New agreement for Birmingham healthcare firm
A DIGITAL healthcare pioneer based in Birmingham has entered into a partnership with the UK’s leading examination and accreditation body, OCR (Oxford University, Cambridge University and the Royal Society of Arts).
In recent months, Innovation Birmingham Campus-headquartered Breaking Free Group has worked with the OCR to develop qualifications for people who engage with the Breaking Free treatment and recovery programmes for substance misuse.
Following the commission by NHS England of the Breaking Free Health and Justice programmes across 10 North-West prisons as part of the Gateways ‘Through the Gate’ initiative, Breaking Free Group approached OCR to accredit and regulate its programmes to acknowledge the work offenders were putting into their recovery from alcohol and drug dependence.
The qualification will be available to people completing the Breaking Free programmes at OCR-approved centres in both criminal justice and community settings.
Rob Mills, Offender Learning Skills and Employment Lead at OCR, said: “Breaking Free Group are true innovators in online drug and alcohol interventions. We are currently developing two of their programmes, ‘Breaking Free Online’ and ‘Pillars of Recovery’, for accreditation as part of OCR’s Life and Living Skills suite, which will support individuals to desist from drug and alcohol abuse and move them towards employment or further education and training.”
Glyn Davies, Service Development Director at Breaking Free Group, added: “People who are actively addressing their drug and alcohol difficulties put a huge amount of effort into their recovery.
“OCR’s accreditation of the ‘Breaking Free Online’ and ‘Pillars of Recovery’ programmes means this effort will be validated and rewarded through a qualification and certificate in Life and Living Skills. As well as providing an additional incentive for people to achieve their recovery goals, for many our programmes will now also serve as a vital springboard to future learning and self-improvement.”
OCR works with over 13,000 centres to offer qualifications. It develop qualifications, such as Life and Living Skills, in close consultation with industry leaders and government to ensure they are relevant for learners and meet the requirements set by the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual).
The new contract follows a strong 24 months for the Breaking Free Group, which is now working with more than 60 local authorities and NHS Trusts across England, Scotland and Wales.
The company, which is tapping into a growing market for digital health, aims to use its web-based treatment programme to complement existing healthcare services in the public sector and beyond.
