Alcohol and Drug Services in Northamptonshire

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West and North Northamptonshire alcohol and drug services will be disaggregating on 1 April 2026, which means there will be some changes for residents of Northamptonshire.

From this date, Turning Point will deliver the new service in West Northamptonshire, called Inspire, working alongside key partners including Bridge, Family Support Link, Double Impact, and Framework.

Inspire will operate from two central hubs in Northampton with satellite sites including Daventry, Towcester, Brackley and Brixworth.

Turning Point will also deliver Inspire Young People, the new alcohol and drug service for young people in West Northamptonshire.

Change Grow Live will be continuing to provide services in North Northamptonshire from their current bases in Corby, Kettering and Wellingborough and are partnering with Forward Trust, Family Support Link and Release to deliver the new service.

Young People’s services in North Northamptonshire will continue to be NGAGE with Aquarius.

Some Changes coming from 01.04.2026:

Over the next few months, CGL and Turning Point will be working closely to handover the existing service in West Northamptonshire, to ensure a smooth and seamless transfer.

There will be further communication nearer the time of the launch providing information about the new contact details for Inspire including new telephone numbers and website and details about how to refer.

Change Grow Live will be working with their new partners to transition to the new North Northamptonshire Service. The current CGL contact details will remain the same post April this includes referral routes via the website and main contact number. From 1st April 2026 this will be only for residents of North Northamptonshire.

Up to and including 31st March 2026, the services, contact details and referral routes will continue as they are.

Partner communication and engagement events are as follows:

Tues 3rd March 2026 between1pm-2:30pm: All partners and online.

Weds 11th March 2026 between 9:30am-11Am: All partners and online.

You can book your space here: https://forms.office.com/e/mdyDBKypKN

Maintaining continuity for the people who use these services is a key priority for involved organisations during this time. They are working hard to ensure that users are informed about the upcoming changes and what this means for them and their care.

If service users would like a contact, please direct them to the service user involvement lead: Russell.Kennedy@cgl.org.uk

NHFT meets the VCFSE 28th January 2026

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On the 28th  January 2026, Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (NHFT) Executive and Operational Directors met with the VCFSE to begin a discussion on how closer connections can be forged around the issue of Neighbourhood health.

The event was organised by SAWN (the Infrastructure Partnership of West Northamptonshire) and chaired by the VCSE Assembly; it set out how  NHFT currently works and where the touchpoints with the VCFSE could be now and in the future.

Our Aspire colleagues from North Northamptonshire were also in attendance.

The Presentations from the session can be downloaded below:

  • NHFT presentation explaining the NHS 10-year plan.
  • Exploring the NHS 10-year plan – this presentation places the VCFSE and NHFT in a county context and explains what “Place” and “Neighbourhood” mean.
  • Mental Health Northants Collaboration (MHNC) presentation – referring to an example of how a collaboration between the VCFSE and NHFT developed.

Table discussions focussed in on how NHFT and the VCFSE could work in a more streamlined, focussed, and effective manner, and what the key priorities for Neighbourhood working should be.

The event was held at Kings Park Conference or Action Centre and was attended by over 60 Individuals.

The table notes for this event will be compiled by VIN in due course and circulated to all attending delegates.

SAWN will be looking to build upon this event with a further West Northamptonshire gathering in Spring 2026.

Russell Rolph, the CEO of VIN, states:

It was great to see NHFT come out in force at Director level to showcase their work. There was a real willingness from NHFT to work with the VCFSE and value them as true partners. I hope we can build upon the momentum we have created and look forward to a further gathering, hopefully around April of 2026. This will be West Northamptonshire-centric as our Infrastructure Partnership (VIN and SNVB) supports over 1660 community organisations across this geographical area. I would like to personally thank all NHFT who made the effort to communicate, engage, and understand in a refreshing inciteful manner.

Neighbourhood Health

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It seems to us that Neighbourhood health is the new Kid on the block, and its all that people within systems across the UK are talking about. It’s a prime mover of the new and revised NHS Plan, and of course its heavily linked to the Preventative Agenda and within that Community Involvement.

The National Association of Community and Voluntary Associations (NAVCA) have just finalised their report on Neighbourhood Health, a report which sought the views of many Infrastructure organisations across the UK which included VIN as part of the SAWN Partnership.

VIN has worked within Infrastructure for 30 years and never has the landscape been tougher.

Neighbourhood health offers opportunities for the VCSE, but it also has its challenges. We know the deficit that our system has in Northamptonshire, so a new and refreshed way of delivering Health in Place is important.

SAWN has produced its blueprint for how it could best work.

The SAWN advantage can be viewed here 

There are 8 key ingredients. Some are underway, some are being examined and some are yet to be considered.

Local Infrastructure Organisations hold a conduit place within the VCSE. The VCSE operate best at Place where they Live, Work and Invest. A greater role for the VCSE is an imperative in this new world of combined delivery strategies and effective management of funds. The role of Local Authorities and Health is in seeing and activating that knowledge, skill and understanding.

The VCSE is at its best unlocking community potential and changing behaviours.

SAWN is calling on the Northamptonshire system to realise that potential and work in a spirit of enabling and empowering.

VIN AGM and Signed Accounts

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VINs Annual General Meeting took place on the 13th of November 2025.

The AGM Presentation can be found here, and VIN would like to thank all the speakers for their contributions:

The AGM Minutes can be found here

VINs Signed Accounts can be found here

 

Consultation on Draft Active Travel Strategy, Draft Mobility Hub Action Plan and Draft Rail Action Plan

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Over the past few months West Northamptonshire Council have been developing a series of supporting strategies following the adoption of the Local Transport Plan in March 2025. These draft documents set the policy and actions for the Council to take over the coming years to implement the infrastructure detailed in the Local Transport Plan. West Northamptonshire Council have brought forward the first three of these draft strategies for public consultation, which have now been published for an 8-week consultation period. The draft documents are:

  1. Draft Active Travel Strategy.
  2. Draft Mobility Hub Action Plan.
  3. Draft Rail Action Plan.

The consultation will be open for responses from the 3rd of December 2025 until the 27th of January 2026, and the documents and consultation forms can be accessed via the Council’s dedicated consultation portal. The link to the consultation is here:

 

https://westnorthants.citizenspace.com/place/transport-strategy-and-action-plans-consultation/

The Council greatly appreciates the contributions already made by our stakeholders at the in-person events, and through written feedback. Should you have any questions or feedback that you’d like to send to the team, please contact us with our dedicated email address:

LocalTransportPlan@westnorthants.gov.uk

Members of the Highways and Transport Planning Team will be hosting virtual events in early January 2026 for any stakeholders who wish to discuss these supporting strategies directly with the team. Further information on these events will be shared closer to the time.

Asset Based Community Development

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West Northamptonshire have commissioned VIN with a piece of work aligning strongly to the principles of Asset Based Community Development or ABCD.

VIN is now looking for 20 individuals from 20 different organisations who might be interested in joining the programme.

The programme consists of:

  • A 2-day classroom course delivered by Forever Manchester at a Northampton venue. This is an accredited ABCD course.
  • A Community of Practice Meeting with VIN to digest the learning from the course.
  • A bursary of 1K to run a small project which distils the learning and shows trace elements of ABCD.
  • A reflective Community of Practice at Project end.

To be eligible VCSE organisations must be based in West Northamptonshire and must commit to all elements of the programme. Nonattendance will mean removal from the programme. In addition, eligible VCSE organisations must have 1 of the following 3 components:

  • Be undertaking some form of Outreach or Development work.
  • Have a hub which beneficiaries visit.
  • Be working with a specific health inclusion group.

Organisations can submit their interest by E-mailing russell.rolph@voluntaryimpact.org.uk

When E-mailing organisations must identify which LAP area they work in or more if that’s the case.

A list of interested parties will then be forwarded to West Northamptonshire Council for their final decision.

It is envisaged that this programme will commence in late January 2026. All selected organisations will be contacted directly by the VIN CEO.

VIN signs to the International Ethical Recruitment Charter

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The International Ethical Recruitment Charter for West Northamptonshire has been launched.

This is a significant achievement which VIN took part in and plays a pivotal role in creating a document that upholds the highest principles of ethical and respectful recruitment for international care workers.

The Charter is now live and available for sign-up on the West Northamptonshire Council website, where care providers can formally commit to its principles.

Explore and share the Charter: https://www.westnorthants.gov.uk/irec

VIN AGM

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Join VIN at our Annual General Meeting. Learn about some of our organisations and the support that VIN has provided and in addition understand how Neighbourhood Health might impact on the VCFSE and how West Northamptonshire Council will be changing its approach to Community Investment. Take part in Lunch and the opportunity to network with other likeminded organisations.

Please book your ticket here 

Northamptonshire Community Pot – The Drug and Alcohol Treatment and Recovery Improvement Grant (DATRIG)

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This grant is issued as part of the Government’s overarching strategy to reduce harm from substance misuse and to support long-term recovery, as outlined in the 10-year plan: From Harm to Hope: A 10-Year Drugs Plan to Cut Crime and Save Lives.

As part of this strategy, the Community Pot focus is on enhancing recovery capital, increasing access to services for marginalised and underserved populations, and promoting culturally responsive, inclusive, and innovative approaches to support for Northamptonshire residents.

The Community Pot aims to reduce barriers to treatment, build resilience at the local level, and foster recovery-oriented environments that complement the wider drug and alcohol treatment system.

This approach supports the national ambition of delivering a whole-system, person-centred response to substance misuse.

Community Pot outcomes:

 

  1. Enhanced Access- Increase access to recovery support within local communities, particularly for hard-to-reach groups.
  2. Community Empowerment -Strengthen community resilience and ownership of substance misuse issues through local co-production with people with lived experience.
  3. Early & Alternative Engagement – Improve engagement of individuals not in structured treatment via trusted community-based pathways + community led pathways.
  4. Diverse Support needs – Broaden the range of inclusive variety of support models available to meet diverse needs across the local population.
  5. Sustainable Capacity- Increase sustainability and visibility of organisations working within the recovery and harm reduction space.

 

The Initiatives focus is to dismantle barriers to access for marginalised and underserved communities, considering diversity in ethnicity, faith, disability, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic background, and other factors.

Approaches that integrate cultural competence, inclusivity, and innovation into service delivery. Community-based pathways that complement structured treatment and strengthen whole-system responses.

 

Funding Available:

  • Total funding available: £30,000.
  • Maximum award per organisation: £4,000.
  • One application per organisation per funding round.
  • Spend deadline: All awarded funds must be fully utilised by 31 March 2026 and applications must be submitted by 12 Noon on the 17th of November 2025.

 

The application form can be found here: https://forms.office.com/e/ha5yDPUbhX

Northamptonshire Suicide Prevention Strategy

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The all-age, county-wide Northamptonshire Suicide Prevention Strategy and Action Plan 2022-2025 is due to come to an end this December 2025. There will be the development of new West Northamptonshire Council’s (WNC) and North Northamptonshire Council’s (NNC) Suicide Prevention and Self-Harm Strategies and Action Plans, with a proposed launch in April 2026.

 

These Strategies and Action Plans will underpin the county-wide Northamptonshire Suicide Prevention Steering Group.

 

To support the development of these new documents, a county-wide approach is being taken, led jointly by WNC and NNC Public Health Teams.

 

During November and December 2025, there will be 4 online workshops (2 hours each), with each workshop focussing on 2 of the national suicide prevention priorities.

 

The online workshops will allow time to reflect on what has been achieved locally for these priority areas to date and discussion time to explore potential objectives and actions to address future areas of focus. These discussions will need to be aligned with current resource and system to ensure the development of achievable action plans.

 

The below table highlights the priorities each workshop will focus on:

 

Workshop  Priorities 
1  Priority 1: Improving data and evidence to ensure that effective, evidence-informed, and timely interventions continue to be developed and adapted.
Priority 3: Addressing common risk factors linked to suicide at a population level to provide early intervention and tailored support.
2  Priority 2: Tailored, targeted support to priority groups, including those at higher risk, to ensure there is bespoke action and that interventions are effective and accessible for everyone.
Priority 5: Providing effective crisis support access sectors for those who reach crisis point.
3  Priority 4: Promoting online safety and responsible media content to reduce harms, improve support and signposting, and provide helpful messages about suicide and self-harm.
Priority 6: Reducing access to means and methods of suicide where this is appropriate and necessary as an intervention to prevent suicides.
4  Priority 7: Providing effective bereavement support to those affected by suicide.
Priority 8: Making suicide everybody’s business so that we can maximise our collective impact and support to prevent suicides.

 

If you are interested in attending any of the online 4 workshops, please respond to this email by COP Wednesday 15th October 2025 with your name, email address, and the workshops of interest.

 

You will then be sent the relevant workshop meeting invitations.

 

Please note that a pre-reading document will be shared ahead of the workshops with essential and recommended reading. This is to ensure attendees have a good understanding of the work area and to help maximise discussion time within the workshops.