Pilotlight says 'Yes'.
Using a design approach, Pilotlight aims to demonstrate how to design support for seldom heard groups, provide more personalised and appropriate services and increase the marketplace of support providers.
Pilotlight SDS for Substance Misuse Recovery co-designed a self-directed support pathway and resources for people in recovery from substance misuse living in Aberdeenshire. The co-design team was made up of people with lived experience of substance misuse recovery and practitioners from the local authority, NHS and the four third sector drugs and alcohol service providers in Aberdeenshire. The team met to design together each month from October 2015 to June 2016.
Key learning points
Key learning points include:
- stigma is a major barrier to SDS implementation for this group
- there is a lack of knowledge about how SDS can be used as an approach to support substance misuse recovery
- substance misuse peer workers can build trusting relationships with people in recovery and support them to engage with social work to access SDS
- test budgets can build confidence of both people in recovery and practitioners to support choice and control. Also that SDS option 2 is the missing link to implementation for this group. Statutory, third sector and private providers of drug and alcohol services need to review and adapt their organisational models in order to offer this option.
Resources produced by the team
- Ten Top Tips for Substance Misuse Providers
- Test Budget report and paperwork
- SDS Peer Workers roles
- Sample Customer Recovery Journey and workforce development materials, including Substance Misuse Characters and Maximising Outcomes Learning Materials.
