Darren Worthington, Report from 2007

Writing this year's introduction to our annual report has given me the opportunity to reflect back on another successful year for SMART, and I do this with great pride and genuine gratitude. Recalling those moments – both good and bad – that have steered us always brings me back to the core function of our work; people helping people.

My time as CEO has coincided with a period of unprecedented change within the sector, especially for those involved with criminal justice service delivery; and at times change, or our ability to manage change, has presented us with our biggest challenge.

More often than not we don't trust change and are fearful that something will be lost. For us it was the fear of losing the ingredient that defines us and makes us strong. Thankfully we never did. Sticking to our core values of empathy and endeavour, whilst reminding ourselves that ultimately all we want is the opportunity to help people change their lives, ensures our continued success.

To help sustain our ambitions we have employed four excellent new Managers and welcomed new faces on to the Trustees Board, each with a wealth of experience that can only add strength. Our achievements are only possible through the unswerving commitment and faith of the whole staff team. We must remember that any strategy is only as strong as those tasked with delivering it, at the sharp-end. My humble gratitude extends to all of you.

Fast-forward the future. The complexities involved in developing drug strategy make it increasingly difficult to predict. As we near the end of the current one, lots of questions are emerging to create uncertainty. If we are to balance our concern for the impact on the individual with their impact on society, we must embrace all opinions. Not least those of the service users. The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) is developing rapidly and will undoubtedly influence how we all see future services. Our hope and I'm sure this is shared by our peers, is we can contribute something of our own experiences to how the next strategy develops.

We will continue to focus on high performance and quality and recognise that in order to sustain our achievements to date we must grow strong from within. Consolidating as a team and developing individuals are our top priorities. We also look forward to improving our understanding of those issues faced, by individuals, making the move on from prison and treatment.

Good aftercare packages should greatly improve the opportunities available to progress on to education and employment. We strive as ever to make our services as inclusive as possible, and reach out to those who have previously struggled to access treatment.

Thank you again to all those who contributed to our successes over the year.

Darren Worthington

Please Note:
An updated 2008 Chief Executive Report will be released shortly