Aftercare
/ P.A.C.T ( Park View Alumni Community Team)
P.A.C.T is a recent (Dec 09) and exciting development and still a work in progress. The Alumni community team is made up of Park View graduates with an elected formal committee and a specific mission and purpose.
Essentially, the Alumni is an aftercare service with the aim of supporting and enhancing the recovery journey of its members alongside Park View staff. Peer mentors are available within the team to assist with the support of new clients, clients who leave early or indeed clients who are moving on and face a different set of challenges. Peer mentors from P.A.C.T attend Park View client graduation ceremonies with a formal invite to become a member of the Alumni.
The Alumni and the committee meet once per month and activities are run bi-monthly. Thus far those activities have included rambling in the Lakes and North Wales, ten pin bowling, the movies, meals out and roller-skating. The Alumni also attend fellowship meetings out of town in the Park View minibus.
The Alumni have also identified a number of work streams and goals of interest to P.A.C.T, Park View Project and the local community. Broadly, the Alumni will seek to:
- Promote the recovery model in Liverpool.
- Provide community services on a voluntary basis.
- Co-ordinate / provide training for service users.
- Assist with the creation of a long term evidence base for Park View Project.
- Work closely with existing service user groups.
Promoting Recovery
To this end the team will pursue working relationships with providers of services in an attempt to inspire people who are considering abstinence. The team will also endeavour to create relationships with other service user groups in and around Liverpool.
Training
Presently, the team is co-ordinating mentor/peer advocate training already available for its members, but will seek to provide that service in-house at a later date. The Alumni will also pursue other training opportunities and any necessary funding required.
Evidence Base
The aim here is to rationalise Park View Project outcomes, comprehensively and formally, within a long term recovery framework and will require the expertise of research professionals.
Provide Community Services
This is a longer term goal which will require a premises to work from. This will be the Alumni headquarters, training/recreation centre, place for developing social enterprise, meeting rooms, soup kitchen. Members of the team will benefit from being occupied in this way and gain valuable experience. Equally, recipients of P.A.C.T services within the community will also benefit.
Funding
for Members
The Alumni also provides small pots of money to its members, which is available via a formal request to the committee. Members requesting funding must demonstrate that they require it in order to carry out charitable deeds and the endeavour will benefit their recovery. The person or persons who would benefit from the P.A.C.T members efforts must already be recipients of registered charity. Thus far, P.A.C.T has funded one of its members to travel to Malawi in Africa to work alongside groups giving assistance to HIV/AIDS and malaria sufferers, as well as forming part of a local relief effort to clear up after a recent earthquake.
