Supporting recovery through connection: WithYou in Dundee’s Residential Rehab Pathway

“Treating family support as a core part of the service, not an add-on, strengthens outcomes for everyone involved.”

WithYou in Dundee provides recovery-based drug and alcohol support for people living in Dundee. Through its Residential Rehab Pathway, the organisation supports individuals and their families through every stage of recovery, helping people rebuild connections with those around them and strengthen their place within their communities.

The Residential Rehab Pathway is designed to provide consistent support from the earliest stages of recovery through to life after treatment. A dedicated recovery worker stays with each person throughout their journey, offering continuity and helping build trust. The pathway includes four stages: pre-rehabilitation support, residential rehabilitation, post-rehab recovery support, and community detox for people who choose or require a community-based option.

The service is built on partnership working. WithYou in Dundee works closely with Dundee Health and Social Care Partnership, NHS Tayside, Dundee Independent Advocacy Service (DIAS), Tayside Council on Alcohol and Access to Industry, alongside residential rehabilitation providers across Scotland. Together, these organisations help ensure that support is tailored to individual circumstances and remains connected throughout a person’s recovery journey.

Each participant develops a My Journey Plan, which is shaped around their own needs and family circumstances. Recovery is based on a whole-family approach rather than something experienced by an individual alone. Graduation events bring together people who have completed the programme, their families and partner organisations, creating opportunities to celebrate progress and reinforce the networks that support recovery.

The pathway has supported more than 140 people on their recovery journey. To date, 46 people have completed residential rehabilitation and a further 22 have completed community-based placements through the pathway. WithYou in Dundee has also provided support to 40 family members in their own right, recognising the impact that drug and alcohol use can have across entire families.

Support does not end when treatment finishes. Participants can access up to 26 weeks of aftercare, helping them connect with community groups, mutual aid networks and recovery communities. This approach aims to reduce the challenges that can arise when returning to everyday life following rehabilitation and helps people maintain supportive relationships within their local communities.

Strong partnerships with statutory services are central to the pathway’s success. Dundee Health and Social Care Partnership and NHS Tayside play a key role in how the service is delivered and reviewed. Dundee Independent Advocacy Service supports people to have their voices heard and their rights protected throughout their recovery journey, including during discharge planning. Other partners contribute specialist support, while residential rehabilitation providers work directly with the team to identify placements that best meet individual needs.

Like many drug and alcohol services, the pathway faces challenges in ensuring that everyone who could benefit is able to access support. Around seven in ten people using the pathway are men, reflecting wider trends across the sector. WithYou in Dundee recognises that women may face additional barriers, including caring responsibilities, stigma and concerns about child custody. The organisation is exploring how more flexible, community-based approaches could help make support more accessible for women.

Experience from delivering the pathway has reinforced several important lessons. Consistency of support helps build the trust needed for sustained recovery. Independent advocacy gives people greater involvement in decisions affecting their care. The organisation has also found that treating family support as an integral part of the service strengthens outcomes for everyone involved. Keeping support available when people are not yet ready for residential rehabilitation also helps ensure they can engage when the time feels right for them. Looking ahead, WithYou in Dundee hopes to expand the pathway’s reach, particularly among women who may currently find residential rehabilitation more difficult to access. Two women who have completed the pathway have since returned as volunteers, using their lived experience to support others. The organisation hopes to see this approach grow while continuing to strengthen its family-centred model of recovery, helping families rebuild together and remain connected within their communities.

Find out more about WithYou in Dundee’s drug and alcohol support on their website.