Cyrenians have long recognised that alcohol use can not only contribute to homelessness but that it can seriously impede the progress made by those who access our support. Our 'Getting the Measure' project was developed to ensure that all staff are proactive and informed when it comes to talking about alcohol with the individuals they support; and that alcohol use is routinely addressed across all of our service provision.

Over 50 frontline Cyrenians key-workers attended 'Getting the Measure' training during 2010 and 2011 and now deliver a bespoke model of alcohol intervention, designed specifically for vulnerable people. A dedicated website was developed to provide further resources and support.

The evaluation of 'Getting the Measure' has recently been published by Create Consultancy. Read the executive summary and the full report below.

The evaluation shows that our approach has had a significant impact on staff ability to raise the issue of alcohol with their clients.

Factors key to this success are:

• The built relationship between practitioner and client.
• The recognition that clients won't generally be offended when alcohol is discussed.
• The development of staff confidence.
• The provision of prompts and materials.

The report includes a number of recommendations which will help us to continue to develop our work. We are also exploring opportunities for 2nd stage research into the impact of our alcohol interventions on the individuals we support.

A clear message from this evaluation is the importance of the relationship between practitioner and client in any behaviour change intervention. Cyrenians will continue to invest in our key-worker practice model, as well as topic based training, as a means to ensure that effective and holistic support is offered across our services.