Telford After Care Team (TACT) C.I.O. was setup to provide its service users with a structured and daily programme of activities and a powerful network of contacts to assist with practical issues such as housing, health needs, benefits and employment opportunities. TACT is a registered charity run and managed by a blend of people who have been service users and have experience of working with service users.
TACT was founded in 2012 by Robert Eyers who himself endured 20 years of addiction. During his recovery Rob became aware of the lack of support available for service users in Telford like himself.
Rob set up TACT initially on a voluntary basis with a small amount of funding to help run a SMART Recovery Group and a Gardening Group. This provided people in recovery an option to do something new and prevent them from returning to their old lives.
The main aim of TACT is to assist people in recovery from using drugs or alcohol and associated mental health issues. This is achieved by improving the health and wellbeing of its service users; empowering people to lead productive and fulfilling lives so that they can once again be valued members of the community.
TACT has become a flagship locally and nationally for releasing the talents of its service users through a range of discovery and recovery programmes. TACT aims to compliment and enhance the work undertaken by Community Substance Misuse Teams by providing service users with access to practical support, as well as providing opportunities for services users to engage in mutual aid and peer support. Volunteers have access to continual development through training programmes and TACT Training is a registered training centre with Open College Network West Midlands to offer training and qualifications. The continuous development of volunteers aims to increase their readiness for moving on into other voluntary work and paid employment.