Swanswell Trustee

Information pack


Welcome

You might think drug and alcohol misuse doesn’t have any impact on your life or community, but it’s time to think again.

More than 2 million people in the UK are suffering from a drug or alcohol dependence1. That’s more than 6 times the number of people who are diagnosed with cancer2or13times the number of people who have a heart attack3 every year.

We can’t cure cancer or heart disease – we wish we could – but we can help people with substance misuse problems to change, recover, and be happy.

The really sad fact is that only 14% of people with a substance misuse problem are getting the help they need4.

At Swanswell, we think leaving 1.7 million people, and their friends and families, without support isn’t good enough. And we’ve got a plan that will make things much, much better, and change the way drug and alcohol misuse is viewed and treated forever.

What do you do with a spare few hours a month?

How about playing a major role in creating a lasting legacy that will improve the lives of millions?

If it’s the last line that appeals to you most, you’re probably the type of person we’re looking for.

Apply to be a Swanswell Trustee, and together we can make a lasting, positive impact on the lives of millions.

Mick Wells

Chair

Swanswell Board

Contents

Welcome from Chair of Board / 2
Contents / 3
Drug and alcohol misuse affects us all / 4
What we’re already doing / 4
An award winning organisation / 5
Client feedback / 6
Our vision of the future / 7
Think Again / 7
Gateway / 7
Who we’re looking for / 8

Trustee job description

/ 9

Governance arrangements

/ 10
Our management structure / 11
Selection criteria / 12

How to apply

/ 12

Selection process

/ 12
References / 13

Drug and alcohol misuse affects us all

It’s not just the individual who’s affected by drug and alcohol misuse. It affects their friends, families and communities too, and it costs the UK billions5.

A growing problem

It’s estimated that 1 in 5 people in the UK have a family member with a drug or alcohol problem6. So if you have more than 5 friends, chances are you know someone whose life is already being affected by substance misuse.

People

The National Association for Children of Alcoholics believe there’s around a million children living with an alcohol dependent parent or parents7, while a further 3.6 million people had their childhoods scarred by parental alcohol misuse8. And the disease is a generational one, with a third of children of alcohol misusersgoing on to develop related problems in their adulthood8.

Health

Addiction in the UK is rising9. In 2010/11 there were over 51,000 drug-related hospital admissions – an increase of 15.2% on the previous year, and the biggest annual increase for 10 years10. In 2009/10 there were over a million alcohol-related admissions – an increase of around 900 per day compared with 5 years ago11.

Alcohol misuse costs the UK between £18 and £25 billion every year, while drug misuse costs another £15.4 billion5.

Crime

40% of violent crime, 78% of assaults and 88% of criminal damage cases are committed while the offender is under the influence of alcohol8. The cost of alcohol-related crime and disorder is thought to be between £8 and £13 billion each year14.

Out of 2,087,000 violent crimes in 2010, victims believe 20% of them were carried out while under the influence of drugs. Drug-related crime costs England and Wales around £15.4 billion every year5.

But Swanswell believe we can change all this.

For every £1 spent on drug treatment, there’s a £2.50 return to the UK economy, while £1 spent on alcohol treatment saves £5, and £1 spent treating offenders saves nearly £10 for the UK economy5.

What we’re already doing

Swanswell are already one of the market leaders in drug and alcohol treatment, and we develop highly innovative programmes that really do work. The table below gives a very brief overview of what we achieved in 2010/11:

Two of our innovative, exciting current developments are:

  • The Swanswell Recovery Model, which was developed in 2011. It’s a recovery based approach to treatment that’s founded on the evidence base of a 6 month pilot we carried out in Birmingham with over 300 service users and 15 different GPs. Clients self-assess their current circumstances and needs. They then identify goals and create recovery action plans in their own words for their substance use, health, social functioning and/or offending behaviour. Taking ownership of their recovery in this way significantly helps it to be sustained.

We’re really excited about the changes our model has helped our clients make: the pilot results showed twice as many people becoming drug-free, and those on substitute medication as being twice as likely to be reducing their dose.We’re now in the process of rolling the model out across all our services.

  • Alcohol-related brain injury (ARBI).ARBI is one of the terms used to describe physical

impairment to the brain caused by excessive alcoholconsumption. Working with our commissioners and clients, we’ve identified an increasing number of cases of ARBI in people presenting to our alcohol services. Further research showed that around 10% of all cases of dementia are alcohol-related and that the condition is often undetected or misdiagnosed, putting unnecessary strain on NHS resources. So we’ve developed screening tools and a programme of interventions to:

  • support people with ARBI, and their carers, to live happier, more independent lives
  • help reverse or manage the affects of ARBI symptoms where possible

Our other programmes have been just as successful:

  • Our 12-sessionReducing Drug-Related Offending Programme achieved a 71% reduction on spend on illegal drugs, while 15.3% of people completed their programme drug free
  • Our hospital liaison service helped 414 people on their treatment journey, and 80% of patients were not re-referred to our services for alcohol-related issues
  • Our Reducing Alcohol-Related Hospital Admissions service at Birmingham Heartland’s Hospital saw 80 people, and 68% completed their treatment with positive outcomes
  • Our Alcohol and Domestic Abuse Programme worked with 479 perpetrators and victims of domestic abuse and 73% didn’t re-offend
  • We held 230 appointments with carers, and 49% of carers are now actively involved in their loved ones treatment
  • 88% of people accessing our supporting people services achieved their goals (8% over commissioned targets)
  • Our Shared Care service allows clients to get drug advice from their GP surgery with support from Swanswell, as part of the primary care team. We achieved a 90% client retention rate (3% over commissioned targets)
  • Our unique three day Get Fabulous! workshop saw a 100% of participants saying their self-esteem and confidence had improved, helping them to address their substance misuse problem more positively
  • We’ve reached 228,720 people online byproviding clinics and advice on website forums

An award winning organisation

The quality of our services is constantly being noticed and recognised. Here’s a quick list of some of our achievements:

  • Three consecutive National Training Awards
  • A Best Business Award for our work in GP practices
  • The Sunday Times Top 100 Best Places to Work in the Public and Third Sectors 2011
  • Best Company ‘one to watch’ 2012
  • ISO 9001, ISO 14001, OHSAS 18001 and PAS 99
  • Investors in People
  • Investors in Diversity level 2 (we’re working towards level 3)
  • Stonewall Diversity Champion
  • Midlands Service Provider of the Year 2011
  • A Global Business Excellence Award for Outstanding Hospital Liaison Service
  • Regional NHS Health and Social Care Award for Primary Care and Community Based Integration 2010
  • Runner up in the Howard League for Penal Reform Community Programme Awards for our reducing Drug-Related Offending Programme
  • Service User Engagement and Wellbeing Award (Birmingham Drug and Alcohol Team Awards 2010, 2011 and 2012). We also won the ‘Outstanding contribution by a service user’ award 2012

But don’t just take our word for it!

Here’s what some of our clients have to say:

Our vision of the future

Our corporate mission is ‘to achieve a society free from problem alcohol and drug use’. We’ll enable a climate of clear thinking around the use of alcohol and drugs

  • by clearly demonstrating the cause and effect that drives problem behaviour
  • that will change the majority of public opinion
  • so that society demands policy change
  • that will help eliminate the problems of alcohol and drug use within a generation, forever

We know our aims are big, and they’re not going to be easy to achieve. But that’s why we need your help. Together we can change the world – it’s not that long ago that smoking in public places was the norm, and tobacco companies sponsored sports events.

Besides, how much longer are we going to let this go on? How many more people need to suffer before enough is enough?

The process of change will not be quick, it may be tortuously slow to start with. But it will gather speed and gain ground and momentum. The question we have to ask ourselves is, isn’t it our duty to prevent the generations that follow us falling into problem drug and alcohol use?

We believe there’s never been a better time to act, and we want you to be part of creating our positive, lasting legacy.

Two of the main ways we’re planning to do this are through our Gateway and Think Again innovations.

Think Again

We want to establish an ambitious, but focused, programme of debate, advocacy and campaigning called Think Again. Through Think Again, we’ll use solid evidence and experience from the people we help every day, to shape social debate and influence government and NHS policy, and business and industry practice.

Gateway

Getting help to overcome a drug or alcohol misuse problem is currently difficult and confusing. In fact it’s easier to buy illicit drugs than it is to get help or support. The Swanswell Gateway will use the latest technology to create an online one-stop-shop that makes getting help for drug or alcohol problems as easy as buying a plane ticket. Through Gateway we’ll make drug and alcohol support available to anyone who needs it, and bring together providers to offer interventions that are more effective, and save the government money.

Who we’re looking for

We’re already improving the lives of thousands of people every year, but we don’t think that’s good enough. What we really want to do is change the way drug and alcohol misuse is viewed and treated.

Forever.

We genuinely believe it’s possible to create a society where problem drug and alcohol misuse just doesn’t exist.But we can’t do it alone.

We’re looking for talented, ambitious, enthusiastic, innovative thinkers who love a challenge. We’re open to applications from people with experience in the charity, not-for-profit and public sectors as well as those with a commercial career history.

What’s also important for us, is a personal connection with what we do, and a passion that supports our aims and objectives. You might have experiences relating to the issues we’re working to address. This may have come about as a direct result of personal experience, or that of family or friends. Equally it may be because of the professional work that you are involved in and this may be in either a paid or voluntary capacity.

So if you’re good at thinking outside of the box, and are as passionate about changing the world as we are, we’d love to hear from you. We’re especially interested in working with you if you have:

  • the connections to help us build our profile, raise funds and spread our message further
  • a high profile in your sector
  • media, PR and public policy experience and influence
  • commercial acumen
  • clinical expertise
  • legal expertise
  • human resources expertise
  • an understanding of our customers

But don’t worry if you don’t fit neatly into our wish list; we’re interested in working with people from all different backgrounds. The most important thing you can bring to Swanswell is your desire and motivation to make a positive difference to people’s lives, and society as a whole.

If you’re passionate about our vision and cause, you could be just the person we’re looking for.

Our Trustees are unremunerated, but we pay expenses, and working with us is a highly rewarding experience.We’ll always work to achieve a balance between recognising and valuing the fact that you’re offering your time, skills and experience on a voluntary basis with the need to be thorough in our assessment of individual suitability and organisational need.

Our current Board of Trustees comprises of;

Mick Wells (Chair)Swanswell’s chair of the board, is a former Director of Social Services and Chair of an NHS Primary Care Trust.

Rita Stringfellow (Vice Chair)is currently a member of the British Association of Social Work. Rita has experience in teaching and social care. As a former North Tyneside council leader, she led on social affairs and health for the Local Government Authority. Formerly chair of Day Care Trust, Rita is now chair of Family Rights Group.

Dr. John Bland is a member of the Royal College of General Practitioners. He is also a fellow of the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Health Care and has been the lead doctor of sexual health and family planning in the North of Warwickshire and Rugby.

Richard Fassis a Chartered Accountant and has experience as a board member, an Executive and a Non-Executive. He currently works as a consultant and is a Non-Executive Director of Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust and the Treasurer of Penrose, a mental health housing charity.

Seema Malhotra MPis Founder of the Fabian Women’s Network and was elected MP for Feltham and Heston in the 2011 by-election. Seemais a management consultant by profession, with over ten years experience with leading consultancies Accenture and PriceWaterhouse Coopers. She is also a campaigner on equality issues, community activist and was the first Asian Chair of the Fabian Society.

Tom Rutherfordis Executive Director and Head of Charities Team at J.P Morgan Private Bank. Tom has over Fourteen years experience working with charities within the private wealth industry.

Professor Kevin Warwickis Professor of Cybernetics at the University of Reading. He is a Chartered Engineer and a fellow of The Institution of Engineering and Technology and the City and Guilds of London Institute. Kevin is also a patron and a regular presenter for the Shrewsbury Darwin Festival.

James Watkinsis a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and is a former Chair of the Birmingham Volunteer Reading Help. James was the former Political Adviser to the Japanese Government at the Embassy of Japan and is currently the Executive Director of Business Voice West Midlands.

Jill Wiglesworthhas extensive experience in client and primary care work and previously worked for Swanswell for ten years. Jill is now the Chairman of the Leamington Spa and Warwick Senior Wives Fellowship and a regular Safeline volunteer, a charity for the adult survivors of childhood abuse.

Trustee job description

Working with our other Trustees, you’ll help make sure Swanswell fulfils its charitable aims and objectives.

Main tasks and responsibilities

Along with the other Trustees, your main tasks and responsibilities will be to:

  • use your brilliant skills to play an active role in raising funds and developing our profile by effective networking, championing the reputation and integrity of the organisation at all times
  • use your expertise and knowledge to help us move towards our strategic goals
  • ensure our policies and practices are in keeping with our vision, principles and strategy, and that you, and we, adhere to them
  • ensure we work within the legal and financial requirements for a charity
  • ensure we follow the rules set out in our governing documents
  • protect and manage our property and ensure the proper investment of our funds
  • ensure our administration remains efficient and effective
  • ensure there are sufficient funds and reserves available to enable us to meet our commitments
  • contribute positively to, and regularly attend, annual planning, development, training and networking events
  • understand and respect the boundaries between the role of the Chief Executive and the Trustee Board
  • value the opinions of others and challenge constructively
  • be objective and fair when making decisions
  • take individual responsibility for collective decisions
  • maintain confidentiality at all times
  • work within the best practice guidance of Investors in People

Trustees must also act with integrity, avoid any personal conflicts of interest and not allow any misuse of charity funds or assets. You’ll be responsible for ensuring that Swanswell has enough funds to do what it has promised to do. This means making sure that the charity spends its money well, for the right purposes and avoids any unnecessary risks, especially when borrowing money. It also means we’ll expect you to use your skills, influence, contacts and experience to help make sure that Swanswell is well run, well funded, and has a high profile.

For more information on the role and responsibilities of trustees, a useful guide called the Essential Trustee is published by the Charity Commission.You can download a copy of the guide at:

Governance arrangements

Swanswell was originally founded in 1968 when Lord Leigh identified the need for a substance misuse support service in Coventry and Warwickshire. We achieved charity status in 1969 (as the Alcohol and Drugs Community Service Coventry and Warwickshire), and became incorporated as a company limited by guarantee in January 1999.

Our Trusteesare expected to commit to uphold Nolan’s Seven Principals of Public Life: leadership, honesty, openness, accountability, objectivity, integrity, and selflessness(available at exercise strategic oversight of the company's performance, ensuring that, through robust governance arrangements, Swanswell works to further its charitable objects in accordance with our policies and best practice.