Welfare changes 'must take more flexible approach'

Categories

Addiction Treatment
Alcohol
Drugs
Gambling
In the papers
On TV

News Archive

Home » News » Drugs » Welfare changes 'must take more flexible approach'

by Change | 18 Dec 2008

Bookmark

E-mail

Changes to the welfare system requiring recovering drug users to look for work in order to draw benefits requires a more flexible approach, a charity claims.

The government is considering legislation which could ensure users who are not in drug addiction treatment clinics seek work or risk losing their benefits, a source reveals.

In a commentary on the proposals, Clare McNeill, a policy officer at charity Addaction, tells the Guardian a more flexible approach to the issue is necessary if it is to prove effective.

Attempts must be made to ensure Jobcentre Plus staff are aware of the fact it can be difficult for those undergoing treatment at an addiction rehab centre to meet the criteria required to continue drawing benefits, she says

Ms McNeill predicts the potential introduction of drug testing could further hamper these efforts, as employee prejudice is the biggest barrier preventing recovering drug users from accessing work.

"To realise this, the government must ensure it does not introduce measures which will go further than ever before to regulate drug users, while neglecting to create the conditions in which they can succeed," she warns.

In other news, the Sentence Guidelines Council has recently advised judges to offer community service and referrals to substance abuse clinics instead of custodial punishments.

Bookmark this: