Thousands of armed forces veterans across Wales with mental health and substance misuse problems and the family members who often struggle to look after them will have a helping hand thanks to a more than £1.4 million government grant to an all-Wales service led by Llandudno-based drug and alcohol charity CAIS.
‘Change Step’, a peer mentoring service delivered by veterans for veterans since early this year, and ‘Listen In’, a sister service now being launched in North Wales to help family members and carers, have been awarded £995,918 and £434,659 respectively by the UK government’s Armed Forces Covenant LIBOR Fund.
Utilising the pan-Wales framework of the Drug and Alcohol Charities Wales (DACW) consortium, ‘Change Step’ peer mentors will work alongside CAIS in North Wales, Kaleidoscope in Gwent, TEDS in Rhondda Cynon Taf, WCADA in South Wales, Cyswllt Contact in West Wales, and Drugaid in Mid West Wales. ‘Listen In’ will be delivered by CAIS across North Wales in partnership with mental health charity Mind and the Association of Voluntary Organisations in Wrexham (AVOW). Both services are funded from February 2014 for two years.
