the sector you ’ ve always got this dynamic that we ’ re in competition for tenders , but you really don ’ t feel that in our group at all ,’ says Via CEO Anna Whitton of the Collective Voice Women ’ s Treatment Working Group . ‘ People are happy to share policies and the detail of what they ’ re doing . We just want to make a difference .’

Launched just over two years ago , the group includes service leads and representatives from specialist women ’ s services who work collectively to help improve women ’ s treatment provision . The impetus originally came from an APPG on women and alcohol use , says Hannah Shead , who chaired the group from its inception until Kirsty Day of the Nelson Trust took over at the end of last year . ‘ Karen Tyrell from Humankind asked whether – with the Dame Carol Black review – there ’ d been enough focus on women in recovery . She made contact afterwards and we thought , let ’ s try to get together with other female leaders in the sector , just to get their thoughts on things

they ’ re worried about , who ’ s doing what , and pushing forward the agenda for women ’ s needs in services . That ’ s how it began .’

‘ We felt there wasn ’ t enough happening – we recognised that both in our own organisations and across the sector ,’ says Whitton . ‘ In a way we were just talking it through initially , and then over time we ’ ve found ways of making things happen . That sense that as women we could come together to make a difference – it felt like a really empowering thing to do .’

STRONG RELATIONSHIPS The group aims to both bring about change in its member organisations and influence the wider sector , while the ability to share expertise has been invaluable , Whitton states . ‘ You get the group coming together to talk about particular focus areas , but we ’ ve also built stronger relationships . If there are things we ’ re struggling with , or we want to find out if another organisation is doing something we ’ re about to do , we can just get in touch – there ’ s this really active sharing of what people are doing and how they ’ re doing it .’

The group meets virtually – as members are spread across the country – every six months , and there are sub-groups and webinars on top of that . ‘ We get pretty consistent attendance – people really prioritise the meeting – which I think says a lot ,’ says Whitton . ‘ And we ’ ve had quite a few new members join as well , so you get a sense that it ’ s really something people want to be part of and are committed to .’ The group did get together in person at the Ophelia House open day last September , however . ‘ That was great – it felt really fitting to be in a new women ’ s service and we all said how much we valued the chance to meet in that setting ,’ says Shead .

At last year ’ s DDN conference she pointed out that while women were 52 per cent of the population , their treatment needs still weren ’ t being properly taken into account . ‘ We can sit and talk about this forever but what we need to see is real change ,’ she told delegates ( DDN , September 2023 , page 6 ). Does she get a sense that things are genuinely starting to improve , or is that still a way off ? ‘ Being in a women-only

service , my sense is that people are really wanting to engage and understand our work ,’ she says . ‘ My experience used to be that some of the women ’ s stuff felt like an afterthought , but I ’ ve seen that change . People do seem much more interested , and there ’ s a willingness to understand women ’ s needs as different – not better or worse – to men ’ s , and wanting to understand that what we do to get treatment right for them might be different as well .’

There ’ s also ‘ a real drive ’ to do things differently in mixed services , adds Whitton . ‘ Several organisations have used the grants that were available to have women-only outreach workers , for example , or women-only provision . And we ’ re definitely seeing a lot more women-only groups developing .’ Via recently took on the contract to provide Gloucestershire ’ s community drug and alcohol services ( DDN , February , page 5 ), which includes an end-to-end women ’ s pathway in partnership with the Nelson Trust . ‘ Interestingly that tender process had specific questions around women – we ’ re starting to see more of that now ,’ she says . ‘ We know it ’ s important , but it also

10 • DRINK AND DRUGS NEWS • MAY 2024

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