Our History

Catalyst has been helping people in Surrey change for over 30 years. As Surrey Alcohol and Drug Advisory Service it was established in 1989 as part of a multi-agency group with health authorities, probation, police, social services and other interested groups.   It had its roots in the Surrey Drug Resource Scheme in 1985 which was looking at the problems around alcohol in the county.

The aim was develop a counselling and advice service for problem drinkers, drug users and their families, and it grew from 4 to over 30 counsellors in 1992, working with 600 people per year in Surrey.  SADAS participated in areas of research, production of self-help materials and policy.

Emphasis on targeting people at risk to themselves and others led to our first major contract in 1999 and we established Omni Outreach which attained national recognition and was extremely successful at working with people who had otherwise disengaged from services. Our informal approach has proved successful in numerous applications since. The first step towards any successful intervention is always engagement.

In 2009, the name changed to Southern Addictions Advisory Service (SAdAS) to better reflect the geographical and wider coverage of work being done with people in Surrey and beyond. With the change in June 2015 to become Catalyst, the emphasis is clearly on helping people change – and doing so in partnership and with a friendly yet professional ethos, based on experience.

Our approach is very special – people are treated with respect at all times. We know that learning to change is not an easy route to take. There are no short cuts and it is hard – but so very worthwhile that we feel delighted to be able to see change working for people on a daily basis.

We see it as part of the Catalyst PACT

• Personal  –  you are a person to us and we will listen to you
• Active  –  you will always know what we are doing
• Collaborative  –  we will be working with you and for you
• Trust  –  we will respect and increase the trust between us

Management Structure

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you feel that they genuinely care for your wellbeing”