Assessment Criteria
GUIDELINES FOR REFERRING AGENCIES AND STAFF
1. Basic Requirements
1. the applicant has a problem drug using history of over two years ie; that the problem is not recreational.
2. the applicant is 20 years of age or older.
3. the applicant is not facing legal proceedings for which his/her stay at The Buttery or application to come to The Buttery will be used as a mitigating factor in Court proceedings.
4. an assessment that the applicant has some personal desire to stop using.
5. owing to staffing constraints and the demands of the program we cannot accept people who have major psychiatric problems.
6. we do not have the facilities to cater for couples or single parents with children.
2. Rationale
Motivation:
We recognise and accept that few people came here brimming with optimism and highly motivated to spend between two and eight months working on themselves. However the Buttery program relies on the individual developing a sincere desire to recover and we feel that:
"Progress in recovery from addiction is a function of development of healthy adaptive means for handling feelings. This in turn depends on awareness of inner feelings, needs and conflicts, as well as the identification and challenging of maladaptive core beliefs. Treatment thus first of all requires abstinence from the addictive behaviour which would otherwise function to distort or prevent this inner awareness.
Treatment itself may then be conceptualised as three inter-related processes;
1. fostering awareness of inner feelings, needs, conflicts and core beliefs, particularly as they arise in the context of interpersonal relationships.
2. encouraging development of more healthy, adaptive means of handling feelings, getting needs met and resolving inner conflicts;
3. a more directive, cognitive behavioural teaching of effective strategies for promoting abstinence from addictive behaviour(what constitutes abstinence for a given person depends on which behaviours are being used addictively, and on how addictive use of behaviour may be distinguished from healthy behaviour in that individual)."
Goodman M.D. Addictions: Definition and implications. British Journal of Addiction 1990
In order for this process to happen we need be confident that the applicant attends The Buttery of their own volition and not as a condition of bail or a bond or other legal pressure.
Please note:
We cannot detox people here so any referral will need to be drug and alcohol free prior to arrival, this may be achieved by spending time in detox immediately prior to arrival or developing a care plan to ensure the person remains straight prior to arrival.
We will require some reasonable proof of drug/alcohol free status such as four consecutive, monitored urines, full drug screen. An Agreement will be made with anybody accepted into our program and final admission will depend on that person arriving here drug and alcohol free.
Failure to meet this contract will result in expulsion from the program.
Basically this involves completing an application over the phone. We need to talk to the applicant directly and it may be that they will have to wait until a vacancy occurs. If this is the case we expect that the applicant maintains weekly contact until arrival.
Please ensure that anybody considering The Buttery program fully understands the nature of the program and the limitations that it places on them.
How to get here and what to bring
Assessments and keeping in touch
Once you have had your initial interview with The Buttery, you are required to keep in touch with us each week on a Thursday between 9-1.00pm on 0266 872399. This usually only takes 5 minutes and provides us with some indication of your motivation and commitment to recovery and allows us to stay current with any changes in your circumstances (such as change of contact details, etc). It also allows us to keep you up to date with your place on the waiting list. We ask that you organize this to be a regular occurrence each week.
If we do not hear from you for three weeks consecutively then your application will automatically be archived and you are removed off the waiting list. If you subsequently reestablish contact and provide good reason for failing to stay in touch, we will consider reactivating your application.
If you have been asked to provide us with a report from your GP, Psych etc. it is up to you to get this done in a timely manner. Reason being is that until we receive the requested report your status on the wait list will be labeled as pending. This means that you have not been accepted as yet until we receive the report. It also means that you move nowhere on the list until it has been received. It is in your best interest to get the requested report to us as soon as you can.
Pre-Arrival agreement
All residents are asked to be clean and sober for four days minimum prior to arrival. Our preferred option is that you come straight from attendance at a detox. If you are not arriving from detox you are then required to provide The Buttery with “clean” urine results. These urines will need to be organized for the Thursday, Friday and Monday before arrival. Once you have arrived on the Tuesday, we will then take another urine sample from you.
It is Buttery policy that all residents make a verbal agreement to remain drug and alcohol free for four days minimum before arrival. This also allows us the opportunity to explain more about the program rules and guidelines and what you can and can’t bring with you and to ascertain when you have last used any substance. It is also to further reinforce your commitment to recovery and minimises the risk of new residents arriving without being fully detoxed.
Identification
We require a current Medicare card for residents. If you do not have a Medicare card please call the Health Insurance Commission on 132011 and ask for your Medicare number and expiry date. Medicare coverage must be current as all residents undergo a health check on arrival and, for those receiving a Centrelink benefit, to request a Medical Certificate for Centrelink purposes every three months at the Bangalow Medical Centre. This medical centre generously bulk bills all of our residents on the proviso they have a current Medicare card. If you do not have a Medicare card the medical centre is unable to bulk bill and will charge a fee of $45 for a standard appointment and $75 for a double appointment. Due to there being no ready access to a Medicare office, to wait for a refund from Medicare can take up to 4-6 weeks which means in the interim you may fall into debt with us.
Residents in receipt of a Centrelink benefit must have a current Centrelink health care card (or pension card). The Buttery does not have the resources to facilitate the process of gaining benefits. The process can be quite lengthy and once again you fall into substantial debt with us as Centrelink does not provide “back payments”. If you do not have a health care card you are required to ring or go into your local Centrelink office and obtain a proof of benefits card which has your CRN number and expiry date attached. If you are being breached by Centrelink you are required to inform The Buttery in your initial assessment as we cannot lift breaches and this will be to the financial detriment of you and you may be unable to afford certain items whilst here. The Buttery can however apply to have loan repayments suspended whilst residing at The Buttery which will in turn be reinstated on day of your departure.
On arrival you will be asked to fill out Centrelink paperwork. This notifies Centrelink of your admission to The Buttery. You will also fill out a nominee form for Centrelink. This enables The Buttery to liaise with Centrelink on your behalf and authorises us to open any mail for you from Centrelink and to receive your payment on your behalf.
One other proof of identity is required for Centrelink purposes i.e. Medicare card drivers licence, key card, passport etc. The Buttery must be able to prove to Centrelink that you are who you say you are. We have to undertake the same identification “points system” as all others i.e. we need minimum of 100 “points” of identification.
Board and lodging fees
The Buttery currently charges all residents $420 board and lodgings fee on arrival, which covers the first fortnight’s board and lodging and a $50 linen deposit. This is not an administration fee. If you do not have this money on arrival with admission money it is to your detriment as you will fall into debt with us and not have all services available to you as other residents. If you are having difficulty acquiring the arrival money, when you speak to the intake worker on the Thursday prior to your arrival, advise them of your circumstances and The Buttery may have to differ your arrival date until you have the money. Once you have paid your initial board and lodgings fee, we then charge approximately 80% of your Centrelink benefit. The other 20% is held in trust for you and is taken up with miscellaneous items such as purchasing tobacco, personal hygiene products, scripts, stationery and the cost of outings. The Buttery charges a $50 linen deposit fee which is inclusive of your $420 board and lodgings fee. At the end of your stay with us if any of the items of linen you received are missing The Buttery will then charge for that item and refund the balance of your deposit to you. If all linen is returned on departure you will be refunded the full amount of your deposit.
What to bring
We ask that all residents arrive with a maximum of two suitcases (or equivalent volume – eg. 2 backpacks). There is not a lot of storage space in each bedroom as you will be sharing the room with a member of the same sex and if you arrive with excess luggage this does not leave a lot of room for both residents to be comfortable in the same room. Due to sharing rooms you are required to wear pyjamas to bed. The Buttery does not allow sleeping naked. They do not have to be pyjamas but some form of clothing is required i.e. boxer shorts and t-shirt.
Residents are asked not to bring the following items –
o Stereos o Computers, laptops
o Mp3 players, diskmans o Gym equipment
o Surfboards, boogie boards o Mobile phones
o Anything of significant value o Pornographic material
We do not have a secure lock up facility so we ask you do not bring anything of significant monetary value in case of burglary/theft.
Medication
If you are on prescription medication we ask you bring all your medication with you and any repeat scripts you may have.
CONTACTS
Please be advised that there are rules and guidelines around contact with family members and/or friends.
Residents cannot send or receive mail for six weeks and there is no phone contact or visits until 14-16 weeks into the program. This rule has been established so that you can primarily focus on settling into the program without any “outside” distractions. We will not restrict mail if there is a legal or other significant emergency. If you have broken your agreement upon arrival your mail and access to other personal items will be delayed by an extra two weeks. If any mail arrives that a case worker deems to be of an urgent nature then the respective case worker will discuss it with you. Once you have access to your mail, if there is anything sent to you that you are not permitted to have on your person while here i.e. money, key cards, cigarettes etc, you will be asked to hand them over to night staff for safe keeping.
If there is a young child involved and you have had regular contact with the child before entry to The Buttery, then there is an exception to this rule. Once you have settled into The Buttery for the first two weeks you can then speak to your case worker about establishing contact but it must be agreed that the child will benefit from having contact with them and that you are doing it for the “good” of the child and not for your own sake. Phone contacts will not be allowed at any stage with anyone abusing drugs and/or alcohol. This includes ex residents. You will then purchase a $10 phone card and will be able to have a supervised phone call to your child either once a week or once a fortnight. The amount of contact you have with your child will be discussed with your case worker. Due to the fact you are unable to have contact with anyone other than the child, staff will make the initial contact until the child comes to the phone. Phone calls must be made and received out of program time i.e. after 5.30pm and are limited to 30 minute calls. There is no access to computers or the internet so all letters will be handwritten and there is no email access. Residents are asked to have a family member or friend to keep their e-mail accounts activated for them if this is an issue.
Visits are confined to family members and close personal friends. Visits are limited to one per fortnight and visits are 4 hours per visit and outside of program (Sunday afternoons), over night stays are not permitted. Visitors known to be using drugs and/or alcohol recently will not be permitted on Buttery grounds.
Contacts process
Visits and phone contact are by an application process through which all residents and case workers have input into helping make this decision as to who you would like to have phone or visit you. If it is established by the residents and case workers that the people you would like to phone or visit you may not be in your best interest at the time, you will then be supported to not have contact with them at this stage. It must also be established that family members or friends want to have contact with you. Phone contacts (if approved) will be limited initially to family members, friends and people within the 12 step fellowships.
Contact restrictions
On admission you have the opportunity to advise staff as to any contact restrictions you may require. This can be anyone whom you do not want to have contact with or have enquire about you during your stay. No information will provided to anyone without the prior consent of you. In saying this it is important on arrival you advise staff as to any contact restrictions you may like. At any given time you also have the opportunity to provide restrictions throughout your stay.
If you are having a birthday during your first 6 weeks here you will be able to have access to a birthday card or parcel if it is labeled “birthday only”. Staff will open the parcel and/or card (while you are present) and check the contents and then hand it over to you. This same rule will apply to Christmas and Easter also.
Contacts in emergencies are allowed. If there is an urgent situation that you may need to be informed about i.e. family emergencies, death etc you will not be denied access and have full use of phone, fax and e-mail.
You are asked to advise family members and/or friends about the above rules. If you have family members and/or friends who you are close to, you can advise these people that they can phone The Buttery once a fortnight and speak to your case worker. Times that case workers are available are between 1.30-2pm Tuesday to Friday on 0266 871111.
Tobacco
The Buttery does not provide tailor made cigarettes. There is only pouch tobacco available. New residents have access to two pouches a week for the first two weeks and then you are restricted to one pouch of tobacco a week. If at any time you have used your full pouch before the end of the week you are required to discuss this with your case worker and it will then be decided if you can have access to a second pouch in the week. This is only applicable once during your stay.
Reading and writing material and personal effects
You will only have access to “self help” books in your first six weeks. There are no magazines or newspapers available to you throughout your stay. After six weeks you then have access to novels which you can borrow from The Buttery library or you may wish to read your own you have bought in with you. If for example you are waiting in a Doctors surgery for an appointment you are then permitted to read the magazines available to you at the time. Any writing pads you bring in with you that have writing in them will be kept locked away until the day of departure. At any stage you will be able to purchase any stationary items you may need throughout your stay.
Photos, music and certain other personal effects will not be available to you until you have been here for six weeks. Once the six weeks is up, your case worker will have a booking with you. In this booking you will open your mail, receive your photos etc. You are able to listen to your own music and read books apart from “self help” books. This is a standard rule which applies to all residents so you can “settle” into the program and not have any “outside” distractions.
Any other enquiries please phone administration on 0266 871111.
