Welcome! The links below will take you to specific parts of the newsletter:
Open Access is back in Stratford!
During the pandemic, we used a booking system to manage the footfall into our buildings. We are now able to offer open access slots again for all new referrals. People don't need to wait for a first appointment and can now drop in for a rapid assessment.
In-person assessment slots are now available four days a week at:
Entry into Services hub
327 High Street
Stratford
E15 2TF
We currently have morning and afternoon slots available:
- Tuesdays 11am – 1pm; 2pm – 4pm
- Wednesdays 11am – 1pm; 2pm – 4pm
- Thursdays 11am – 1pm; 2pm – 4pm
- Fridays 11am – 1pm; 2pm – 4pm
People will be assessed on a first-come, first-seen basis. We recommended that anyone who'd like an assessment come to the hub at least 30 minutes before the 11 am or 2 pm start time.
Evening and telephone appointments are also available where required, e.g. for those who work, or if the individual has mobility issues and cannot attend in person.
To book an appointment for an evening assessment please email: [email protected]
If you are referring someone who needs an urgent assessment (e.g. due to safeguarding or health concerns), please highlight this on your referral. We will then look to prioritise them in one of our emergency assessment slots.
Women’s hub
We wanted to remind you that Newham Rise and Hestia have a women-only hub to support women in the sex-working community. The hub provides a safe space and access to additional support from a variety of services.
Currently, we have 2 drop-ins per week:
- Wednesday evenings - 6 pm - 9pm
- Friday mornings - 9am-12pm
Facilities currently available include:
- Showers
- Clothes washing
- Clothes bank
- Condoms, tampons, food and soft drinks
- Blood-borne virus testing and treatment
- Needle exchange
- Harm reduction advice and naloxone
- Support to register for free STI kits
- Arts and crafts
Please be aware that as this is a women’s only safe space. Information regarding the hub should only be shared directly with women who would benefit from this space.
Get in touch if you wish to get involved and provide a service at the hub. If you wish to refer an individual to the hub please contact Parice at [email protected]/[email protected] or Hestia directly at [email protected].
Courses
We are currently working in partnership with Gainsborough House training college so the people who use our service can join courses. We recently held an Open Day on 12th September for those interested to find out more. We're focused on supporting people to achieve qualifications in things like cookery, cake making, maths and dressmaking.
Gym Passes
In collaboration with Active Newham we are still providing free three-month gym membership passes to the people who use our service. We have had over 70 applications and the membership can be renewed for an extra three months, subject to availability.
Eligibility criteria:
- The service user must be currently engaged in treatment with Newham Rise
- They must regularly attend key working sessions and/ or groups in line with their recovery support plan.
- They must have been engaged in treatment for a minimum of 6 weeks and begun their recovery journey before an application will be considered.
Training for partner agencies
Did you know that we offer training to our partners? We have courses available on basic drug and alcohol awareness, harm reduction advice (including naloxone) and treatment available in Newham to those looking to change their relationship with drugs and/or alcohol.
Our young people’s service also offers training around hidden harm, working with family and carers and support available to young people in Newham.
Check out our website for training details.
If you would like to learn more or wish to learn about something not listed, please contact our BRIC Team Leader: [email protected]
Individual Placement and Support (IPS)
Newham Rise now have an employment service which supports people back into work. This support is available both in the lead up to finding work as well as during employment. We have just had a new Employment Specialist join our team so now have a dedicated staff team of three supporting people back into employment!
Recovery Month - September
To celebrate Recovery Month, we ran the following events:
- A football match on Thursday 8th September involving staff and service users. This was a regional competition with services across London to bring people together to celebrate recovery.
At our Canning Town hub:
- We held a ping pong match on Monday 12th September.
- Our latest service user forum was held on Tuesday 20th September
- Smart Recovery is returning to our recovery hub, where the first group will be held on the 26th of September 10.30 am - 12 pm.
We also have many more activities going on which we are planning and advertising to people in the hubs.
Introducing the Young People and Family and Carers Team
We are pleased to introduce our new Family and Carers Team. We are a nine-person team focused on supporting:
- young people between the ages of 11-18,
- young adults aged between the ages of 18-25 and;
- the family and carers of those who are using drugs and/or alcohol.
We provide educational workshops for young people, professionals and families around substance misuse. This includes harm reduction advice and how to recognise exploitation. We run satellites across Newham including at schools and youth zones.
Our service has four distinct pathways to support Newham residents:
- Resilience Pathway: Renika, Mariah, Stephanie and Joseph work with 11-18 year-olds requiring support for drug and/or alcohol use. In addition, they provide young people with drug and alcohol awareness and education in groups, one-to-ones and presentations.
- Hidden Harm Pathway: Dionne and Renika focus on supporting young people and children exposed to parental/carer substance misuse.
- Transitional Pathway: Mahia supports 18 – 25 year-olds who need support with their drug and/or alcohol use, with a specific offer to those who are working with the Newham Probation Service. This is often a crucial time for service users who are transitioning from children’s to adult services so our bespoke offer aims to support them to successfully engage in treatment.
- Family and Carers’ Pathway: Tania and the Family and Carers’ volunteer Syeeda work with the families and carers of those looking to change their relationship with drugs/or alcohol by providing one-to-one support as well as support groups.
If you are working with someone who needs support from our team, you can make a referral here.
For further information about our services (including training and workshops), you can read more here.