Health and wellbeing
Cabinet approves continued investment in drug and alcohol treatment services
Published on
At its meeting on Wednesday 28 October 2026, Walsall Council's Cabinet approved arrangements for The Beacon, delivered by Change Grow Live (CGL), to continue providing specialist drug and alcohol treatment and recovery services for young people and adults across the borough from April 2027.
The decision reflects the strong performance of the service and its positive impact on residents, families and communities across Walsall.
More adults are accessing treatment services, with numbers increasing by 18.6% over the three years to 2025/26, compared with a 16.2% increase nationally. In 2025/26, 2,171 adults and young people accessed structured support through The Beacon.
The service is also achieving positive outcomes, with 86.2% of adults (as of March 2026) remaining in treatment for at least 12 weeks or successfully completing treatment within that period. This is better than the national average of 81.9%.
The Beacon, commissioned by Walsall Council Public Health, supports adults, young people and families affected by substance use. It provides treatment and recovery support alongside harm reduction, employment support, family support and specialist help for people with more complex needs. Receiving drug and alcohol treatment helps improve physical and mental health, reduces crime and anti-social behaviour, improves employment prospects and supports better outcomes for families and communities.
A drug and alcohol needs assessment found that the service is widely valued by residents and partner organisations. Service users praised staff for their caring and compassionate approach and willingness to go the extra mile. Feedback was also positive about the recently opened treatment centre at The Quarter in Walsall town centre. The assessment also found that the service continues to deliver strong outcomes and good value for money when compared with similar local authorities.
Recent service achievements include the introduction of rapid same-day prescribing for opioid treatment, helping people access support more quickly and improvements to prison in-reach services that have increased the number of people continuing treatment after release from prison.
The service has also worked closely with the Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust to strengthen support for people experiencing both substance use and mental health issues, including the introduction of a specialist dual diagnosis nurse.
“ The Beacon is a trusted and well-established service, delivered by a compassionate and skilled workforce. It is reaching more people, retaining people in treatment and achieving positive outcomes, while providing good value for money. Just as importantly, it is firmly connected to our wider health, housing, safeguarding, criminal justice and community services.
We know that The Beacon is valued by many service users, partner organisations and the wider borough. Significant work has been undertaken to ensure our drug and alcohol provision remains responsive to emerging needs, new technologies and evolving best practice. We look forward to continuing to work with the service to build on these achievements and deliver further improvements for residents. “
Under the new arrangements, the service will continue to focus on preventing harm, supporting recovery and tackling health inequalities across Walsall. Priorities include expanding access to naloxone (a life-saving medication which reduces the effects of an opioid overdose) through peer-to-peer distribution, improving access to treatment and specialist support, strengthening engagement with residents through improved communications and introducing overnight support for people undertaking community-based alcohol detoxification.
The Beacon offers free and confidential support for anyone in Walsall experiencing alcohol or drug use. Residents can refer themselves or professionals can refer clients to the service online via the Change Grow Live website. For more information, please contact thebeacon.walsall@cgl.org.uk or call 01922 669840.
The full paper can be found on the Council’s Committee Management and Information Systems (CMIS).
