Published Tuesday 2 August 2016 at 15:14
A state-of-the-art digital treatment and recovery programme for people in Blackburn and Darwen dealing with substance misuse has been relaunched.
Blackburn with Darwen Council and Inspire / GO2 Integrated Prevention and Recovery Service for Blackburn with Darwen is launching the new look Breaking Free Online which will be available to for anyone who creates a new Breaking Free Online account.
Service users will find that this award-winning digital treatment and recovery programme has been given a fresh look and feel. Other features, such as the way people log in to their Breaking Free Online accounts, work through the strategies or access their personalised recovery toolkits, remain the same.
The new version will work on all devices with the internet: PCs, laptops, tablets and smartphones too. Since people can now access all the Breaking Free strategies via the browser on their smartphone, there is no longer any need for the Staying Free app.
The launch of the refreshed app will be followed in August with the launch of the new Breaking Free Online eLearning platform. This will allow services to access and cascade the training in delivering Breaking Free Online as Computer Assisted Therapy (CAT). In September the new Breaking Free Companion app on the Android and iOS platforms will be launched. Features and functions to Breaking Free Online will be added on a regular basis.
The Inspire / GO2 Integrated Prevention and Recovery Service is run by national health and social care charity – change, grow, live.
Councillor Mustafa Desai, Executive Member for Health and Adult Social Care, said:
This is a fantastic, innovative approach to providing people with improved and more inclusive support at a time and place that is convenient for them to access it. As Council resources continue to shrink, it’s vital that we explore new ways of using technology to deliver services more effectively, doing more with less, and at the same time striving to improve the standard of healthcare for people in Blackburn with Darwen.
Danielle McGovern, Targeted Engagement and Recovery Manager CGL Inspire / GO2 Blackburn with Darwen, said:
This fantastic upgrade to the Breaking Free Online treatment and recovery resource, adds to the wide range of opportunities we have made available for residents across Blackburn with Darwen to get personalised and confidential help and support for drug or alcohol problems they may be facing.
Glyn Davies, Service Development Director Breaking Free Group, said:
We’re very excited that people will now be able to access all the Breaking Free strategies on their mobile phones. We believe they will really benefit from all the other improvements we’ve made in direct response to feedback from services as we continue to pioneer technology-enhanced recovery.
Interventions can be made available to any local services supporting clients who have drug and alcohol difficulties, and for individuals who can drop in at locations across Blackburn with Darwen for an initial open access assessment. Inspire provides interventions for service users over the age of 25, and GO2 for young people up to the age of 25.
Access cards for Breaking Free Online, and information about the wide range of drug and alcohol interventions available for Blackburn with Darwen residents can be obtained from Inspire / GO2 on (01254) 495014.