FAQ
Hawkspring Services
Hawkspring
What does Hawkspring do?
Who do Hawkspring support?
What services do you offer?
You can find detailed information on each of our services here:
FAQ’s Carers Service
How many 1:1 support sessions are provided in the carer’s programme?
Can you provide support sessions in the home?
If I have childcare issues or work commitments could sessions be held out of hours?
What happens if I miss sessions?
How long is each 1:1 session?
Can people living in any part of Bristol or beyond access Hawkspring services?
Can I refer myself into Hawkspring services?
Yes. Simply go to our Tools and Resources page and download the form, complete it and send it back to us either by email, fax, post or you can drop it into the office.
Can I speak to someone before deciding if this is the right service for me?
Yes please feel free to call the office on 0117 964 2859 and have a chat with one of our team or you can just pop into the office sometime to check it out and have an informal chat. Hawkspring is a very welcoming place where we want everyone to feel comfortable. We are based on the ground floor of the @Symes Building, Peterson Square, Hartcliffe, BS13 0BE.
Will my sessions be confidential?
Yes. Your sessions will be completely confidential. The only time confidentiality would be broken is if there is a serious safeguarding issue. Your support worker will go through all of this with you before your sessions start and at any point you can ask to see the Hawkspring confidentiality and safeguarding policies.
If one of my family members/friends are accessing another Hawkspring service will you share information from my sessions with them?
No. Your sessions and anyone else’s using our services are completely private.
Children and Young People
How many 1:1 support sessions are provided in the children and young people’s programme?
We offer 12 sessions but in some exceptional circumstances we may be able to offer more.
How do children access Hawkspring Services?
Children can be referred to Hawkspring services through social services, schools or internally by an adult engaging with one of our other services.
Why is support for children living with substance misuse in the home so important and what will they gain from accessing support?
Children face a whole variety of issues, problems and potential dangers when living in an environment where substance misuse is taking place. Our support helps to reduce their isolation, provides a safe space for them to talk, helps children develop tools and techniques for coping with their situations and helps to safeguard the child from further harm.
Can you provide support sessions in the home?
Unfortunately not. We don’t have the capacity to accommodate home visits and it wouldn’t be appropriate to hold these sessions in the home.
Where can children access 1:1 support?
Support sessions for children are provided at school. One of our support workers will come to the school and meet with children in a private room for their 1:1 session.
How long is each 1:1 session?
Sessions run between 50 minutes and one hour.
Does Hawkspring offer any other support or services for children other than 1:1 sessions?
At Christmas we take children accessing our services on a trip to Santa’s grotto where they get to meet Santa and get a Christmas present. In the past we have run youth clubs and summer camps for children whose parents are misusing drugs or alcohol. The children could meet other children living in similar situations and these groups helped reduce isolation and gave the children a break from their often chaotic home lives. Unfortunately due to lack of funding we have had to stop this programme for the time being.
Professionals
How can I refer someone into Hawkspring services?
If you are working with someone who you think would benefit from any of the Hawkspring services you can make a referral using our referral form. Simply go to our Tools and Resources page and download the referral form, complete it and send it back to us either by email, fax, post or you can drop it into the office.
Can people living in any part of Bristol or beyond access Hawkspring services?
We can take clients from any area for either the Recovery or Carers Services.
Can I speak to someone before making a referral?
Yes please feel free to call the office on 0117 964 2859 and have a chat with one of our team and we will be happy to answer any questions you have.
Useful Links and Services
You can find lots of useful information about drug and alcohol addiction and treatment on the NHS Alcohol Support page and the NHS Drug Addiction: Getting Help page.
At Hawkspring all our staff undertake excellent specialist training from Phil Harris who has had over 25 years of experience working in this field. You can find a wealth of useful and in-depth information and research conducted in the field of alcohol and drug addiction on his website – PhilHarrisOnline
FAQ’s Recovery Service
How many 1:1 support sessions are provided in the recovery programme?
Can you provide support sessions in the home?
Do I have to pay for support?
What do I have to do to make the sessions worthwhile?
If I have childcare issues or work commitments could sessions be held out of hours?
Can I work with other support services whilst receiving support from Hawkspring?
Yes, in fact we would recommend it. We will attempt to get clients ready for group and detox support at DHI (Developing Health and Independence) who we work closely with. There are also some mental health support organisations that we can refer clients into but due to high demand for these services there can sometimes be a bit of a wait.
Can my loved ones be supported around my addiction treatment?
Yes we provide a Carers Service and Children and Young People’s Service.
Can Hawkspring workers support me at Case Conferences?
Not in person but we can write letters of support that can be read out at the conference if the client has been engaging for at least 3 sessions.
What is SMART Recovery?
SMART Recovery is a four step programme that helps participants decide whether they have a problem, builds up their motivation to change and offers a set of proven tools and techniques to support recovery.
Does Hawkspring offer SMART Recovery sessions?
Yes, we have staff and volunteers trained in SMART recovery and run weekly group sessions. These are closed groups and only available to people already engaged in Hawkspring services.
Do you provide support if I have already stopped drinking/using drugs?
Yes, we can review your situation during the first 1:1 session and if the support worker is happy with your progress they can take you through our Relapse Prevention Programme.
Can I refer myself into Hawkspring services?
Yes. Simply go to our Tools and Resources page and download the form, complete it and send it back to us either by email, fax, post or you can drop it into the office.
Can I speak to someone before deciding if this is the right service for me?
Yes please feel free to call the office on 0117 964 2859 and have a chat with one of our team or you can just pop into the office sometime to check it out and have an informal chat. Hawkspring is a very welcoming place where we want everyone to feel comfortable. We are based on the ground floor of the @Symes Building, Peterson Square, Hartcliffe, BS13 0BE.
How long is each 1:1 session?
Sessions run between 50 minutes and one hour.
Can people living in any part of Bristol or beyond access Hawkspring services?
We can take clients from any area for either the Recovery or Carers Services.
Will my sessions be confidential?
Yes. Your sessions will be completely confidential. The only time confidentiality would be broken is if there is a serious safeguarding issue. Your support worker will go through all of this with you before your sessions start and at any point you can ask to see the Hawkspring confidentiality and safeguarding policies.
If one of my family members/friends are accessing another Hawkspring service will you share information from my sessions with them?
No. Your sessions and anyone else’s using our services are completely private.
What happens if I miss sessions?
To ensure you get the best possible service and support we strongly encourage you to attend all your sessions and will endeavour to plan your sessions at a time that is convenient for you. We also understand that things can happen in life that are out of our control, for example getting ill. If unavoidable circumstances arise meaning you can’t attend your session please let us know as soon as possible that you are not coming and if more than two sessions are missed during your 12 week programme your support will automatically be stopped and your case archived.
What happens if I am not committed or don’t engage?
If you are not at a point in your life where you are ready to engage and commit to making positive changes then it may not be the right time for you to use our services. If you are accessing our services and your support worker doesn’t see any effort or commitment they can terminate the support programme so that other more committed clients can engage with the service. All clients can access the service again when they feel it is the right time for them and they are ready to make a positive change.
Can Hawkspring offer any support to my children?
Currently we can offer support to children aged 5 -11 whose parents or family members are struggling with drug or alcohol misuse. We hope to extend this soon to cover 11 to 13 year olds in a transition support programme. You can find out more about how to access this support on our Children and Young People’s Support Page.
What happens if I my recovery support sessions get cancelled due to lack of commitment/engagement?
We understand that when you are living with addiction life can be chaotic and unpredictable and things can go wrong. In order to provide the best support we have to stick to our rules around attending appointments and our support workers must be able to see real commitment and engagement from clients. If things don’t work out for you at first we will still be here when you are ready to commit and engage again with no judgement. If your sessions are cancelled you can re-refer yourself into our services again when the time is right.
Drugs and Alcohol
How do I know if I/someone else is addicted to alcohol or drugs?
There can be several signs that someone has become addicted to alcohol or drugs. These can include needing to have a drink or take drugs to feel “normal”, getting into trouble because of your drinking or drug taking and your drinking or drug taking causing you problems around relationships, work etc. You can find lots of useful information about this on the NHS Alcohol Support page or the NHS Drug Addiction: Getting Help page.
Is it dangerous to suddenly stop drinking?
It can be very dangerous for someone who has been drinking heavily to suddenly stop drinking. If you are planning on doing this you should seek advice from a doctor so they can help you to do this safely. They may advise you to stop drinking gradually and take some kind of medication. If you or someone else has already done this and you have any immediate concerns you should call 111 or 999. You can find more information about this on the NHS Alcohol Support page.
How many units of alcohol are in my drink?
This can be a confusing thing to work out as there are so many different drinks all containing different units of alcohol. The NHS provide some good information on the recommended safe amount of alcohol units to consume, how this is worked out, a unit calculator and a chart listing popular drinks and the units they contain in their Alcohol Units page.
What withdrawal symptoms can people experience when stopping drinking alcohol?
vomiting
hallucinations
hand tremors (‘the shakes’)
sweating
nausea
visual hallucinations (seeing things that are not actually real)
seizures (fits) in the most serious cases
depression
anxiety
irritability
restlessness
insomnia (difficulty sleeping)
What withdrawal symptoms can people experience when stopping taking drugs?
Withdrawal symptoms can vary greatly depending on the type of drug you are coming off. Some possible withdrawal symptoms are:
Paranoia
nervousness
aches and pains
vomiting
hallucinations
hand tremors (‘the shakes’)
sweating
nausea
visual hallucinations (seeing things that are not actually real)
seizures (fits) in the most serious cases
depression
Itching and feeling of skin crawling
anxiety
irritability
restlessness
insomnia (difficulty sleeping)
Peterson Square,
Avon, Bristol BS13 0BE
E info@hawkspring.org.uk
T 0117 964 2859
F 0117 978 4240