Acorn Plants Seeds To Fix Broken Britain

Sept. 20, 2011 - PRLog -- On Friday 30th September guest speaker, Altrincham and Sale West MP Graham Brady, will join CEO of Acorn Treatment John Hopkins and Mark Gilman of the National Treatment Agency in a crucial summit that will debate the future of ‘Broken Britain’ and key policy decisions that could change society for the better.

Taking place just two days before the start of the Tory Party Conference in Manchester, the day-long event will showcase three enterprises making a vital impact in the region and will challenge preconceptions around the rehabilitation and treatment of people with addictions.  All three projects, including Acorn Treatment, are leading the way in achieving social change through new approaches, and with proven track records in all three cases, this is being achieved for no additional cost to commissioners - and ultimately, to the tax payer.

Since launching in Stockport, Greater Manchester in 1997, Acorn has successfully treated hundreds of drug and alcohol users, supporting both individuals with addictions and their families and assisting them in achieving long term abstinence.  With a unique programme, looking at the root cause of the addiction to prevent relapse, Acorn has developed real treatment pathways for drug and alcohol misusing offenders, leading people into full time jobs and enabling full integration back into the community.  CEO John Hopkins says: “Following the riots last month, there’s more focus on the concept of The Big Society than ever before.  We’re here to discuss the fact that such programmes have been running in our region successfully for years, long before MPs coined the term ‘The Big Society’.  

“Treatment for those who misuse drugs and alcohol varies from PCT to PCT, and whereas some could be prescribed even more drugs such as methadone, others could be referred to Acorn where they will get counselling, family therapy, housing and back to work training.  

“If the Acorn programme was more widely available across the region, there would be more people achieving abstinence, and more people back in society successfully building new lives for themselves.  I’ve seen it happen time and time again and it’s a solution that works.  It helps achieve more social impact for less money; the MPs know it, which is why we have support at the conference from leading figures, and we believe it should be more widely available for all.”

The conference will also feature a case study about Can Cook, a social enterprise based in Liverpool, presented by CEO Robbie Davison, and a talk from Dr John Richmond of Delphi Medical Services, the leading independent provider of drug and alcohol treatment, which aims to raise the standards of substance misuse treatment.

Held at The Cresta Court Hotel in Altrincham, the conference starts at 9.15am and ends at 3.15pm.  For more information or to reserve a place, contact Gemma Dailey on 0161 484 0000 or email GemmaDailey@acorntreatment.org.

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