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[alcohol services]

NORCAS Youth service can help in lots of ways with alcohol problems and addiction. Our services are free, confidential and available to anyone in Suffolk aged 19 and under. Whether you want to cut down or give up altogether, here are some of the ways we can help.

What is harm reduction?

At NORCAS, we work using a 'harm reduction model'. This means that we help you to identify small achievable goals to enable you to reduce the risks associated with misusing drugs, alcohol or other substances. We give you the facts you need to help you make informed choices about your lifestyle.

 

One-to-one sessions

One-to-one sessions with our trained and experienced staff can provide advice about harm reduction and help you talk about problems that may be affecting your life and contributing to any addictive behaviour. This can help you to move forward positively and make beneficial changes to your life. The sessions take place in a private and confidential setting with either a counsellor or a substance misuse worker according to the needs of each individual.

 

Group support

We use group work to provide information and education to help people reduce the harm from alcohol misuse. The sessions are designed in what's called an 'action learning model' which means that those taking part can get involved and learn serious messages while having fun at the same time. The sessions are mainly for young people who have certain risk factors in their lives that make them especially vulnerable to substance misuse, such as those who are:

  • Excluded or at risk of exclusion from school
  • Possibly being sexually exploited
  • Homeless or in supported housing
  • In local authority care
  • Young offenders
  • Not in education, training or employment.

We also provide workshops and training for parents and professionals working with young people.

 

Medical services

We have a nurse specialist who can provide the following support:

  • Blood screening for hepatitis B and C, and HIV
  • Screening for Chlamydia and referral to follow-on treatment
  • Healthcare assessments for anyone who needs medical intervention.
 

Family and friends

We help parents and families in a variety of ways through telephone support, advocacy, mediation and one-to-one support. We can also refer people to specific family intervention projects across Suffolk, including parenting programmes. Find out more about our family and friends service.

 

Transition to adult services

This service helps young people needing long-term support make the transition to adult treatment providers. We aim to make this process as smooth as possible to make sure that young people carry on getting the services they need.

 

Outreach across Suffolk

The outreach team provides services across Suffolk for young people who need support with any alcohol misuse problems. This is a valuable outreach for many rurally isolated young people.

 

Youth offending service

We provide a specialist substance misuse service to the Suffolk Youth Offending Team. This includes specialist assessment and treatment to any young person who has a substance misuse problem that's associated with the offending behaviour.

 

Where to find us

The NORCAS Youth service has bases in Ipswich, Bury St Edmunds and Lowestoft, but we also cater for both urban and rurally isolated young people. Find out where our services are available.

 

How we help

Read more about what you can expect from using our services. How we help.

 

Refer someone

Get information about our referrals procedure.

 

Refer yourself

Find out more about self-referrals.