Better Off was a £10 million community drug rehabilitation programme that we ran in Scotland between 2003 and 2008.
It aimed to offer holistic support that was tailored to the needs of individuals who wanted to enter and remain on rehabilitation programmes that would help them make sustainable changes to their lifestyles. So the programme emphasised the importance of getting services to work together, particularly those that supported people to find housing, jobs, education or training.
In 2004 we appointed Hall Aitken to undertake a four-year evaluation of the success of the programme and of individual projects in achieving their objectives.
The evaluators found that focusing on ‘softer’ aspects of clients’ needs often made a remarkable difference. Practical and creative activities and opportunities for volunteering were particularly successful. The flexibility and openness of projects in recognising and supporting people to deal with a wide range of issues also helped them to sustain lifestyle changes.
Lessons from Better Off were incorporated into Scotland's drug strategy, notably:
- the importance of focusing on clients’ needs and aspirations,
- the value of taking a more holistic look at individuals’ circumstances in developing recovery plans,
- the benefits of integrating treatment with other services, and
- focusing on supporting clients to become active and contributing members of society, rather than simply viewing them as people with problems.
Reports
- Initial evaluation update, explaining the programme and the evaluators’ approach
- Final evaluation summary
- First evaluation report
- Second evaluation report
- Final evaluation report
Please contact us if you have any comments or questions.