ENDLESS CYCLE The lives these people lived were indeed complex , but that ‘ doesn ’ t take away from who they are ’, she said . ‘ We have women who have issues accessing healthcare , barriers , stigma , judgment , mental health issues , dual diagnosis . Sometimes they have to walk in front of traffic to get the help they need , and even then they ’ re released back out to repeat the same cycle again . I get tired of referring women to places that are not going to support them effectively . We create the |
‘ If you can name it , you ’ re pretty much going to find it in our staff and volunteer team ... We ’ ve built a community where every voice is heard .’
SARAH O ’ MARA
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narrative for people – “ difficult ”, “ aggressive ”, “ manipulative ”, “ uncooperative ”, “ non-compliant ”, “ high risk ” – that ’ s a big one on referral forms . So we ’ re not really listening , are we ?’
She ’ d seen numerous clients die over the years and witnessed the same cycle again and again , she said . ‘ Have we really listened to what the client wants ? We get so wrapped up in arguments about things like abstinence and maintenance that we ’ re missing the human standing in front of us . Have we examined our own
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biases ?’ Co-production needed to be genuine , she said . ‘ Is it for our organisation , or the people we ’ re supporting ?’ Safer environments designed by and for women were vital , and collective energy was powerful . ‘ All of us have a voice , and all of us can make a change – through being human .’
TRUST AND RESPECT ‘ If you can name it , you ’ re pretty much going to find it in our staff and volunteer team ,’ said Sarah O ’ Mara of Red Rose Recovery . ‘ Out of 120-plus staff , 97 per cent have lived experience of multiple disadvantages . That ’ s because we believe in people and their capacity to change . We ’ ve built a community where every voice is heard .’
It was a community where people seeking treatment had a say in how it was developed and how it worked , she said , and where learning was shared . ‘ We ’ ve formed excellent relationships with our commissioners , and it ’ s built on trust and respect .’ It was also a model that was sustainable and could be replicated elsewhere . ‘ I wouldn ’ t be alive today if someone before me hadn ’ t reached out a hand and shown
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me the way . It ’ s our responsibility to pass on what we ’ ve learned to empower other communities , and we have a responsibility to invest our resources in other grassroots organisations .’
‘ When I heard the word “ leader ” I always thought of people like Stalin or Hitler , but a leader is really somebody who serves the people they lead ,’ said her colleague Rolonde Bradshaw . His team had started picking up litter , ‘ serving our community ’, he said . ‘ That ’ s what we did in the beginning – we picked up litter and tried to be nice to people . It ’ s gone from being a once-a-week litter pick to nine regular activities every week – cooking groups , gardening groups , guerrilla gardening . It ’ s developed , and people have seen value in what we do .’
After recently mending some fishing platforms on the local river , a community group got in touch . ‘ I went to see them to tell them what we do and they asked me to leave the room for a few minutes . I thought they were going to give us a couple of hundred quid , but they called me back in and said , “ We want to give you £ 4,700 .” So demonstrate the value , and the resources will come .’ DDN
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