About BRACE

About Us

BRACE is a Community Response to Drug and Alcohol issues. We strive to reduce the negative impact of drug and alcohol use on the lives of individuals and families, and on this community. Founded in 1981 our services respond to a continuum of needs ranging from low threshold harm reduction positions to post substance use/abstinence-based aftercare provision.

We believe that individual substance users do not exist in isolation, and accordingly we also work with families and the community to facilitate change. Within the delivery of services there are target groups who are in a transitional phase within their drug use, and the manner of service delivery is designed to incorporate this reality, supported by collaborative work among the staff team.

BRACE from its earliest days has held that education and training play a crucial role in developing and supporting an effective community response to drugs and alcohol. BRACE Training provides a range of training programmes and courses, informed always by the lived experience and learning that emerges from our services.

Our Way of Working:

We place the person at the centre of any response we make, respecting where they have come from, where they are at now, and where they see they could be.

We support the possibility of change, and work to facilitate that change in a respectful, non-judgemental way.

We recognise the many barriers that people face when making changes, and we know that each person who comes to us brings a unique story and experience.

We are clear that each individual lives within a context of many other systems including their family, the education system, the justice system, and the health system. Our work takes this into account, and at times must address the bigger issues that are presented by these systems.