A range of residential rehabilitation services needs to be available to drug and alcohol misusing clients seeking treatment. The programmes they offer can be differentiated according to factors such as principal aims and client group, and length of stay. Programmes are principally either rehabilitative or supportive, long stay or short stay, but one service may provide programmes that bridge these differences.
Rehabilitative programmes provide accommodation and a structured, care-planned programme of therapeutic and other activities. They are suitable for clients with medium or high dependence on drugs and/or alcohol and medium to high care needs. Rehabilitative programmes subdivide into:
Long stay programmes – these run for approximately six months or more and are better suited to clients whose drug and alcohol use is long-term and entrenched, and who are likely to be socially excluded, unemployed, in severe housing need, lacking in life skills, and persistent, prolific offenders
Short stay programmes usually last less than 12 weeks. They further sub-divide into:
Intensive programmes that provide intensive medical and therapeutic interventions for clients likely to be in housing need, with complex medical needs and likely to need to require long stay residential treatment or structured community treatment
Lower intensity programmes for clients with shorter drug and alcohol misuse histories and who are more likely to be able to return to employment and housing with community or family support.
Supportive programmes provide accommodation, often following treatment in a rehabilitative programme, with specialist drug/alcohol and non-drug/alcohol related support. They are suitable for clients with low dependence on drugs and alcohol or who are now abstinent and have low care needs.
good references about drug & alcohol rehabs;
