SDF National Traineeship deregenboog. org sdf. org. uk
One innovative scheme run by The Regenboog Group is an Amsterdam walking tour conducted by people who were formerly homeless.
people can do, their capabilities, skills, motivations and desires. If someone doesn’ t want to do something we try to motivate them, but we’ d never force.’
STRONG NETWORKS The organisation was part of a strong and diverse network in the city, collaborating with other mobile outreach teams as well as a range of social enterprises and companies – including a major bank – for external placements and internships. One innovative scheme was a successful Amsterdam walking tour conducted by people who who’ d been formerly homeless.
The first connection was often made through a drop-in centre based in a bus, she said.‘ It’ s a place where people can use, and it’ s where people come who are never in contact with any social work, healthcare or any other kind of institution at all. So we can get to know them there – it’ s a first step to motivate them to a new direction.’
‘ The introduction of lived and living experience in the sector may have been seen as tokenistic before, but it really isn’ t now – there’ s a real culture change,’ said Lewis Boddy of the Scottish Drugs Forum( SDF). SDF had launched its awardwinning national traineeship as a small pilot in 2004, with the aim of breaking down barriers to entering the workplace.‘ The traineeship is a unique combination in terms of the quantity of training, the bespoke support, the practical element and the paid element,’ he said.
Many of the trainees came from backgrounds of intergenerational unemployment and areas of multiple deprivation, he said, with the project giving them an element of financial independence they’ d never experienced before.‘ They show up as real role models within their family, their local community, their peer groups, and it’ s really tackling that stigma around employing people who have a history of substance use.’
WRAPAROUND SUPPORT Trainees had paid employment with SDF for a period of nine months, as well as a practical work-based placement with another organisation – primarily drug and alcohol services, but also advocacy, criminal justice and homelessness services. There were also more than 30 pieces of bespoke training, he explained.‘ It’ s a really intensive combination of professional and personal development, and this is all wrapped around with intensive pastoral and employability support. So at the end of the nine months they’ ve got the qualification and the practical work experience, but they’ ve also got the confidence and self-belief to be moving into mainstream employment.’
RIGOROUS PROCEDURE However, the traineeship was like‘ applying for any other job’, he stressed, with a rigorous recruitment procedure. Spaces were limited‘ so we really need to make sure people know what they’ re applying for, and that they feel ready for employment’, he said. But people who were still using drugs or were on medication assisted treatment were fully included, and there was extensive pre-employment support to identify needs and find out‘ where they’ re at in terms of their own life, their family life, their recovery, and how to make sure they can fully make the most of the traineeship while they’ re on it’.
The outcomes had been‘ fantastic’, he told the seminar, with 90 per cent of people successfully completing the traineeship and 85 per cent securing other paid employment by the end. Over the 20 years it had been running, many trainees had gone on to managerial posts and were now hosting and mentoring trainees themselves, he added.
On the question of getting the wider community’ s buy-in for projects there were‘ different levels’ of engagement, said Merendeiro.‘ We do a lot of advocacy work, inviting decision makers to come and see the projects, visit the houses, and talk with people directly – the tenants are strong advocates.’ SDF’ s traineeship project had been met positively, but there were inevitably still challenges, said Boddy.‘ Some of the stereotypes and stigma are still fairly prevalent, and part of our work is about challenging that.’
However, work and reintegration projects were a perfect opportunity to bring different worlds together, said van Koeverden.‘ It’ s not just about the people, it’ s also about what they make and what they deliver. We have several restaurants with nice food in beautiful environments – so people come to enjoy the place, but they also meet the people who make the food.’
Many of the SDF trainees had had interactions with the criminal justice system, said Boddy, and were having to navigate the ongoing barriers associated with that.‘ So it’ s about supporting people in overcoming those challenges in getting the qualifications and skills and becoming employable.’
‘ We’ re very much on the same page,’ van Koeverden told the seminar.‘ But we treat people as normal employees, so if they create an unsafe environment for other people then that is a problem. But the second chance is always there.’
When it came to advice for any organisations looking to set up similar projects, engaging with the group you want to help from the very beginning in the design, implementation and assessment was key, said Merendeiro.‘ You also need to visit other organisations, see how it’ s being done, and discuss the challenges with them.’
‘ And take time,’ said van Koeverden.‘ It takes time to connect to people, to build something. Don’ t be too impatient.’ DDN
– crescer. org / en / – deregenboog. org / – sdf. org. uk / work / lived-andliving-experience / sdf-nationaltraineeship /
12 • DRINK AND DRUGS NEWS • FEBRUARY 2026 WWW. DRINKANDDRUGSNEWS. COM