ON THE COVER
DDN is an independent publication, entirely funded by advertising.
Publishers:
Partners:
Federation of Drug and Alcohol Professionals
Supporting organisations:
4
NEWS
Prison staff overwhelmed by NPS crisis; public health directors voice
cuts concerns. DDN’s round-up of national news.
6
PICTURE THIS
A range of passionate presentations kicked off the DDN conference
all with one theme: getting your message across.
8
GIVING VOICE
The sector’s key players take on tough questions from DDN delegates.
10
BIG BUSINESS
Don’t let anybody tell you that you don’t have valuable life skills, says
Big Issue
founder John Bird in his keynote speech to DDN conference.
12
STATE OF THE NATION
The current state of the English drug policy is putting lives at risk,
argue delegates in campaigning mood.
14
RELAX AND UNWIND
Energy balancing and health boosting initiatives with Earthereal
of Yorkshire, Hope North East and Phoenix Futures.
15
A FAMILY AFFAIR
Families are important to the recovery community, says Adfam.
16
ARE YOU INVOLVED?
What’s the picture of service user involvement in your area?
Photography throughout by Paul Husband, Nigel Brunsdon and Jez Tucker
March 2016 |
drinkanddrugsnews
| 3
editor’s letter
‘We want tomake sure the
service user voice is heard
by all who need to hear it’
Contents
O
ur speakers at
Get the Picture
, our ninth service user
involvement conference, underlined how engagement was
everything. For Phil Spalding, fighting hep C, it had pulled
him out of fear and isolation and into treatment and support – and
inspired him to offer the same to others.
For Lanre and Lindsay of Bubic, the peer support and group
sessions went hand in hand with outreach in offering friendship
alongside opportunities. For Fiona and Suzanne of the Recovering
Justice and Anyone's Child campaigns, it was about using experience
to reach out to other families whose lives had been wrecked by drug
laws and campaign for change. While John Bird of the
Big Issue
used
tough life lessons to offer a hand up to others, encouraging them to
see every life experience as a positive. And let’s not forget Peter
Yarwood who left the
DDN
conference one year inspired to set up a
group – now Red Rose Recovery – who came to share their own
stories of growth and connection.
There was so much about the day that was galvanising – yet we
are under no illusions that all in the garden is rosy. In an interactive
session our speakers representing policy, treatment, and the
profession, acknowledged a squeezed and struggling sector, with
more pain to come. So it’s over to you now to give us the true
picture – we want to make sure the service user voice is heard and
we’ll communicate with every group and strategy that needs to hear
it. Get involved – email
Claire Brown, editor
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Cover by paulhusbandphotography.com
John Bird by Paul Husband:
