Voluntary Organisations North East (VONNE)

Addictions North East are pleased to be full members of VONNE. This organisation is the umbrella body for voluntary sector agencies: We are pleased to be an affiliate member and grateful to them for the services that they provide:

Their details are as follows:

VONNE’s vision is that charities, voluntary and community groups and social enterprises make a distinct and sustained contribution to the economic and social development of the North East of England.

VONNE’s mission is to support the development and sustainability of a strong, effective, and well governed VCSE and promote engagement, involvement, and collaboration with the sector as a valued partner.

VONNE’s strategic aims

  • To be the expert source of knowledge and intelligence on the sector in the North East.
  • To be a source of information to the sector on issues and opportunities that impact on it.
  • To raise the North East sector profile and be a leading voice for it.
  • To support external stakeholders to effectively engage and collaborate with the sector.
  • To support the sector to be effective, ambitious, and enterprising.
  • VONNE also aims to be an effective and sustainable organisation.

VONNE’s values

  • Striving for excellence
  • Transparency
  • Inclusivity and fairness
  • Learning and sharing

VONNE is a registered charity (registered number 1084083) and a company limited by guarantee (registered number 04061592). VONNE is VAT registered (number 194251990).

Social Firms England

Addictions North East are members of Social Firms England. We seek to engage with our stakeholders who have had experience of mental health / neurodiverse issues and / or addictions. Those people who have an experience of the problems are much better placed to share with other people their strengths, hope and experience. We are grateful to Social Firms England for their leadership.

About Social Firms England

After consultation with members, the Board of Social Firms UK decided that at the end of March 2015, Social Firms UK will be retired and will be replaced with Social Firms England on 1st April 2015 for SFUK members in England. We believe that this is an exciting move for the social firms’ sector and provides the opportunity for a new and improved shape for social firm support and lobbying at local and national level.

SFUK members have had the opportunity to make their views known over several surveys and discussions over the past year. We have taken all these views into account in making the changes – and we are quite excited about the new potential that they bring. It has given us the opportunity to review exactly what members need and value from their support body.

Social Enterprise UK

Addictions UK and Addictions North East are committed to becoming ethical social enterprises hence the decision to join Social Enterprise UK. We are grateful for their professional help and assistance and we recommend their services to our partners and supporters. About their Services:

Social Enterprise UK are the leading global authority on social enterprise and the biggest network of social enterprises in the UK. Working with our members we have actioned several positive and powerful changes, including:

  • Running global campaigns to raise awareness of social enterprise around the world, including #WhoKnew on Social Enterprise Day
  • Made government buy social by passing the Social Value Act, requiring public bodies to consider the wider social, environmental, and economic impact of the services they commission.
  • Challenged big business to buy more from social enterprises through our Buy Social Corporate Challenge.
  • Made social investment more accessible to social enterprises, helping shape and steer tax relief, Big Society Capital, investment readiness and business support
  • Enhanced the work of local communities championing social enterprise through our Social Enterprise Places Programme.

But more can be done – we need you to help us grow the social enterprise network, join the movement as a “Social Enterprise” or a “Supporter of Social Enterprise” Member and increase our mandate as the voice for the sector.

Social Enterprise Membership FAQs will help answer any initial questions you have.

Infinite Autism

Addictions North East are grateful to Infinite Autism for working closely with us, helping to train our stakeholders and our community and offering guidance to the action research we have been developing that investigates the links between Addictions, neurodiverse and mental health issues. We are proud to work closely with Kieran and his colleagues.
Infinite Autism is Social Enterprise based in Consett, County Durham, created by and led by Kieran Rose, and run by and for Autistic and Neurodivergent people.

Infinite Autism’s aims are to develop and work in collaboration with other Third Sector organisations and businesses with charitable aims, on projects that improve the lives of Autistic people and, as part of that remit, Infinite Autism is currently partnered with North East Autism Society, Durham Constabulary, Addictions UK, Addictions North East and FIGS UK and Happy Faces Prudhoe.

Infinite Autism seeks to support Autistic people and their families by offering funded services designed to enable, empower and improve the lives of Autistic people by means of pre and post-diagnostic support, emotional wellbeing, positive education and training, signposting to positive, supportive services and overall offering knowledge and understanding.

Please visit the Infinite Autism website for further information.

Handcrafted

Addictions North East is pleased to work with Handcrafted. We share many common values and seek to examine ways where we can support each other and our service users.

Addictions North East is pleased to work with Handcrafted. We share many common values and seek to examine ways where we can support each other and our service users.

Handcrafted is born out of a desire to see people who are disadvantaged due to crime, alcohol or substance abuse, unemployment, ill health, or old age making a positive step and becoming active members of the community again.

  • Provide tailored training opportunities to enable every individual to achieve their goals.
  • Help disadvantaged people find their ideal job or start their own enterprises.
  • Provide housing across the Region and support our residents to make their living space a home they can be proud of.
  • Bring people excluded from society into a creative community.

This is a Christian project operating out of values of love, restoration, and community. We have a committed team of staff and volunteers working to provide a supportive, welcoming environment to encourage people to gain skills, training and experience through our enterprising projects and work placements. Our shoulder to shoulder approach builds a strong team where all members work together resulting in innovative solutions to problems encountered on an individual and group level.

Recovery Academy Durham (RAD)

We work closely with local RAD staff in Seaham and other Humankind offices in County Durham. Humankind are the main contractors for the County Durham Drug and Alcohol Services. We are grateful to them for their services.

Recovery Academy Durham, managed by HUMANKIND, offer ways for local people with drug and alcohol problems to become free from their dependence. The RAD want to reduce the problems that substance misuse causes to families, friendships, workplaces, and communities in County Durham

They provide structured one-to-one support, structured group therapy, also a health and wellbeing check including health screenings, blood testing and vaccinations.

Durham Sparks

Our thanks are due to Durham Sparks who have provided Addictions North East and Addictions UK with valuable consultancy advice during the last two years. We are grateful to Iain Kay who has co-ordinated their work with our agencies. Sparks offered us solid practical advice in a very skilful way, and they have assisted us to liaise more effectively with the Third Sector, Public Sector and Private Enterprise.

Durham Sparks is a regional development programme designed to connect aspiring entrepreneurs and existing community enterprises with business coaches within County Durham.

Funded by Durham County Council and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and led by Finchale Group Consortium, the services delivered through the project are structured to identify relevant support and interventions enabling both start-up and existing enterprise from across County Durham to achieve its goals and objectives

Durham Constabulary

We have been pleased to work with Durham Constabulary, our Local Police Service, who have liaised with us concerning their help in rehabilitating prolific offenders.

Their excellent community links, enlightened policies on conducting preventative work has been well received by the local community. Addictions North East hope to continue their positive relationship with the local prolific offending teams of interventionists. It is refreshing when Public Sector agencies conduct such innovative policies. The work of the prolific offending team in County Durham has been very successful.

We were extremely sad when earlier this year the Durham Crime Commissioner, Ron Hogg, died. He was an effective and much liked leader who commanded much respect within the North East of England. His honest, straight forward approach was a breath of fresh air whether you believed in all his policy approaches to the legalisation of certain drugs or not. He will be missed by all within Addictions North East.

AddictionsUK

Addictions UK (AUK) is a Social Enterprise that was established in 2002 – the same time as Addictions North East. Both organisations have grown into sustainable organisations and Addictions UK is now one of the leading providers of Home-Based Addictions Treatment and Home Detox in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland.

AUK specialises in offering Remote Addictions Treatments via its Virtual Rehab Services with customised Counselling and Psychotherapy, Medical Treatment / Home Detox Services. A Community Medical Detox is available to those people who do not want to be admitted to a hospital and Residential Rehab Centre.

AUK is an Approved Contractor with several Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs) and offers counselling sessions remotely with an Accredited Counsellor.

AUK is a multi-purpose agency that operated as a Not for Profit Social Enterprise and which donates surplus income to Addictions North East and to work in Southern India. AUK offers on-line training, Remote Training Sessions and Face-to- Face Training on Addictions / Mental Health Neurodiverse issues both Nationally and Internationally in conjunction with Addictions North East.