‘Intake and assessment’ is the name given to the process used to work out the best treatment path for someone with an alcohol or drug problem. The service screens and assesses each person and, where needed, refers them to the treatment provider best suited to their needs and preferences.
Intake and assessment is usually the main entry point into alcohol and drug treatment. You can often reach a service in several ways: through a referral from your doctor or a drug and alcohol information helpline, or by contacting the service directly yourself.
How intake and assessment works#
Screening and assessment can take place in different ways to suit your circumstances. This might be:
- Face to face at a service
- Over the telephone
- Online
- Through ‘outreach’, where the service comes to you
During the process, a worker carries out a detailed assessment of your treatment needs and then helps put together an initial treatment plan.
This plan can travel with you into treatment, if you agree to your information being shared. That way you do not have to keep re-telling your story to each new service.
Matching treatment to your needs#
If your needs are relatively minor, the service may support you to manage your own treatment, sometimes called ‘self-managed options’.
Sometimes needs are more complex and may be linked to other health conditions, such as mental illness. The intake and assessment team will identify these issues and shape a treatment plan around them.
Depending on what you need, one or more types of support may be recommended, such as:
- Counselling
- Non-residential (home-based) withdrawal
- Residential withdrawal
- Therapeutic day rehabilitation
- Residential rehabilitation
- Care and recovery coordination
- Pharmacotherapy
- Youth-specific alcohol and drug services
- Services tailored to particular communities
To make sure you get the right support, the service will arrange a referral to the appropriate treatment provider for you.
If that provider later refers you on to another service, they let the intake and assessment team know so your plan can be updated. This keeps a record of your whole treatment journey, so you do not ‘get lost in the system’.
Key points#
- Intake and assessment is the usual entry point into alcohol and drug treatment.
- Your treatment plan can move with you into treatment if you agree to your information being shared.
- More complex needs, such as those linked to mental illness, are identified during assessment and built into your plan.
- Keeping a record of your journey helps make sure you do not get lost in the system.
Where to get help#
Sources & further reading
For evidence-based global guidance on this topic, consult authoritative public-health bodies such as the World Health Organization (WHO), CDC, NHS, and ECDC.