Evaluation of the “testing the act method on citizens with psychological problems and concurrent substance and alcohol abuse” project

This report evaluates ”Afprøvning af ACT-metoden over for borgere med psykiske lidelser og samtidigt misbrug” (“Testing the ACT method on citizens with psychological problems and concurrent substance and alcohol abuse”), a project financed through the public pool of funds. The project tested the ACT method on 62 citizens with psychological problems and concurrent substance or alcohol abuse in the City of Copenhagen and Skanderborg Municipality in the period 2014 to 2017.

ACT (Assertive Community Treatment) is a proactive approach providing treatment and support in the comfort of the citizen’s own home or community. The intervention is delivered by a cross-disciplinary team of staff who provide support and treatment to citizens. In this project, the municipal team consisted of staff with different professional competences and areas of expertise, e.g. social education workers, nurses, case workers, addiction consultants, employment consultants, psychologists and psychiatrists.

Overall, the evaluation shows that most citizens experienced a positive effect from the ACT intervention. However, a group of citizens experienced neither a positive nor a negative effect, and a small group experienced a setback. Furthermore, the evaluation points to a number of drivers and barriers in implementation of the project, including in relation to management, organisation and competences.

The evaluation was based on qualitative as well as quantitative methods and data sources. The evaluation of developments among citizens was based on regular before-and-after impact measurements, and on an impact evaluation in which people receiving ACT were compared with a control group. Furthermore, qualitative interviews were carried out with project managers, ACT team staff and the management in the two municipalities participating in the project. Finally, interviews were conducted with citizens receiving ACT.