Changing Futures Surrey Bridge the Gap
WHY A CIC?
The CIC model offered something NAP needed – independence with accountability. As a legal structure, a CIC allows organisations to operate with a clear social mission, while reinvesting any surplus into community benefit. Crucially, it provides the ability to:
• Access a wider range of funding, including grants unavailable to commissioned services
• Employ staff and hold contracts directly
• Establish independent governance structures
• Respond more flexibly to local need
to the role. Responsibility for these decisions sits with the CIC board, embedding safeguarding within lived experience-informed governance. This is an approach that balances safety with fairness, and reflects a broader shift from risk-averse compliance to ethically grounded practice.
LEADING CHANGE Transforming NAP into a CIC wasn’ t straightforward. It required leadership, vision and a willingness to work through uncertainty. The process involved recognising the limits of the existing model, exploring alternatives, and building new systems from the ground up – from governance structures to financial processes. It also required strong relationships with partners, who needed assurance that independence would strengthen rather than fragment local delivery.
Key to this was a clear vision – saving lives through harm reduction, with lived experience at the centre. Becoming a CIC has enabled NAP to grow in several important ways:
Sustainability – Access to new funding streams has reduced reliance on short-term contracts
Flexibility – The organisation can respond rapidly to changes in drug supply and risk
Visibility – As an independent voice, NAP can advocate more effectively at a system level
Culture – A strong identity rooted in lived experience and trauma-informed practice
Perhaps most importantly, independence has allowed NAP to reach people who remain disconnected from traditional services – those most at risk of overdose.
LESSONS LEARNED NAP’ s journey reflects wider questions facing the drug and alcohol field. How can services better engage those who don’ t access treatment? What does meaningful lived experience involvement really look like? And how can organisations balance accountability with flexibility? The CIC model is not a universal solution. It comes with its own challenges, from governance requirements to financial sustainability. But as this case shows, it can offer a powerful framework for organisations seeking to align mission, structure and values. As drug-related deaths continue to rise, the need for innovation in service delivery has never been greater. Peer-led, harm reductionfocused organisations like NAP are not a replacement for statutory services, but they are an essential part of the response. By stepping outside traditional structures, NAP has created something different – a model that combines credibility, flexibility and community trust.
Its message to the sector is clear. Sometimes, to reach the people most at risk, services need to change not just what they do, but how they’ re built.
Sean Gray is harm reduction coordinator at Harbour
Changing Futures Surrey Bridge the Gap
Working to improve outcomes for adults experiencing multiple disadvantage including homelessness and rough sleeping, substance use, domestic abuse, mental health issues and contact
Find out more with the criminal justice system.
www. healthysurrey. org. uk / community-health / changing-futures
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