GambleAware Reveals Results of Treatment System Evaluation

GambleAware has revealed the results of the independent evaluation of the treatment and support system. Phase one was led by Leeds Beckett University researchers that created a proposed gambling treatment system.

Framework for an Exemplar Gambling Treatment System

The charity raising awareness of gambling harms, GambleAware has announced the findings for phase one of an independent evaluation of the charity funded treatment and support system.  Leeds Beckett University completed this phase of the research, which was aiming at delivering an objective and independent evaluation of the current GambleAware-funded treatment and support system. Upon completion of phase one, a framework for an “exemplar gambling treatment system” had to be established. After an analysis of the research findings, an initial framework was drafted.

The initial framework consists of six core principles. Those are identification and understanding of treatment system requirements for the whole of the wider gambling environment as well as collaboration across the gambling treatment system. Furthermore, ensuring adequate infrastructure and system functioning requires governance and resources. The proposed framework also calls for attention to diversity and socio-structural status.

Awareness and accessibility of the gambling treatment system and appropriate individualized treatment is another key principle that is a part of the proposed framework. Last but not least, for successful treatment, the proposed framework features an evidence-informed system design that includes interventions and gambling insight.

Knowledge Gaps Found in the Multi-Level Structure

Besides the proposed treatment framework, researchers have also acknowledged the multi-level structure of the existing system. However, looking from a network perspective, the researchers found that despite the multi-level structure, not all components of the system had a direct connection with each other. In other words, although the current system is multi-leveled, gaps in knowledge were observed.

Furthermore, upon completing the phase one evaluation, researchers found that the current system structure has grown organically although it wasn’t purposefully designed to do so. Consequently, according to the researchers, the collaboration between treatment and support providers may be more difficult, due to the way the system expanded.

The proposed framework will be the foundation that phase 2 of the evaluation will build upon. Furthermore, the next phase will focus on areas that are considered to be in the context of “both the current and emerging treatment commissioning landscape“. Besides the result of the treatment system evaluation, GambleAware revealed last week the number of donations it received for Q1 and Q2 2020.