Strategic Aims & Vision
Highland is an area where “we live long, healthy and active lives regardless of where we come from” and where individuals, families and communities:
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Have the right to health and a life free from the harms of alcohol and drugs
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Are fully supported within communities to find their own type of recovery
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Are treated with dignity and respect
Aims
HADP’s values and principles provide the foundations for partnership working and they describe the beliefs, ideals and priorities that all partners are committed and signed up to. They are the foundations that HADP builds on to achieve its vision for Highland communities and provides the basis for guiding all partnership activity.
The values and principles are not set out in any particular order, but illustrate what partners have in common with each other with particular applications or combinations being weighted more toward the remit of certain agencies.
Values and Principles
Human Rights Approach
Ensuring that human rights are at the very centre of policies and practice. A human rights-based approach empowers people to know and claim their rights. Everyone has a right to life and health and we need to ensure this is the case for people who experience alcohol and drug problems.
Public Health Approach
Focusing on improving health and wellbeing, reducing inequalities and providing equity of opportunity. All services must address the social determinants of health with support provided in the community where most people’s networks will already exist. This includes family, support from others in recovery, treatment and other community based services which can help people to change behaviour and reduce the harm that both they and their communities experience.
Prevention and Early Intervention
Shifting emphasis toward prevention and early intervention will improve the longer term health and wellbeing for all of society.
Whole Family Approach
Where appropriate, families/networks should be included in an individual’s care as a resource for strengthening social and recovery capital. A whole family approach underpins effective integrated practice between adult and children’s services and delivers improved outcomes for children and their families.
Tackle Stigma
Viewing problem drug and alcohol use similarly to other health issues will help to address prejudice and marginalization. Challenging discriminatory attitudes and practices is essential for building equality and tackling inequality.
People First Language
To tackle stigma, HADP encourages the use of ‘People First’ language; language that focuses first on the person, not the behaviour (e.g. people who use drugs). People First language reminds us to be compassionate and that we are talking about human beings. People with Rights, who deserve Respect, and should be supported in their Recovery.
Reduce Inequality
Tackling poverty and inequality through improving economic, environmental and social circumstances will support people to make positive choices, improve health and reduce the risks and harms associated with drug and alcohol use.
Evidence-Informed
Better outcomes for people and communities can be achieved by applying evidence of what works. It identifies the potential benefits, harms and costs of interventions, whilst acknowledging that what works in one context may not be appropriate in another.
Whole Population Approach
Reducing overall alcohol consumption across the population will reduce associated health and social problems. Alcohol control measures (price and availability), drink-driving laws and brief interventions for harmful and hazardous drinkers are the most effective alcohol policies.
Workforce Development
Improving drug and alcohol outcomes for individuals, families and communities requires the delivery of quality workforce development opportunities.
Involvement of Individuals / Families with Living / Lived Experience
People and families with personal experience of alcohol or drug problems should be actively involved in planning, delivering and evaluating service provision. It strengthens accountability, ensures genuine responsiveness to needs and fosters a sense of ownership and trust.
Community Asset Building
Positive health and social outcomes occur when people and communities have opportunities to control their own futures. Asset based approaches facilitate community action that can achieve positive social change by utilising local knowledge, skills and personal experience.
Peer Support and Mutual Aid
Sustained recovery and positive outcomes are associated with mutual aid and peer support. Mutual aid can make a significant contribution to aftercare, particularly in remote and rural areas where service provision may be limited.
Quality Improvement
All workers are responsible for ensuring drug and alcohol services continue to improve by applying formal approaches to the analysis of performance and by making systematic efforts to improve it. The delivery of services must always be safe, effective, person-centred, timely, efficient and equitable.
Communication
Positive images and stories of recovery provide hope and inspiration to others, whilst challenging stereotypes, stigma and discriminatory attitudes towards people with problem drug and alcohol use. We should encourage the use of People First Language; that focusses on the person, as opposed to the behaviour.
Remote and Rural
Equal access to high quality drug and alcohol services should be achieved regardless of geographic location. This requires development of new service models and a significant shift in skill mix across the remote and rural health and social care workforce.
Strengths-Based
A strengths-based approach values the capacity, skills, knowledge, connections and potential in individuals and communities. It involves people being co-producers in their support and can improve retention in treatment services for those with problem drug and alcohol use.
Recovery
Genuinely believing that people can and do recover to become active and contributing members of society is fundamental to drug and alcohol service and policy development.
Source: Based on Rights, Respect and Recovery (2019)10
Role
It is the role of HADP to:
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Implement an alcohol and drugs strategy informed by local needs assessment
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Reduce inequality and harm via activity ranging from prevention through to recovery
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Deliver quality services that support recovery and involve people and families with personal experience of drug and alcohol problems and people currently using relevant services
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Provide a commissioning framework and direct funding towards agreed priorities
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Regularly report on performance and measure progress against a set of indicators
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Respond to changing national and local priorities
Tackling Stigma
People who experience alcohol or drug problems, either through use or by association, often experience the most stigma in our society. Negative attitudes from society, from professionals, and self-stigma can be one of the biggest barriers to accessing treatment, community services and other forms of support.
Stigma needs to be challenged across sectors and society. There are three levels of stigma which need to be addressed:
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Societal stigma
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Institutional stigma
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Self-stigma/stigma by association
The current levels of harm and the discrimination people and their families experience is unacceptable, and needs to change. Viewing problem alcohol and drug use similarly to other long-term health conditions will help to reduce stigma and discrimination. The Scottish Drug Deaths Taskforce (DDTF) has published a national Stigma Strategy which recognises the role of stigma as a key underlying component of the drug related deaths crisis. A strategic plan to direct activities will be developed for national and local ADP implementation. The focus of the strategic approach is to reduce disempowerment, disadvantage and inequity
People First – Language Matters
The language used to describe people with drug and alcohol problems can have an impact on how they perceive themselves and how others view them. Inaccurate and derogatory use of language creates and perpetuates stigma. HADP believes that a person should not be defined by their alcohol or drug use, as it is only one aspect of their life.
HADP promotes the use of ‘People First’ language; that focusses on the person, as opposed to the behaviour. Using People First language matters, because it reminds us to be compassionate and that we are talking about human beings; People with Rights, who deserve Respect, and should be supported in their Recovery. Importantly, evidence tells us that health outcomes improve for people who are described and treated in a non-judgemental manner