Request for information under the Freedom of Information Act. Please provide the following information in relation to the financial year 2023/24.
By ‘budget' we mean the total funding pot for drugs/alcohol / substance misuse, so please include in your calculations any drug/alcohol / substance misuse grant funding that you received and any one off funding, along with your core funding.

1. How much money was spent from the drug and alcohol / substance misuse budget on the provision of support to the family members / carers of people who have a drug and/or alcohol issue?
Total spend was £8,030 in 2023/24

2. What percentage is this of the total drug and alcohol / substance misuse budget?
Percentage is1.10%

3. How many Full Time Equivalent posts (funded from the drug/alcohol / substance misuse budget) are dedicated to the provision of support to family members / carers of people who have a drug and/or alcohol issue?
Currently, we have 6 part-time employed staff who provide a range support services to family members / carers of people who have a drug and/or alcohol issue. This equates to 3 FTE posts. We also have a team of 30 Family Support Volunteers who also provide support through the helpline. If you add up the weekly hours they provide, plus the time spent on training and supervision, this equates to another 2 FTE posts. All these employees and volunteers support people living throughout the UK, as well as in the Wokingham Borough. Their costs are apportioned to our Wokingham services contract based on the number of people supported in the Borough as a proportion of our client base as a whole.

4. How many family members / carers of people who have a drug and/or alcohol issue were supported by the provision of services funded from the drug and alcohol / substance misuse budget?
Between 1 January 2024 and 31 August 2024, we have directly supported 42 adults in the Wokingham area who are affected or bereaved by another’s harmful use of alcohol and drugs. These people are family members or carers. Our records indicate that a further 2 people, on average, benefit indirectly from the support given to each adult.