Impact Report 2024 – Text only

Our Trustees:

Joanne Morley

Kes Lewis

Anthony Ball

Jane McGeagh

Pam Essler

Quentin Marris

Sarfraz Arif

Umar Iqbal

who are also directors under company law, served during the year and up to the date of this report.

Senior Leadership Team:

Vicki Beere – Chief Executive

Ruth Bowditch – Director of Finance

Caroline Britton – Director of Operations

Scott Carrick – Director of People

Registered office and operational address:

11/19 Temple Street

Keighley

West Yorkshire

BD21 2AD

Bankers:

Lloyds Bank Ltd.

Leeds, LS1 1SB

Unity Trust Bank

Nine Brindleyplace

4 Oozels Square

Birmingham, B1 2HB

Charity number – 1173006

Company number – 3430925

Auditors:

BHP LLP

2 Rutland Park

Sheffield, S10 2PD

Contents

CEO Introduction

Chair Introduction

Core Purpose

Our Values

Our Services

Our Outcomes and Impact

Gareth

Finances

Reflections and Legacy

CEO Introduction

Vicki Beere

As I noted last year, the external environment remains relentlessly challenging. The voluntary sector is facing significant cuts through the health and care systems, local authorities teetering on the edge and the sector needs to rebuild quickly from a decade of underinvestment to achieve new national targets.

Despite this, we have yet again delivered a year of considerable growth for Project 6. We are delighted that we are now delivering a substantial part of the treatment and recovery systems in Bradford, Keighley and Sheffield, working in partnership with national charity Humankind.

Our development this year has been significant; we have grown by 40% across all of our areas. This has been challenging but ultimately beneficial for the organisation as we are now delivering on a number of long term contracts, providing us with financial stability we have not experienced for a decade. Even in extremely challenging times for the health and care sector, Project 6 has continued to thrive.

This year I decided that I would be stepping down as CEO of Project 6, a job I have absolutely loved doing for an organisation I feel privileged to have worked for. We are in an unprecedented position of stability after the turmoil of the last decade, so it’s the right time for someone with a new vision to come and lead us through the next chapter.

Our activities and achievements for 2024 are outlined below.

1. We will put the needs of people and communities who use our services at the heart of our work

This year we have mobilised an incredible 10 new contracts across our three sites. This has created many challenges for a small leadership team. I must give credit to Caroline Britton and Elise Grehan, in particular, for their hard work getting each of these projects up and running. We are pleased we now have the core of our work funded through the drug treatment system once again in Sheffield.

2. We will position Project 6 as experts in the field

This year we focused our communications campaign on challenging stigma experienced by the people we work with.

We were delighted with the reception and response to our first Ideas Conference in Doncaster. This was supported by the launch of The Project 6 Podcast, a series of conversations with professionals and experts in our field, discussing the impact of, and ways to tackle, stigma in our sector.

In June we created and curated the first Project 6 Ideas Conference, themed around choice and opportunity in the alcohol and other drugs sector. This placed us as experts in what we do and allowed us to shape conversations on the future of commissioning, which led to coverage in DDN as well as building relationships with other organisations and activists.

Throughout the year we participated in regular national campaigns, including Recovery Month and Volunteers Week. We have been invited to comment on issues covered in the media both at a local and national level, speaking The Project 6 Ideas Conference 2023at local, regional and national events.

We have seen a huge increase in our social media reach and impact throughout the year, reaching 33% more users than the previous year. We have been invited to join national campaigns and steering committees (often as the only organisation without a national presence), including the Anti-Stigma Network and Recovery Street Film Festival.

We supported 8420 individuals last year to make and sustain positive changes to their wellbeing, which is incredible for an organisation of our size. Of particular note, we were delighted to be awarded funding for a couple of key projects – our South Asian Community project in Keighley, which we are rebuilding after it was decommissioned in 2015 due to austerity, and at long last we have been funded to deliver our much-needed Hospital Mentoring project in Sheffield, which has hit the ground running, proving there was a considerable unmet need.

3. We will strengthen and improve our internal systems and processes in order to provide the best possible services

This year we have continued to work hard to develop our central services and premises. Finally we were able to agree to move out of Abbeydale Road in to a new building on Cumberland Street, which better meets our needs and provides opportunity to be more innovative in our service design. We were also delighted to take up residence at Portland House in Shalesmoor with our partners Humankind. Both our new premises are more accessible and provide fantastic spaces for developing and delivering our new services. Members of central services have established themselves as an effective leadership team, delivering on cross-organisation projects to support our service delivery, and prioritising our much needed IT transformational work.

4. We will become a learning organisation

This year we have started to focus internally on developing our learning and development offer. Director of People, Scott Carrick joined the Senior Leadership Team with specific responsibility for this. The People team reviewed and refreshed our inductions and training offer. This year we carried out a piece of work to ensure people felt psychologically safe in their roles, and worked to achieve all of the recommendations that came from this.

Finally, we completed the safeguarding work from a recent review and all the associated actions, and started on our work to become an anti-racist organisation, which is now embedded in our strategic objectives.

5. We will provide a flexible funding structure

Our financial position remains stable and sustainable. This year we welcomed Ruth Bowditch, Director of Finance, to the Senior Leadership Team. We have a concise income development plan to provide funding for specific projects around equality, diversity and inclusion, climate action and IT transformation. We have plans to generate income this year to develop new systems for our central services, as well as capital to invest in our premises.

Chair Introduction

Joanne Morley, Chair of Trustees

We have expanded our services by 40% across all areas and this expansion has not only increased our capacity to deliver essential services but has also provided us with longer term stability through several new contracts. Our partnerships, particularly with Humankind, have been important in this success, enabling us to grow, but also ensure we have done this in a measured and sustainable way.

We have welcomed new members to the board of trustees, Umar Iqbal and Sarfraz Arif who both live and work in the communities we serve, bringing a wealth of knowledge and experience to the board. This addition of fresh perspectives, expertise and a shared commitment to our values ensures we are well equipped to navigate the future and continue developing a diverse and inclusive board.

As I mentioned last year, we will continue to focus on consolidation of the organisation to ensure there is a core central services team and solid strategic leadership team in

2024 has been another year of change for

Project 6 and I am pleased to report on another year of significant progress and development despite the challenging external environment. The sector continues to face substantial cuts and pressures, yet Project 6 has managed to navigate through this and increase our reach to the communities we serve.

07place to deliver projects across the regions. In addition, early in 2024 we also reviewed the strategic objectives which had been in place for the last three years. However, given the rapid pace of change happening this year, we decided to update them at this stage rather than a wholesale review, to ensure the stability of the organisation throughout the changes. We plan to review and create new objectives later this year to provide the strategic vision for 2025 and beyond.

Financially, we remain stable and sustainable, with a clear income development plan. The addition of Ruth Bowditch as Director of Finance to our Senior Leadership Team has further strengthened our financial oversight and strategic planning. We have also focused on improving our internal systems and processes. The move to new premises at Cumberland Street and Portland House in partnership with Humankind, marks a significant milestone. These new facilities are more accessible and better suited to our needs, allowing us to deliver services more effectively.

This year, we also say goodbye to our CEO Vicki Beere, whose leadership and dedication to Project 6 have been pivotal to our success. The board and I would like to thank Vicki and express our gratitude for her 16 years of service to Project 6, nine as CEO, and whose leadership has taken the organisation from a small team to one that is delivering life-changing drug and alcohol services across Yorkshire. Under her leadership, Project 6 has changed the lives of thousands of people and supported families though the most challenging of times.

Following the announcement of Vicki’s departure, We undertook a search for a new CEO and after an extensive search we will be welcoming Jo Jepson as our new CEO in September. With a rich background in the VCSE and over 20 years of experience, Jo brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise and has a track record in leadership, strategy and team development. The board and are excited to welcome Jo on board in September.

As we look forward to the coming year, we remain dedicated to putting the needs of those who use our services at the heart of our work, positioning Project 6 as a leader in our field, and continuing to strengthen our internal capabilities. 2024 has been a challenging year with all the changes and growth, and I would like to extend the board’s thanks to our CEO Vicki, the Senior and Operational teams, employees and volunteers. You make Project 6 the amazing and life-changing organisation it is.

Core Purpose

To provide opportunities and choices for individuals, families and communities to create meaningful and sustainable change in their wellbeing.

We work with people with drug and alcohol problems and experiencing multiple disadvantage. These issues don’t just impact on the individual, they also affect families and communities.

To achieve this, we deliver services in 4 key areas:

  • Harm Reduction
  • Support Services
  • Recovery Services
  • Partnerships

Our Values

Our values are integral to how we do business and underpin every piece of work we undertake.  Through them we aim to deliver compassionate and inclusive services as well as creating a great place to work where all members of Project 6 feel supported to achieve their potential.

People matter

  • We instil hope
  • We create safe caring spaces where people can flourish
  • We trust each other
  • We welcome difference and treat people equally, honestly and fairly
  • We recognise and stand up for people’s rights

Everyone can change

  • We help people to bring about positive change in their lives
  • We don’t give up when things are difficult
  • We help people to help themselves

We care about doing things well

  • We say what we mean and we listen to what people tell us
  • If we say we are going to do something we do it
  • We are always working to do things better

Headline Achievements

We have had an extremely busy year, we have mobilised two large partnership contracts within the main treatment system in Bradford and Sheffield, expanded our service delivery in all areas, reached more people, meeting people in the community on their own terms.

Some of our achievements this year include:

  • 8420 individuals received services, above our contracted target of 7594
  • 83% of individuals demonstrated positive changes in one or more of our core outcome areas
  • At Beat-Herder festival we provided welfare support for 171 adults and 17 under 18s who visited our onsite yurt, 646 festival goers came to us for harm reduction information
  • The re-introduction of the Asian Community Project in Keighley aiming to address and improve our accessibility, raising awareness of the specific cultural barriers that make it difficult for people from the South Asian community to access substance use services.
  • Building a successful partnership bid with Humankind to deliver the Recovery Hub in the new substance use contract in Sheffield, Likewise Service.
  • The delivery of the Hospital Mentoring Service in Sheffield, delivering a hospital discharge and peer mentoring service, to prevent relapse and re-admittance. Inclusive of a specialist worker to focus on people with Wernicke Korsakoff Syndrome (WKS) and Alcohol Related Brain Damage (ARBD).
  • Our Stronger Links project in Doncaster brings together a group of six local charities with a proven impact in health and wellbeing. The partnership consists of Age UK Doncaster, Changing Lives, Darts, Live Inclusive, Open Minds and Project 6.
  • Continuing to support staff to cope through a range of wellbeing initiatives and staff support schemes

Our Services

We work with individuals and families to achieve meaningful and sustainable impact and improve life chances.

The communities we work in have suffered disproportionately as a result of health inequalities, austerity and stigma. By increasing capacity where the need was greatest, meeting people where they are and developing our new services where there are gaps in provision, we have adapted effectively to meet the needs of our local communities. We continue to offer digital, one-to-one, group work, interventions, and face-to-face services to meet the needs of those most vulnerable.

Harm Reduction

We deliver a range of harm reduction services across the Bradford district as part of the New Vision Bradford partnership. This year we have developed a strategic plan to improve the depth and accessibility of our existing provision. This has included plans to help prepare our workforce and communities for the increasing threat to life posed by the presence of synthetic-opioids in UK drug supply.

Our Third Place project works with people engaged in street drinking and some of the most vulnerable and excluded groups in Keighley. This year we saw 160 individuals via our drop in, providing a range of harm reduction interventions, food, and support with basic needs. The Third Place has supported 40 people with substance use interventions and 20 people into treatment pathways. 80% of attendees showed improvements in mental and physical health through contact with the project.

Support Services

Our Support Services are based locally in the communities we serve and within primary and secondary care services, providing some open-door access services meeting immediate needs for people from the community. They offer crisis interventions, harm reduction advice, structured drug & alcohol treatment, health and wellness interventions and information and awareness sessions.

Our Pathways Service operates in Keighley, working with local partners. We offer support with domestic abuse, welfare advice, food poverty, health and wellbeing, mental health and substance use. Keighley Pathways is a partnership project offering open access, specialist support to all the Keighley community at a time of crisis. This year Keighley Pathways has received 1073 visits, providing 1145 bespoke interventions. By offering the right support at the right time, we deflected people from the local health and social care services just as these services were under extreme pressure. 100% of people asked reported they would recommend us to their family & friends as the result of the intervention and 96% knew where to go in the future to deal with a crisis.

The VCS Link service is a High Intensity Use service delivering an assertive outreach model to improve outcomes of people who have attended hospital Emergency Departments (ED) 12 times or more within 12 a month period, or have 5 attendances in a one-month period. The patient group that typically present most frequently have a number of social issues that are driving their high attendance to ED e.g. a high level of mental health need in conjunction with social factors and ongoing alcohol use. The patients that have engaged in this service have reduced their attendances by 49%, reduced admission by 63% and conveyances by 50, creating savings for the hospital but also supporting people within their community and improving the experience for the patients involved.

Older Person Alcohol Service (OPA) provides one-to-one brief interventions to anyone aged 50 or over who is experiencing the impact of excessive drinking. We have developed new links with a number of services in Doncaster, including a housing association, and two GP practices, as well strengthening existing Project 6 partnerships with NHS providers and the voluntary sector. The service delivers clinics and sessions in the community to meet a growing need, supporting people to avoid the need for hospital admittance. 168 people have received a brief intervention and 40 of the people we engaged accessed the Recovery Community to support their ongoing goals. 89% of people report a reduction in alcohol use and improvement in their heath and community connectiveness.

Pinder House (Horton Housing & Project 6) developed a recovery service to support people with drug and alcohol issues who have experienced homelessness and who are accommodated within the Rough Sleeper Pathway based at Skipton, provided by Horton Housing. The pathway comprises of 14 units of supported housing based at Pinder and Claremont House and supports up to 10 rough sleepers who have moved into their own accommodation. Through this partnership we have engaged the resident with one-to-one interventions, groups and activities within their own space, engaging the community and reducing stigma by delivering five Active Citizens Programmes. 74% of residents we have engaged have reported Improvements in their 5 Ways to Wellbeing scores and 89% of residents have shown improvements or reductions to their alcohol use or harm related to alcohol use behaviours.

Our Families Services work with some of the most vulnerable families in Keighley and Sheffield. The interventions provide direct benefit to families, concerned others and grandparents and kin carers. By working with parents, children and other concerned family members, we achieve sustainable, positive outcomes for the whole family.

Our Fresh Start service (Sheffield) supports women who have had one or more children removed by the local authority, to take time out from parenting, deal with loss and learn new skills for the future. This year the service worked with 21 mothers who have had children removed, providing over 2106 hours of contact.

In Keighley, our Family Support Service worked with 80 concerned others, to build skills in understanding and managing feelings, increase resilience and reduce risk. Our Maternity and Alcohol Service worked with 14 pregnant women to reduce the impact of drugs and alcohol on the unborn child.

We work with vulnerable young people to increase resilience and reduce risk, using evidence-based approaches which inspire individuals to take more responsibility for themselves and their own actions.

In Keighley, our Young Persons Resilience Service – RISE worked with 165 young people, providing weekly one-to-one interventions to those experiencing mental health issues that are below the threshold for CAMHS. 94% showed an improvement in resilience.

Better Together a Lived Experience Recovery Organisation (LERO) in Doncaster has worked with 16 people with lived experience to work towards being an independent group that meets the needs of the community, has roots in sustainability, benefitting from organic growth, as it is unique and therefore empowers the existing community to be in control. They have been working in innovate ways, creating robust partnership with Public Health and the Combatting Drugs Partnership, working on an action plan to engage the people of Doncaster.

We have made significant steps to retain and build on our volunteer capacity within our Recovery Services, delivering Peer Mentor & Volunteer Training. We have had 106 active volunteers across the organisation supporting our delivery.

Recovery Services

Our vibrant Recovery Services in Doncaster, Sheffield and Keighley and aim to provide long term, sustainable recovery from problematic drug and alcohol use. We achieve impressive results through a range of therapeutic groups, health and wellness activities, Active Citizens programmes, peer support, training and volunteering opportunities.

Over the year a total of 1048 people contacted our recovery services. Across all three areas we have delivered 1252 groups, with a focus on the 5 Ways to Wellbeing, Increasing skills and Recovery Capital, with 76% of people reporting improvements.

Recovery services provide a pathway from the drug and alcohol treatment systems into sustainable recovery. Our skills projects & Skills House service provide support for people in recovery who are furthest from the labour market and experience significant barriers to employment.

Project 6 Training Services

Last year saw the re-establishment of Project 6 Training. In Sheffield we saw the appointment of Scott Carrick initially as Deputy Director of Learning & Development and then as the Director of People. We also welcomed Dee Collins into the promoted role of Senior Trainer taking the overall responsibility for the Changing Futures programme. Changing Futures’ primary purpose is to help battle the stigma faced by people with multiple disadvantages in the Sheffield area. After an initial period of developing course material to suit the needs of the services, the team found themselves being well requested across the area, with courses such as Trauma Informed Practice, Suicide Awareness, Motivational Interviewing and Care, Compassion and Empathy being particularly sought after. These were delivered both in person and digitally with both formats well attended. In the period of April 2023 – March 2024 over 1000 people attended training as part of the Changing Futures programme, resulting in the contract being extended with Project 6 by another 12 months.

Last year also saw the introduction of two new Community Education Trainer positions as part of the New Vision Bradford partnership. This allows us to deliver specialist training in and around the Bradford region, upskilling in Drug & Alcohol Awareness, Relapse Prevention, Naloxone, amongst others. Although still in the early stages of mobilising, the outreach is increasing in regularity and with very positive feedback from attendees.

In addition to the Changing Futures contract, we introduced a revamped training calendar for Project 6 employees aimed at continuous learning for all staff. Courses included those mentioned under the Changing Futures programme but also a new Leadership training course focusing on coaching skills as well as a Train the Trainer programme enabling staff to deliver formal or informal training to the wider community. This will be developed over the next year to include a broader range of skills-based training and allow for core training needs to be available every six weeks. We’ve seen an increase in the need for training in areas such as de-escalation, motivation, care & compassion training outside of the traditional public and charitable sectors.

Future Projects

Over the next year we will be exploring how we can influence the private sector with training and education. We will look at the wider region and how we can increase Drug and Alcohol awareness across all sectors to actively fight stigma and make a difference in the lives of people affected by dependency and concerned others.

Our Outcomes & Impact

“I was dubious about coming and nearly called in the morning of my first visit. I was concerned with being judged and my beliefs not taken seriously. But that wasn’t the case. I felt listened to and validated.”

Satisfaction Survey 2023

Our core purpose is to provide opportunities and choices for individuals, families and communities to create meaningful and sustainable change in their wellbeing.

Individuals: In our annual Satisfaction Survey 93% of individuals reported improvements in mental health and wellbeing and 87% reported improved physical health.

Families: Alcohol and other drug use as well as other challenges to wellbeing don’t only affect the person experiencing them; the harm can extend to the whole family. By adopting a family-focussed approach across our services we believe we achieve a greater impact. 87% of our service users in our annual Satisfaction Survey reported improved relationships with families and friends.

Communities: By being a visible and active presence in our local communities, we can reduce the stigma and discrimination experienced by people using our services. A community where people have clear and open pathways to support reduces the cost to local services and helps rebuild social cohesion. 87% of people responding to our annual Satisfaction Survey felt more connected to their community and able to play a positive role, with 90% feeling optimistic about their ability to have a positive future.

Core Outcomes

Our services, activities and interventions are designed to facilitate positive changes, which lead to meaningful and sustained impact through our core outcomes.

Improved mental health and wellbeing

  • 93% of individuals reported improvements in mental health and wellbeing in our annual Satisfaction Survey
  • 84% of people using the ARC project reported improvements in their mental health and wellbeing.
  • 94% of young people using our RISE service reported increases in resilience.

Improved physical health and wellbeing

  • 87% of individuals reported improvements in physical health and wellbeing in our annual Satisfaction Survey
  • 89% of residents at Pinder House report reductions in their alcohol use
  • 81% of people using Sober Social report improved physical health and wellbeing.

Improved relationships with family and friends

  • 87% of individuals reported improved relationships with family and friends in our annual Satisfaction Survey
  • 79% of people attending our Progress Recovery Service reported they had developed more positive relationships with friends and family
  • 90% of young people in RISE reported improved relationships with family and friends since coming to our services

Greater Community Connectedness

  • 87% of people in our annual Satisfaction Survey feel more accepted as part of their community and able to give something back
  • 94% of people attending the Sober Social report an increase in recovery capital
  • 71% of people using our MAST Community service reported feeling more accepted by the wider community

Improved Life Chances

  • 88% of people responding to our annual Satisfaction Survey felt more optimistic about their ability to have a positive future
  • 97% of people coming to Keighley Pathways feel that they know where to go in future to reduce the impact of a crisis
  • 83% of people accessing Skills House project report improvement in life chances for the future on discharge

Delivering on our Values

This year we asked people who used our services how they feel about us:

  • 93% feel respected and not judged
  • 93% feel treated as an equal
  • 93% feel that the service really believes in their ability to make changes
  • 91% feel the service goes the extra mile when needed
  • 93% feel that they’re learning how to help themselves

Gareth

Over the past year Gareth has been attending the Third Place. He has been consistently accessing the service three times a week.

Gareth enjoyed a drink with his partner, but his alcohol consumption had increased when she passed away. Gareth would drink socially on the street with peers and he was first introduced to the Third Place in September 2022. It was apparent Gareth was subject to physical and financial abuse from members of the public, they would target him for his money and cigarettes, with instances where they had been forcibly taken from him. His house was being used without his consent by others using other drugs, this posed a massive risk to Gareth as used needles were being left around his home.

Gareth was referred to our harm reduction worker who provided a sharps box and safety advice and support. Although Gareth was able to retain key information, his judgment and physical capabilities were reduced under the influence of alcohol which had made him vulnerable to exploitation from others. To help ensure he was able to stay in his home we worked with Gareth to create a plan, he agreed a cleaner could come help him keep his accommodation tidy. After this Gareth told the team at Project 6 that he was seeking support from his landlord to have the locks on his house changed.

Gareth would see the GP regularly during the Third Place evening meal. He experienced frequent falls, periods of acute pain, episodes of reduced mobility, problems of incontinence, poor dexterity and an overall decline in his health. Gareth would often present at A&E following his falls, members of the public would find him at night on his own, unable to get himself up, his discharge summary would highlight they were related to alcohol. Gareth was admitted to hospital following a fall and presented in December, he was diagnosed with ulcerated legs and the tissue viability team were involved. Gareth underwent acute treatment, physio and occupational assessments and was discharged back home with a plan to manage his wound care within the community, however, Gareth didn’t attend appointments.

We noticed a significant decline in Gareth, his overall mobility and ability to take care of himself became a concern. He declined a community care assessment, or any practical help from health care assistants. Gareth was having daily falls, he was taken to hospital each time and discharged. When he was allocated a social worker Gareth rejected their options for additional support. Within 24 hours of returning home from hospital he was found in the street with hypothermia, unable to get himself up.

The Emergency Department specialist social worker requested further investigations, these referrals went to the frail elderly team, consultants and Bradford Safeguarding. They were able to recognise that his falls weren’t just isolated events and during his stay in hospital he was detoxed from alcohol. Gareth accepted a bed at Thompson Court, a social assessment unit through Bradford Council where he will undergo a period of assessment to ascertain his future care needs.

Gareth is now doing well, he is taking care of his own personal hygiene, he has no incontinence issues at present and his mobility has improved. Bingley District nursing team are attending to his wound care, and since his stay at Thomson Court he has not been drinking alcohol.

Throughout this time The Third Place has consistently supported Gareth, providing structure and care for his wellbeing.

Finances

Project 6 has experienced another year of growth, with the increase in total income from £2.6 million to £3.6 million, while expenditure increased from £2.6 million to £3.5 million, resulting in a total surplus of £110k. This compares to surplus of £43K in 2023.

The 36% increase in income includes several new contracts and grants for service delivery which were mobilised during the year. These include the New Vision Bradford, Likewise and Housing Support projects, all delivered in partnership with Humankind; the Hospital mentoring, Journey and ARC projects funded by Sheffield Council; Sober Social funded by Doncaster Council; and two grants awarded by Henry Smith and the National Lottery. All the projects were successfully mobilised and are now fully staffed. The central support team is also fully staffed with additional resource in the people, health and safety, finance and operations teams.

Associated expenditure increased by 34%, with staff costs accounting for 67% of our total expenditure. Last year this was 62%. It has been estimated that staff full capacity for a year equates to approximately 70% of total expenditure.

Reserves remain strong with an overall increase of £110K from £1.032 million to £1.142 million. This year has seen a large increase in unrestricted reserves £672k to £852k.

This is a result of the continued growth of the charity and in particular a result of an increase in contracts for services which are deemed to be unrestricted.

Reflections and Legacy

Vicki Beere

The years I have served as Project 6’s CEO has been the most challenging decade for drug and alcohol services since their inception: the changes the sector has experienced have been significant. The reorientation from harm reduction and criminal justice to recovery and abstinence, austerity and the neoliberal changes to commissioning, have decimated the ecosystem of our sector and seen scores of smaller and community-rooted organisations close.

Drug-related deaths have rocketed, and we have lost far too many people needlessly as a consequence of our outdated laws and prohibitions. In 2021 after undertaking a comprehensive review of the sector it was described as being ‘on its knees’ by the dame Carol Black and ‘not fit for purpose’.

Project 6 faced existential threats from loss of funding and potentially losing all our contracts in 2016 when we experienced a “market failure” in a commissioning process. The local health system supported us and me, and there are some individuals whom I cannot thank enough.

Subsequently, we merged two organisations into one to protect them when they could not survive, having been cut out of the treatment system by larger organisations who wanted to increase their market share. I am not sure that I ever want to hear those words used to describe delivering a service to some of the most marginalised and stigmatised people in this country, but this is the world we now live in. I thank the two outgoing chief executives of those charities who were brave enough to put their own egos aside to do the best thing for their organisations. This is a rare event. Welcoming Sheffield and Doncaster to the P6 family was a challenging but genuinely transformational experience for my leadership and for the organisation.

Despite the threats we faced, we are still here. We have grown significantly and now deliver services to over 8,000 people annually across West and South Yorkshire. We are now in a strong and sustainable financial and strategic position, providing services as part of two significant partnerships, Likewise and New Vision Bradford, while developing innovative and community-rooted services around these contracts.

Operationally, we are;

  • Leading and transforming harm reduction services across Bradford and Craven
  • Delivering creative and innovative services in Doncaster
  • Developing new partnerships, delivering new projects from new premises in Sheffield
  • Have three robust, compassionate and supportive recovery communities

We have grown considerably, which has involved developing and investing in our central services. We now have an excellent structure and team supporting our finance, people, learning, digital systems, communications, health and safety functions. I am also delighted to have been able to rebuild our learning and development team, which is delivering excellent training both internally and externally. Despite this growth, we have focused on managing and caring for our staff’s wellbeing. The Senior Leadership Team are exemplary at what they do, operating in a genuine high support, high challenge culture.

Finally, we have a clear and compassionate voice. We are one of the remaining organisations in our sector that clearly focuses on harm reduction and its roots in social justice. I am delighted to have started the work on becoming an anti-racist organisation and restructured the #ideasconference, where we challenge ourselves and others to do better. Our values shine through in everything we do.

Project 6 is starting a new chapter under a new government, and whilst the external environment remains highly difficult, there are signs of hope. This feels like the perfect time to bring my time at Project 6 to an end and hand over to our incoming Chief Executive Jo Jepson, who I hope has very many happy years at Project 6 building on the secure foundations we have built over the past decade.

Working in this sector has been hugely rewarding as well as challenging. I implore the sector to undertake more work around anti-racism, drugs policy is rooted in racism at all levels, and this feels like something that’s continually ignored. In addition to this, I hope that a new Labour government will bring some hope and stability to the sector. It is likely that this will have a very strong focus on criminal justice taking us back to policies reminiscent of the early 2000s. I would love to think that one day, drug policy could be rooted in social justice and that people could access treatment because they are valued as human beings, and therefore deserve to be supported rather than seen as a risk to be managed. In short, a system that recognises that people matter.

Thank you

To print a list of all the groups, organisations and individuals who have made a difference to Project 6 during my time here would require a separate report by itself. However, I would like to say thank you to:

All the community rooted organisations who have worked in partnership with us to help build a resilient and vibrant VCS in each of our locations.

To those in the health system who have worked alongside us to tackle the health inequalities in our communities.

The commissioners and funders who have continued to support us to build outstanding services.

To all our supporters and activists, you helped us fight our corner, put our head above the parapet and stand up for the rights of the people we work with.

….and to the amazing people who have worked and volunteered for Project 6 during my time here. It is your hard-work, dedication and compassion that make everything outlined in this report possible.

Supporters

We’d like to say thank you to our partners and stakeholders who have supported us in numerous ways throughout the year.

A special thanks to all our volunteers whose dedication, commitment and generosity allows Project 6 to continue to deliver our services to the people who most need us.

Thank you to our grant funders who continue to believe in what we’re doing.

And thank you to everyone who fundraised and donated to our work. Everything we receive is used to enhance the delivery of front-line services.