Our history
A history of turning lives around
Turning Point was founded by Barry Richards in 1964 with the opening of the Camberwell Alcohol Project. More London alcohol services followed, then in 1969 we began our first work with London drug users.
In 1972 we opened the Richards House alcohol service in Manchester and by 1984 were running 21 substance misuse services around the country. That same year we introduced mental health services, beginning with one in the East Midlands and another in the North West.
In 1991 we set up our first learning disability service in Wiltshire, then in 1997 a prison-based project was launched, beginning Turning Point's extensive work within the criminal justice system.
The organisation moved into Wales in 2000 with a drug treatment and testing order project. In 2001 Turning Point became the largest provider of the new progress2work employment schemes, opening 12 services nationally.
In over 40 years Turning Point has grown from a pioneering alcohol project in South East London to become the UK's leading social care organisation, with more than 250 services across the country.
An approach of focusing on people, not problems, has enabled us to expand successfully into new areas. And our wealth of specialist knowledge in different services means we can provide connected care that meets a range of needs, providing better and more effective support for the individual.
For more information read Turning Point's Turning 40 report.
Turning Point Turning 40 Report (opens in new window) pdf (644Kb)
Turning 40: four decades of turning lives around and a vision for the future of social care. Turning Point celebrates its 40th anniversary, looking at our growth in the context of social change over the last four decades, and outlining our vision for social care services in the future. Published: Sept 2004