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The purpose of this paper is to describe the development and delivery of an aftercare programme called Learning To Live Again, which was co-produced between service users and clinic staff.

In total, 37 semi-structured interviews were conducted with 29 project stakeholders who were service users, mentors, university and clinical staff. The data were transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis.

Four overarching themes were identified in the analysis of interview data as characterising the process of co-producing an aftercare programme. These were: achieving common ground, roles and responsibilities, the activities programme and the road to recovery. Interdependence of service users and clinicians was given strong emphasis.

A number of challenges arise in co-producing an aftercare programme which is largely service user led and adds to the local recovery capital. The benefits of co-producing aftercare outweigh the difficulties and the programme can be set up within existing resources. Given the study's focus on the process of setting up and maintaining an aftercare programme, no attempt was made to evaluate the improvement in outcomes or cost-effectiveness.

Many peer-mentor-led aftercare programmes have been set up and this paper describes stakeholders’ thoughts about the challenges and benefits of co-producing an aftercare programme.

This paper examines the social and institutional context of barriers to drug service throughcare and aftercare for prisoners in England and Wales, including those that specifically affect Black and minority ethnic prisoners. A research project in 2004 reviewed relevant literature and statistical data, mapped prison drug services, and sought the perspectives of relevant stakeholders: in total, 334 individuals were recruited to the study. The methodology facilitates analysis of the structure of services and the agency prisoner in accessing them. Recommendations are made for changes to the structure and delivery of prison drug services.

The phenomenon of “youth enterprise” arose in the 1980s in response to a particular combination of socio‐economic and political factors. Since then, increasing numbers of young people have set up their own businesses with the assistance of organisations such as the Prince’s Youth Business Trust, Livewire and the Prince’s Scottish Youth Business Trust (PSYBT). This study draws on the experiences and views of a number of recipients of support from PSYBT, who are currently in business, to assess the value of the support provided, identify possible improvements, and, in general, develop greater insights into how young people can be assisted to develop their businesses. The results of the survey indicated a generally high level of satisfaction with the support provided by PSYBT and with the aftercare counsellor. There were, however, expressions of dissatisfaction from some respondents and a number of potential areas for improvement were identified. These primarily related to the skills, knowledge and attitude (ie “competence”) of the aftercare counsellor which could be addressed through enhanced recruitment, induction, supervision and continuing training and development processes. These results have implications for the way that support is delivered to young people in business and, in particular, the training and development of business counsellors playing an “aftercare” role to support the survival and development of the business over time.

Therapeutic communities (TC’s) are consciously designed, living-learning environments designed to evoke social, psychological and behavioural change. The success of the residential TC model saw these community-led, self-help environments for addicts move into custodial settings and early evidence suggests this transition was effective. The purpose of this paper is to examine the evidence relevant to the effectiveness of prison based, drug-free TCs.

In order to establish their true efficiency, particular focus has been placed on studies conducted over the last ten years (2007-2017).

To date, the TC remains superior to other forms of drug treatment in reducing recidivism and drug relapse amongst addicts who offend.

Outcomes of this review highlighted the importance of aftercare in providing transitional support; a fundamental aspect of treatment necessary for success and for maintaining long-term recovery post release.

Aftercare is an important predictor of outcomes following treatment for substance abuse. Despite this, there is evidence that the great majority of substance abusing clients choose not to participate in aftercare. Aftercare programs that are tied to specific residential treatment facilities, sometimes known as alumni groups or alumni clubs, might increase participation by offering former residents the opportunity to maintain treatment oriented social networks. Therapeutic communities (TCs), which emphasize mutual aid between residents, are ideal candidates for such programs. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

In total, 100 randomly chosen former TC residents were randomly surveyed regarding their contact with fellow alumni and their exchange of recovery oriented helping behaviors. A thirty day timeline follow-back methodology was used.

Contact was primarily through electronic means, particularly phone calls, texts and the alumni club Facebook page. Participants who reported more electronic contact also reported more days in which they offered and received recovery oriented help. Participants who were African American or had spent more time in TC treatment offered and received recovery oriented help on more days.

While this is an exploratory study limited to one TC, this alumni club allows for the maintenance of a mutual aid network after termination. That network primarily consists of electronic forms of contact. A longer time spent in TC treatment may allow for the internalization of the practice of mutual aid. Further research on alumni clubs is warranted.

This is the first survey of TC alumni club members.

The purpose of this paper was to evaluate and improve the quality of the aftercare services we provide for alcohol dependence. This presentation discusses the patient satisfaction of the Relapse Prevention Group.

This was a prospective service users' satisfaction survey of those who attended the relapse prevention group programme at the Community Drug and Alcohol Team for the first 11 months of programme implementation.

In all, 33 out of 36 people participated in the evaluation. The overall results were positive for the whole programme and people felt that the programme helped them in their recovery.

Monitoring of service users’ satisfaction with aftercare services could provide insight into the barriers compromising engagement.

The government spends millions of pounds on delivering treatment services to chemically dependent offenders while they are serving sentences for drugrelated crimes ‐ but what happens to those offenders when they leave the prison gate? As RAPt (The Rehabilitation for Addicted Prisoners Trust) bids to raise charitable funds to pay for an aftercare team, Jessica Berens looks at good intentions and practical realities.

Over nearly six decades in prison, therapeutic communities (TCs) have waxed and waned in California. While there have been dramatic and demonstrable sucess with some of the most intractable populations in California prisons, the TC model has met substantial challenges, both bureaucratic and political. The paper aims to discuss this issue.

This is a six-decade review of in-prison TCs in California based both on the research literature and from personal experience over 30 years providing both in-prison and community based TCs in California.

Despite well-documented success reducing the recidivism of violent offenders in California prisons (which is now the bulk of the population), the government has ignored the success of well implemented in-prison TCs, and has implemented a CBT model which has recently been documented to have been ineffective in reducing recidivism. The State is now at a crossroads.

Documented research findings of success do not necessarily result in the implementation of the model.

There is evidence that violent felons are amenable to treatment.

Public concern over the return of violent felons from prison can be ameliorated by the evidence of the effectiveness of TC treatment in prison.

There is no other publication which captures the narrative of the TC in California prisons over six decades.

One’s standpoint and consequent research paradigm impacts how we conduct research, including study design, analyses interpretation and dissemination of results. In 2017, the authors began PhD, studying the potential barriers to aftercare treatment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged under 16 who had sustained a burn injury in one of five major hospitals in Australia. The paper aims to discuss this issue.

As Aboriginal PhD students, the authors are conducting research using Aboriginal ontology as a framework, which is based on a holistic framework with interconnectedness, person-centred care and Aboriginal ways of knowing as the foundation. The framework has been shaped by the first author’s knowing, being and doing, and the authors’ worldview has informed and shaped the standpoint and the way the research has been developed and conducted.

It was important for the authors to have a connectedness to each aspect of the research and to each individual person that shared their story: this was paramount to the ways of being.

This connectedness stems from growing up on the authors’ country and learning from elders, from the connection to all entities living around, within and with the authors. The Indigenous research methodology was used throughout the study, including yarning and Dadirri, a way of deep listening and learning, as the basis for interviewing.

Within the existing health care system, a significant percentage of Americans over the age of 65 will have need of extended health care. Yet the extended care industry has little information as to how consumers will make a choice among placement options. The results of this study describe both the need recognition and pre‐selection search stages of the decision process and the impact of need recognition on subsequent search activity. The information obtained from an influential person as the problem is being defined appears to have a complex relationship with pre‐selection search, with initial information leading to less search but additional information increasing search activity. Contrary to previous studies, pre‐selection search was found to be fairly extensive, increasing with time availability.