This refers to the state of having made the desired change, and maintaining this new way of being.

This manual includes a MAINTENANCE PHASE for those teams that have a remit to work over much longer time frames to support young people (not all AMBIT-influenced teams will be able to deliver this).

There is more detail about the tasks for supportive work recorded under the MAINTENANCE PHASE, but a few key pointers include the requirement for:

• Identification of Risk Factors that may act on the young person, making Relapse more likely...
• Vigilance towards these risks, and a clear Relapse prevention plan will help minimise the likelihood of relapse.
• Maintaining hope: In the case of SubstanceUseDisorder it is important for the practitioner to bear in mind the statistics that suggest that a very significant proportion of clients end up going around the Stages of Change 'loop' more than once before settling into sustained 'maintenance' of sobriety. This information needs to be shared with care, as it is important not to collude with, or even unwittingly to encourage, the more resistant (pro-using) aspects of the client's mind.