Services we provide

We have specialist teams providing services for children and young people and their loved ones.

You can find out more about these services by clicking here

A person’s misuse of drugs or alcohol can have a devastating effect on their family and friends, and we offer services which can offer support and advice to loved ones.

Get help for someone else (help for someone else)

Accessing support

The role of the Barod worker is to provide as much information as possible to assist the you, the service user, in making informed decisions about your own care and support package.

When you first come into services, we will ask you questions to help us to find out what you want and what we can support you with.  We will give you information on what is available within Barod and within other local agencies to help you to create the best support package for you.  We will pull all this information together into a care plan, which is based on your individual needs.

Care plans are reviewed at least every 12 weeks and are flexible.  We recognise that plans may change, sometimes very quickly. The care plan is a guide, a focus for the work we will do together; but it is always led by you, the service user.

We know that lapse and relapse is common – we can work with that – the last thing we want is for someone to think they have failed and drop out of treatment.  We will adapt the care plan to ensure that milestones and goals are achievable.

Barod works to the Community Reinforcement Approach which rewards service users when they reach their self-set milestones in their support/care plan.  Rewards are agreed between the service user and case worker.

We provide a wide range of informal and more structured groups to help individuals, families and friends to address substance misuse problems.

Attending group sessions can be really effective in helping individuals to learn more about themselves and what they are working on.

Don’t worry if you don’t feel ready to work in a group yet, no one is pressured to attend a group, and we will be there to support you if you do.

We operate a number of drop-in centres which offer a range of services.

In the drop-in we can help to address any immediate problems or crisis, and help people get the help they need.

But we can also offer regular low level support, access to a computer or just a safe place to discuss your concerns around your substance use.

There is no need for an appointment, but be sure to check the opening times before you visit.

Find your nearest drop-in centre 

We find that getting involved in activities an make a real difference in someone’s recovery and we offer a range of schemes to encourage people to take part in positive activities in their lives, and reduce social isolation.

Art classes, drama groups, music groups, photography groups, walking groups, rock climbing, cookery groups, plus many more!

Complimentary therapies can help you to relax and to deal with cravings and triggers.

We provide a range of complementary therapies including Auricular Acupuncture, Mindfullness and Indian Head Massage.

Here are some of the ways we promote harm reduction:

Needle Exchange

Needle exchanges are a vital service that aims to reduce the overall harm associated with sharing used injecting equipment.

Our exchanges work with anyone using substances by injection – be that opiates or steroids / image enhancing drugs.

Based on the harm reduction philosophy, we offer equipment, advice and support as well sharps bins to help reduce drug-related litter.

See the How our Services Work page for more information on Needle Exchange

See the Get Help Now page to find your nearest needle exchange

Naloxone

We train opiate users and other individuals in the use of Naloxone, a life-saving drug that can be used  in opiate overdose emergencies.

See our How Our Services Work page for more information on Naloxone and how you can access it

Overdose Prevention Advice

We can provide information or training to individuals on all aspects of overdose from prevention to dealing with an emergency.

This information is available to all; individuals at risk, family and friends and those working with individuals that may be at risk.

Blood Borne Viruses and Dry Blood Spot Testing

Barod works with BBV Specialist Nurses and hepatology staff to provide supported access to testing, vaccination and treatment for BBVs.  At risk service users are encouraged to undertake testing and, if tests are positive, treatment for HIV, HBV and HCV.

Barod staff are trained and supported to conduct Dried Blood Spot Testing for BBVs.  The aim of these finger prick tests is to conduct an initial screening and get service users talking and thinking about BBVs.  Test results take approximately one week.

We work with partner agency The Terrence Higgins Trust to provide peer support groups for people affected by blood borne viruses.

Sexual Health advice

Individuals can access basic safe sex information including contraception, STI’s, BBV’s and the impact of co- ocurring sex and substances. Some of our bases have access to a visiting sexual health nurse able to provide smears, screenings and contraceptive advice. 

Aftercare is what comes after the structured treatment provided to those making a change to their substance use. Service users learn how to make their changes last through a varied programme, which leads to a planned exit of services when the service user has what they need to live their lives in the way they would like to.  Aftercare can help individuals to learn new coping strategies to help them maintain their changes, as well as  increase their network of non-substance users.  It provides a light-touch support in case of lapse or relapse, to help the service user to grow their confidence in themselves steadily and safely.

We understand that when you make a change, it doesn’t happen overnight.

Aftercare helps with daily living skills. The individual who goes through our structured models of treatment will pick up a lot of knowledge and skills, but most of the learning needs to occur during normal everyday living and that’s where aftercare can provide real-time support and help. As the person in recovery is faced with new problems, they will be encouraged to find new solutions whilst in aftercare and they will build up effective coping strategies over time.

Aftercare also works with service users who are nearing the end of their Opiate Substitute Therapy Programme preparing for abstinence from all opiates. It can help with relapse prevention advice and medication and with preparing the individual for dealing with situations that may arise.

The aftercare programme includes support groups and life skills acquisition. If at a future time someone needs a little more support in their lives they can come back to the aftercare service whenever they need to.

Here are some examples of Aftercare Activities

• Relapse prevention advice / medication
• Relaxation / mindfullness
• Communication skills
• SMART Recovery
• Building on selfesteem
• Setting and pursuing goals
• Using a support network
• Cooking basics

At Barod we provide screening and brief interventions that aim to identify current or potential problems with drugs and alcohol and motivate those at risk to change their substance use behaviour.

Brief interventions can range from 5 minutes of brief advice to 3 sessions of 15-30 minutes which may include some counselling, exploration of use or skills development

Brief interventions that we offer are tailored to meet the needs of the individual and where they are in their recovery.

Some examples include:

• Using motivational interviewing to explore goals and readiness for change if someone is unsure about what they would like to do about their use
• harm reduction advice and brief interventions for those who wish to make changes and do not have complex needs requiring further support
• revisiting relapse preventions techniques with those that have made changes but are experiencing challenge to their recovery

Generally, brief interventions are not intended to treat people with significant dependence, however, they are a valuable tool for treatment for risky drug and alcohol use.  Where an individual requires more in depth structured support, a referral can be be made through the treatment pathway, for care planned interventions and support.

Through our social enterprise Tyfu, our training programmes, our Cyfle Cymru out of work service and our group work, we aim to provide individuals with new skills and opportunities that they can use to improve many areas of their lives.

Open Access does exactly what it says on the tin: offers a space where anyone can drop-in and be seen by a substance misuse professional without an appointment. 

Service users do not have to be in treatment to access the open access drop in service – this can be a one off or as many times a service user needs.

Open access can provide the following, where available:

• Foodbank vouchers are issued
• Needle Exchange provision is available
• A phone is available for service users to make phone calls to other professionals (these calls are screened and supervised)
• BBV Testing is available
• Naloxone Training and Prescribing
• Service users can call in to make a referral
• Service users and their families can attend when individual(s) are in crisis and need advice and guidance
• Service users can have an initial assessment on open access
• Bibliotherapy and self-help resources
• Information leaflets on different substances
• A wide range of brief interventions
• Harm reduction advice

An individual’s ability to cope with cravings is helped by knowing the following:

1) there is a difference between a lapse and a relapse;

2) continued coping with the craving while maintaining the new behaviour will eventually reduce the craving. These coping skills can make the difference when cravings are intense:

Structured Relapse Prevention offers service users skills and techniques to carry with them to manage potential threats to their recovery. Each person’s experience will be different, so Relapse Prevention work explores a person’s unique triggers and challenges, creating plan B’s and C’s to manage / overcome them.

A structured Relapse Prevention plan, tailored to the individual and geared towards maintaining new behaviours can make a real difference in a trigger situation.  The plan focuses on the individual’s own strengths and resources, and identifies and plugs any gaps in these that could harm their recovery.

The plan may involve integrating into an individual’s behaviour diversion activities, coping skills, and emotional support.

Relapse Prevention work may include some of the following:

• communication
• understanding cravings/urges
• recognising triggers
• meaningful and diversionary activities
• emotional well-being
• relaxation / mindfullness
• social support
• role play / rehearsal for tricky situations
• rewarding appropriately
• nutrition and exercise
• stress management