problem is either drugs or alcohol. We will always try to accommodate people with secondary needs as well, such as physical disabilities, however the limitations of our premises means this has to be addressed on a case by case basis in discussion with a potential service user. This is not a home which provides nursing care.
Attendance at Group Activities You will be expected to attend all group activities. To obtain the full benefit of treatment you need to attend all group activities.
All interventions used are based on three specific models, Cognitive behavioural therapy, motivational enhancement, and twelve-step facilitation, these are used as brief interventions through out the treatment period based on the service users stage in treatment/recovery, which is regularly assessed through regular review and clinical supervision to monitor individual outcome and effect.
Whilst you are in treatment you will have a focal counsellor. With your counsellor you will be dealing with your assessed needs using a care plan. This will help to monitor you goals, difficulties and achievements. You and your counsellor will review this at regular intervals. Each time a new care plan is devised by you and your counsellor it is a requirement that you sign it to show that you are in agreement with it.
Any client maybe asked for a urine sample during treatment, if there is a real suspicion that someone has used whilst in treatment. A failure to provide a sample in this situation may result in a client being discharged. For clients on DTTO (Drug Testing Treatment Orders) there will be regular urine sampling, which is a condition of the order. The frequency of these will depend on the court order. These may need to be supervised, which involves a staff member being present whilst the sample is being produced.
For clients on the Criminal Justice Limitation System, there are certain physical restrictions. Generally there will be a curfew time, by which time the client must be in the building. There are also some rooms which are out of range of clients on the system, these will be shown to you on assessment or admission.
Whilst in the first part of treatment, clients are not allowed to go out alone. Clients need to either be with a staff member, a volunteer, a befriender, a representative from another organisation, such as a local place of worship, a self-help group or with a group of clients. Client groups often go out for walks together, if you go on a walk with a large group of people it is your responsibility to keep up with the group, and return home with the group.
If it is felt by the staff team that you are particularly vulnerable, or unable to undertake an activity on a particular occasion, you may be excluded from the activity in the interest of your safety. This decision will be based on a risk assessment and will be explained at the time. Your opportunity to get involved Each week there is a community meeting, where clients can air any general problems they are experiencing in the house or with the service. Each month a Trustee will come to visit. They endeavour to speak to each client wherever possible. Please feel free to speak to a trustee on any matter relating to the service. Every three months an anonymous client survey questionnaire is given out. This is to give each client the opportunity to give us feedback anonymously on any aspect of the service we provide.
Contact Details:
Allington House
46 Dean Park Road
Bournemouth
BH1 1QA
Telephone: 01202 551254