What Makes an Effective Treatment Service?
May 20, 2016
A fascinating article has been published on the UK-based "Drug and Alcohol Findings" website, titled "What makes an effective treatment service." The article provides an overview of a broad range of evidence into effective service delivery. They describe one study which found highly marginalised clients more effectively assisted by alcohol and drug workers who were non-conformist and who valued hedonism and stimulation, over more conservative alcohol and other drug workers. The authors also describe an innovative study from the United States that involved workers conducting a "walk through" - experiencing the treatment system themselves through a live action role play, that starts at the telephone intake, through to assessment and intervention. These live action role plays revealed poor staff engagement, impersonal interactions, inadequate equipment, convoluted administrative procedures and more. The article provides a number of other examples of research into service improvement from around the world.