About DAF
The Drug and Alcohol Foundation (DAF) was founded in 1974 and since then has grown and developed significantly. The aims and objectives of the organisation, however, remain the same:
- To help in the treatment and prevention of addiction;
- To help drug and alcohol dependent people to recover.
DAF believes that addicts should have high quality, easily accessible counselling treatment available to them in the community, to enable them to lead constructive lives free from addiction. DAF also puts an emphasis on ensuring that these services reach as many members of the population as possible, including ethnic minorities and people suffering from addiction and mental health disorders (dual-diagnosis).
In 2008 DAF offered support to approximately 500 people. On average each client stayed for 24 weeks. The majority of people were referred to and paid for by Social Services. However, not everybody is able to access funding this way. Clients may no longer be eligible for state funding if they have had some kind of treatment in the past. Or perhaps they feel that additional counselling is needed to consolidate their recovery from addiction. For people who have been heavily addicted to substances for many years it takes time to recover from their addiction and reintegrate themselves back into the family and everyday life. DAF provides clinical services to help them achieve this.
The counsellors at DAF understand and can work with any addiction. The services are a mixture of individual and group work, so a package of care is tailored according to the needs of an individual. The option of working with a male or female counsellor is also given.