Darren Worthington, Report from 2009

Writing my introduction to this year’s annual review has been a thought provoking and rewarding experience. Thought provoking because I have had to let go my current obsession with the future, rewarding because, in reflecting back, I am reminded of our core strength: the ability to adapt to change and deliver services that produce outcomes regardless of the financial and political landscape.

For those who are reading our annual report as an introduction to SMART and as a way of understanding a little bit more about our intentions as a provider, you really need look no further than our most significant achievements in the last year as they all point towards growth and our collective desire for continuing improvement.

The SMART Symposium, hosted in February, asked the question ‘As good as it gets – is the current Drug Strategy
the best we can hope for?’.  This provided us with a timely opportunity to expand our thinking further as it brought
together the different contexts, opinions and expectations of the various stakeholders and peers who shape our world.

To further support our aim of developing a deeper understanding of the needs of those we serve and our value as a provider, we also commissioned Kings College London to research the impact of our DIP services. This included an analysis of the cost benefits we provide to the wider community and our contribution towards making our communities safer. One of the key findings indicates that the related cost savings to the community are approximately one-to-four, that is, for every pound spent on SMART services the wider community saves four.

Our commitment to helping reduce the wider impact of substance misuse on our communities included a joint investment with Thames Valley Police to create a pilot project that enables us to reach out to the ‘harder to engage’ entrenched substance misusing offenders and support them in changing their destructive behaviours.

The aim of expanding the boundaries of our work also includes securing new businessthat enables us to diversify in new areas of service delivery.This was achieved when we secured the contract to deliver a range of community treatment services in Oxfordshire that include interventions that are dedicated to supporting those with problems related to alcohol, and the families and carers of our service users.

I would like to thank everyoneinvolved with helping us to achieve so much, particularly those partners and individuals who have invested time and resources in SMART. I would also like to extend heartfelt gratitude to all of our staff, volunteers and mentors. Your endeavour provides the inspiration needed to succeed.

Darren Worthington

Chief Executive