Making the case for drug and alcohol services – or, how to win friends and influence people

Ruth Goldsmith, DrugScope’s Communications Manager, writes about ‘Making the case’, a new resource produced by DrugScope on behalf of the Recovery Partnership.

Advocacy Model by David Armano is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

Now, more than ever before, drug and alcohol services need to win friends and influence people. The last few years have seen major changes in policy and funding structures, leading to significantly increased responsibility for local decision makers, some of whom are in new roles.

Money that had been centrally allocated to fund drug and alcohol treatment has been absorbed into the general public health pot, with no guarantee that the drug and alcohol sector’s contribution to other public health outcomes will be recognised. In London, MOPAC determines where the Met’s policing spend and activity will be focused, all while keeping the electorate’s priorities in mind. And we know that drug and alcohol services and the people they work with are frequently subject to misrepresentation, stigma and misunderstanding.

It’s a new set of challenges – all against a backdrop of ever decreasing budgets. That’s why DrugScope, on behalf of the Recovery Partnership, has published a new resource, Making the case: a practical guide to promoting drug and alcohol treatment and recovery services locally. The guide will help you make the case for drug and alcohol services at local level – whether that’s organising a service visit for elected councillors, marshalling the best evidence to present to local commissioners or working with local media to get positive stories about treatment and recovery out there.

With sections on sourcing statistics and data, crafting key messages, developing narratives from your service users and staff and building positive community relations, the guide is intended to give you a head start on promoting your work, to help maintain the investment and support you need to keep on doing it.  Using the rich resources you already have – the skills, assets and testimony of your colleagues and service users – you can tell a positive story about your work to ensure treatment and recovery do not slip down the political agenda in your borough.

You can download Making the case here.