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UK Recovery Federation (UKRF)
A consultation paper
Introduction:
The UK substance misuse field is currently experiencing change on a profound level, mirroring significant changes within society as the political, social and financial landscape shifts and adapts to challenging new priorities and agendas. The rhetoric of ‘Recovery’ has entered the drug ‘treatment’ system.
‘Recovery Services’ (indicating an apparent shift in focus from treatment/medical models towards community focused social models) are now being commissioned and are springing up all over the UK. Within communities across the UK, Recovery Networks, made up of service users, ex-service users, family members, practitioners, academics, activists and other stakeholders are achieving greater prominence and/or slowly beginning to emerge. A Recovery Academy, which intends to investigate and establish an evidence base for ‘recovery,’ is due to launch early in 2010.
At a recent meeting in Glasgow (22.01.2010) recovery activists met to plan the 2nd UK Recovery Walk that will take place on the 25th of September 2010 in Glasgow. At this meeting it was agreed that there was a need for an ‘umbrella’ community focused organisation to shape, promote and support future annual Recovery Walks and to provide support to Community-led Emergent Recovery Organisations (C.E.R.O.’s) across the UK.
A Community Interest Company (CIC), the ‘UK Recovery Federation’, is to be established and the following outlines the proposed vision, principles, aims and objectives of this company. This has been produced for wide distribution and consultation with all those interested in the development and establishment of a British Recovery Movement.
The UKRF Vision:
The UKRF welcomes the shift toward Recovery practice within treatment systems and will support all efforts to make services optimistic, inclusive, person centred, culturally relevant and effective. However we believe that there needs to be major changes in the way that society helps people overcome substance use and related problems and these changes must be rooted within diverse and inclusive communities.
Recovery solutions should be generated by individuals, families and communities with the active assistance of treatment/support agencies. ‘Treatment’ is a small, although often vital, element in recovery. The UKRF will assist in the development of ‘Recovery Oriented Integrated Systems’ (ROIS) but will principally focus on the raising and maintaining of ‘Recovery Capital/Social Capital’ within Recovery-focused communities.
The UK Recovery Federation (UKRF) envisions a world where the power, hope, healing and potential of Recovery is thoroughly understood and embraced within communities, society and support agencies. We will bring the power and proof of Recovery to everyone in UK.
We intend to combat the discrimination and stigma that is too often associated with addiction and Recovery. We will put a positive face on Recovery through advocacy, education and service. We will generate choices, remove barriers to Recovery and ensure that all people in Recovery and people seeking Recovery are treated with dignity and respect.
The UKRF principles:
1. Honesty, self-awareness and openness lie at the heart of healthy Recovery movements.
2. There are many pathways to Recovery and no individual or organisation has the right to claim ownership of the ‘right pathway.’
3. Recovery embraces harm reduction and abstinence based approaches and does not seek to be prescriptive.
4. Recovery involves the personal, cultural and structural recognition of the need for participative change and transformation.
5. Recovery involves a continual process of change and self-redefinition for individuals, communities and organisations.
6. Recovery challenges all discrimination and transcends shame and stigma.
7. Recovery lies within individuals and communities and is self directed and empowering.
8. Recovery emerges from hope, gratitude and service to others.
9. Recovery is supported by peers and allies within communities.
10. Recovery exists on a continuum of improved health and well-being.
11. Recovery is holistic and has many cultural dimensions.
12. Recovery is a reality.
The UKRF Aims to:
1. Enable Community-Led Emerging Recovery communities (CERO’s) and Recovery Networks to grow and expand across the UK.
2. Establish a membership organisation and a national network of individuals and organisations that will speak out and support local, regional, and national community-led recovery initiatives.
3. Establish an accreditation body that will enable the development of Community-led Emerging Recovery Organisations (CERO’s) and support the establishment of Recovery Oriented Integrated Systems (ROIS’s).
4. Support the development of Recovery advocates/champions in all UK regions
5. Organise events and promote all positive aspects of Recovery, celebrating the Recovery achievements of individuals, communities and organisations.
6. Provide support services and mobilise the thousands of UK citizens in long term Recovery, enabling them, their families, friends and allies to have a voice.
7. Develop and maintain a range of communication tools, change public perceptions of Recovery and support the promotion of effective public policy in the UK.
8. Support individuals, communities and organisations in putting a ‘face’ on Recovery.
9. Support the development and establishment of enhanced Recovery capital within communities and the provision of infrastructure support to Recovery networks, communities and organisations.
10. Support the development of new social enterprises and educational opportunities within Recovery Communities across the UK.
11. Assist Community-led Emerging Recovery Organisations (CERO’s) in the development and maintenance of Recovery focused consortium/partnership arrangements.
12. Support the development of Recovery-oriented guidelines and competency-based Recovery credentials and deliver training within Community-led Emerging Recovery Organisations (CERO’s) and Recovery Oriented Integrated Systems (ROIS’s).
UKRF Objectives:
1. Support a National Recovery event every year.
2. Promote and celebrate innovative community-led Recovery initiatives.
3. Establish the UKRF as a membership organisation and national rallying point for Recovery advocates and ensure individuals, organisations and groups are signposted to appropriate support agencies.
4. Ensure Recovery advocates and networks have access to organisational, training and funding support.
5. Assist Recovery community-led groups in the development of new social enterprise models.
6. Ensure Recovery advocates and networks have access to policy and research support.
7. Support access to Recovery training and consultancy services.
8. Support access to policy makers and the media.
9. Assist the NTA, Scottish Recovery Consortium, commissioners, providers and communities in the development of Recovery Oriented Integrated Systems (ROIS) and ensure that recovering individuals, families and communities are involved in the design and operation of ROIS.
10. Liaise with governmental agencies and advise on the development of innovative Recovery initiatives.
11. Support the development of a national Recovery evidence base and evaluation systems and work creatively with academics, researchers and communities to expand access for Recovery advocates and communities to new evidence and knowledge.
UKRF Structure:
The plan to establish a UKRF is currently supported by a large grassroots membership, the Scottish Recovery Consortium, NTA representatives, foundations, government agencies, Wired In, and many friends of recovery from across the UK.
A UKRF Community Interest Company (CIC) will be established before the end of February 2010. This company will have a Board of Directors that will eventually be made up of regional representatives from across the UK. The majority of Board members will have personal experience of Recovery. These representatives will link with Recovery advocates from within their region and, with them, build the UK Recovery Federation membership from the grassroots up.
RECOVERY IS A REALITY
Hi
We at TAPE host the recovery academy for North Wales.
A group of us meet regularly within the studios in old Colwyn from a wide demographical range. We are all on a learning curve from each other. I think what you have set up here is just fantastic… it’s just the right thing to do.
I am asking people to use our after the beep phone line to answer a very short question….. “What is recovery?” a tiny question which is producing the most intricate responses. People can also come into our live room and we record them. Pete M currently holds the record with a time of 35 mins…. it’s amazing how people start off quite similarly and then you can hear the cogs turn and more often than not they learn something about themselves as they work through the process. Service providers and users are invited to take part and it will all be broadcast at some point.
Please do come in or use the tapedradio.co.uk after the beep phone line to record your thoughts. It’s a great way to share knowledge that no text book will ever hold. It can be done totally anonymously or not it’s up to the individual. I think the UK recovery federation and academy can only be a good thing. 2010 is looking like it will be a year of action.
After the BEEEEP!! 08 4321 63900.
Best
mx
Absolutely wonderful, Marcellos. SO urgently needed. We must meet when I come back in May.
Great to see this blog up – caught me running out again, but will look at over w/e. I love the concept of the Federation and obviously WIred In is 100% behind this. Well done team!
Pucker blog to read Saturday early morning while meds and nicotine settle within me washed down by gallons of tea.
Wish you all the pucker best and luck with all you are doing.
Pucker.
This looks great. It also looks very like Faces and Voices of Recovery in the USA. I have long been an admirer of them and learned so much from Pat Taylor their executive director. I have long desired to see a Faces and Voices set up in the UK. Would you consider calling it that and forming an alliance with them? The Faces and Voices of Recovery Board would have to agree but I am sure it would be ok.
When some folk in Recovery wanted to try and set something similar up locally they discussed many names. FAVOR Higland came out top and is such a non discriminating feelgood name. It would be great to see area FAVOR’s under a UK one.
I have the domain name facesandvoicesofrecovery.org.uk and would be willing to donate it to you if you like.
All the best in this worthwhile endeavour whatever you decide.
Hi Fraser – what a really lovely offer. Our first donation! Yes we would really like the domain name if that’s OK with you.
Many many thanks – Michaela
What clear vision and conviction this paper has and who could not sign up to the principles and intent of the Foundation? It is very solid, aspirational and exciting and embodies the energy that is around in terms of recovery in the United Kingdom.
I have a couple of reflections which I’d like to make. The first is that I think the paper needs to be renamed. It doesn’t read like a consultation paper at all. Its aforementioned vision, clarity and intent and the degree to which it is developed don’t make for easy additions. It already feels complete.
While this is a compliment to the authors it may have the paradoxical effect of disenfranchising or distancing those whose ownership or agency in the paper you want to foster.
A further comment I’d make is that the omission of any mention of the fellowships and other mutual aid groups is worrying. I think I’m right in saying that there are an estimated 50,000 members of these groups in the UK and not to acknowledge the fundamental role they play in recovery appears curious to me.
That said, there is clearly much to applaud here. The names appended to the paper are those of people whose writing in Wired In has inspired me and I want to support any initiative which promotes and supports recovery in the UK
Thanks for these comments David. I think they are really helpful. I think, on my part, I made assumptions about the historical and current importance of the fellowships and existing mutual aid groups and, upon reflection, these assumptions should have been made explicit within the paper. There is much work to be done to develop a communication strategy for the UKRF and I think I can say with some confidence that the people involved so far would welcome the input of as many people as possible.
I also take your point re the perceived ‘finished’ nature of the paper. This was not our intention. I personally (and I’m sure, others involved so far) would welcome more feedback on the UKRF Principles, aims and objectives. We met yesterday in Liverpool and intend to instigate a further process of wide-ranging consultation in order to develop a UKRF Recovery Manifesto. This will build on the current paper, focusing on Community-led Recovery organisations (CERO’s) and, we hope, lead to concrete actions to take the UKRF forward. Details will be going up on Wired in soon.
I can’t say more at the moment, principally because I’m right in the middle of my girls 5th birthday party and need to get back to the pinkness.
Take care,
Alistair
Damn – I was going to say the above!
However, I will stick to good point. But it is hard to know quite how to word it in a way that doen’t suggest either interfrence or that we have endorsement/involvement from organisations that don’t do that kind of thing.
Any ideas on how to include without suggesting the wrong thing VERY gratefully received.
(Alistair likes pink really!)
Great stuff, long over-due!! Well done all!
I’d just like to add specific mention of offenders please. Their voice is rarely heard within the recovery community or beyond. This is particularly necessary for those in prison who, currently have scant access to an outlet in which to be heard (i.e. can’t vote, demonstrate, protest etc) and have additional hurdles to jump by the very virtue of being an “offender” (i.e. additional discrimation. disempowerment etc) and the losses they experience as the result of going to prison like losing family and friends, housing, etc.
It’s important to get this bit right – the Tory’s are muting that they intend to lock all burglars up whereas we need to be ensuring that people who steal to feed their addiction are provided with support to address their addiction rather than sent to prison for periods too short to be therapeutically meaningful but long enough to create additional barriers to recovery.
I would also like to see an additional aim of providing policy consultation and representation in order to influence drug and alcohol projects. I’m increasingly disappointed to only see “stakeholders” on advisory and consultation Boards as being government policy leads (i.e. Home Office, Ministry of Justice, NTA, ACPO) with an emphasis on targets.
Happy to advise!
David you are right it does sound as if we have covered all ground but it really is a consultation paper albeit a very thoughtful and reworked one from many earlier drafts.
Your point about the fellowships/mutual aid groups is totally warranted and it is impossible to have any sort of movement without their support, like Alistair I too made the mistake of taking their involvement as individual members as a given, so thanks for highlighting this, but it does leave the quandary as how to build it in.
On a side issue Andy Stonard in this week’s ddn reckons that In the UK there is supposed to be some 2m people who attend AA and NA each year. I wondered about this when I read it but 50 thousand seems a bit low, wonder how many it actually is?
laura you are so right, im wondering if we could have a live link up with one of the prisons in Glasgow for one of the prisoners to share their recovery with the crowd in GEORGE SQUARE. I know this has been arranged before for mutal aid conferences and it carries a very powerful message inside and out. If anyone can help with this please get in touch.
Annemarie, I think we could be more ambitious. With the right approach (and it is so important to get the approach right) there could be events on the day in all prisons – it happens during Tackling Drugs week and on Suicide Awareness day. With promotional materials (or “the brand”) supplied. Additionally, there may be opportunities for pre-recorded DVDs to be broadcast in Glasgow (if the arena permits) of serving prisoners from across the UK talking about their experiences of recovery. And of course, a heavy representation of former prisoners at the march, loud and proud of what they’ve achieved.
Of course, and this goes without saying we do need to focus beyond the march.
Laura, these are amazing ideas. Let’s do it.
What a fantastic way forward. Sadly Glasgow is a long way for me to come in September (you know what us southerners are like), but I will be reading about the steps you are taking and am very encouraged by the fact you are invovling all sides of the coin as in users/ex users, families, researchers and practitioners.
I also agree that one of the main steps (although all of them are important) is to start to combat the discrimination and stigma that is too often associated with addiction and Recovery.
Also you wrote about respect and I have travelled along the recovery road with my son for nearly 15 years and during that time I have seen him treated with both respect and distain – not just by the general public, friends and family but by professionals who made it clear that he was a time waster/druggy.
So I wish you well in this venture.
sue x
this is Faces and Voice in recvovery and is very exciting.The case of Philedelphisa is of immediate interest to to the UK where we should be looking to replicate their success at creating Recovery communities.The philedelphia experience has demonstrated to me that recovery Communities are made possible only where stigma is effectivily confronted.Be it through the struggle to earn the acceptance of local populations.where the so called (Not in my back yeard) brigrade has errected to many nasent communities looking to estabilish themselves.these movments have tackled many of the issiues that i feel we can take on here in the future.
Under the auspices of organisations such as (PRO ACT) in Philadelphia many people are “out and proud“as recovering addicts.Puplic figures and members of political class are happy to disclose there experience of Drug alcohol use or Mental health status.Shattering many of the myths associated with the phenomen.The (UKRF) can tackle prejudice head on,through organising radical events such as uk recovery marchs with participants of every walk of life.A prison link would be fantastic as would links with all our fellowships.Thus the culture being challanged to re-examine its own attitudes,and consequently the stigma associated with addiction being aradicated.So to in Philadelphi,The shame that results from the stigma is weakened,breaking the vital link in the vicious cucle of addiction can be broken.Leaving people empowered to address there condition without the fear an it is then that recovery communities grow in numbers and become a force.if the (UKRF) can replicate what is happening in the states we can change the shape of things to come I think the NHS could play a vital role here under there challenging stigma campagine,.Apoligies for the long blog but this is good stuff.
Oliver M
I’m very impressed by the whole UKRF outlines and plans. It’s organised, straightforward and easy to understand. For me it’s a solid starting point for people. Principals are the key, plans can change but principals are what underpins it all. Anything we at Inexcess can do then please feel free to ask. Roger, Christine and Tony are all the organised ones at our end, as you know I’m not!
For sure change is coming and communities of all kinds will grow and connect. Most of all key people at this moment feel inspired and are becoming organised. We are all in this together and we are not alone.
Many people will have many ideas of their own along the way, a good idea is to start and build your own thing rather than be frustrated and change someone elses plans.
It’s an amazing experience for everyone at the moment as we can see many positive things happening. There is definitely a shift. I’ve only been around for a couple of years with Inexcess but I’m confident with so many of the people I see. I’m in a unique and sometimes priviliged position to get up next to the diversity of people in addiction, treatment and recovery, at all levels. People feel empowered and that real futures exist for many people who are presently suffering. Lets have the courage and confidence to follow our instincts and make positive decisions about how we want to live our lives. It is a new beginning so let us embrace the changes and not afraid of the future, it can be anything we want it to be if we really care. Goodluck with it all
Anne Marie, you raise the question of how many folk there are as members of mutual aid groups in the UK. It’s difficult to know exactly, but I’ve been looking at this in preparation for presentation I’m doing on mutual aid this week.
AA estimated (from surveys) that there were around 40,000 members in 2008. Since then there are are a further 600 new groups listed (total 4600 groups). If the number of members went up in tandem, then we might expect a further 6000 members, which would make a total number of 46,000 AA members.
There are around 960 NA groups in the UK currently and 220 CA groups. The NA membership survey in 2008 found that most groups had 10-20 members. That would give a total membership of between 10,000 to 20,000 members, though this does not account for those who are members of more than one group (double counting).
I agree that 50,000 is an underestimate. If we only consider AA, NA and CA, then the numbers are more likely to total 60,000-70,000. Numbers visiting over a year will be much higher of course.
As for other mutual aid groups: Alanon has 820 weekly meetings. SMART recovery lists 20 groups on its website. I could only find 8 Adult Children of Alcoholics groups; 9 SOS groups; 9 MA meetings. I had thought there were Women for Sobriety groups in the UK, but I haven’t been able to track them down.
I didn’t count groups for behavioural or process addictions like GA or OA for these purposes. There will be other peer led support groups which meet on a more informal basis too. I’d be very interested to hear about any of these.
I’ll write up a more formal assessment of mutual aid in the UK at some time as I think it’s good to take stock of where we are at the moment. I have some wonderful graphs of the growth of mutual aid which might interest Wired In members.
FAVOR is such an inclusive name if we were to adopt or not. We have to be really inclusive of everyone and every community.
Young, Old, Black and Minority Ethnics, Smarties (aah Laura that hurt) AA, NA, Prisoners, Middle/Working/Upper Class, every single diasadvantaged group that have an identity need the chance and oppurtunity to be represented.
It is not enough to say we are inclusive we need to demonstrate it to break down stigma and create a truly representative recovery community.
Great stuff so far please keep the good work up.
Thanks David WOW thats still a lot of people, and your right it would be great to see a more formal assesment. Hmmm on the point of using FAVOUR as a name i think there is a danger that we will be seen as an offshoot of our friends in the states, a sort of side division? Essentially thats exactly what we are a UK favour as we are to an extent following there lead and experience no doubt about it but for identity purposes i for one like the label “federation” as this is encompassing and uniting.
Would just like some clarity on how plans for this federation would work with the previously established Recovery Academy?
Will you be working together?
It’s great to see the comments so far on the proposed UKRF. I just wanted to respond to some of these as it kinda helps my own thinking. I’m really interested in what TAPE is doing and love the idea of the project to record individual thoughts and feelings on what Recovery means to individuals. I personally think a recognition of the diversity and individuality of views on ‘Recovery’ and the creativity generated as a result will be massively important to the development of a new British Recovery Movement. This comes with challenges though and this is where honesty, self awareness and openness will come into its own as the driving force for change.It will be great to hear these views on Recovery and build them in to the development of a uniting Community Recovery Manifesto. There will be more on this idea of a manifesto coming up soon I think. In the meantime Marcellos it would be good to talk.
Thanks for the support Martin. I’m another person who has to start the day with gallons of tea!
I think you raise some really important points about the marginalised status of offenders and the need for ‘real’ representation at a policy level Laura and again feel that the points you raise should feed into (and be reflected within) a Recovery Manifesto. I think it’s here where we can really spell out the detail. What’s great about the consultation paper is that, within a few days, we are starting to develop our thinking around some of the building blocks of a Recovery Federation that puts ‘change’ and the challenge of stigma at its heart. Your ideas for the Recovery Walk are t’riffic. The next walk planning meeting will be in Manchester in May but I think we need to talk way before then. Please get in touch. I’m part of a walk sub-group group that’s looking to reach as many people in Recovery (or Recovering) as possible to maximise representation on the 25th of September and we need all the help we can get!
And thank you for your support Sue. Recovery is for everybody. I can’t say how much I appreciate your taking the time to respond to the paper. You take care.
What stood out for me Oliver in your post was your emphasis on “the culture being challenged to re-examine its own attitudes,and consequently the stigma associated with addiction being eradicated”
This is big for me and I think we continue to zero in on the central theme for a Recovery Manifesto. We’re talking about oppression here and we have to address it on personal, cultural and structural levels. It’s time to move away from solely individualised responses to drugs and alcohol and, perhaps paradoxically, we do this through listening to the many individual voices out there.Time to pull all the themes together.
This task we have set ourselves is not small and we will founder if we allow ourselves to be diverted from it. The Recovery Federation will not play at politics. We’ve started with a set of Principles and it is the hope of the people who sat in a room in Liverpool last Friday that these principles will drive us on and protect us. Now I’m sounding a bit pompous. Oh dear. I think what I’m trying to say is I think you’re spot on George when you say that “principles underpin all”. Definitions of Recovery will always be individual and it is not down to the Federation to dictate some kind of ‘reality’. However I do believe we can establish, building on the work and passion of the many that have gone before, a set of unifying principles.
Lastly Mary, we would hope that the Recovery Academy will align itself with the Federation and we would certainly hope to work together. In a sense I think the Federation is a logical next step in the development of a British Recovery movement, something the Recovery Academy, most visibly David Best, has been advocating for since last summer. The Academy will attempt to develop an evidence base for Recovery in this country. One of the goals of the Federation will be to promote and support creative and effective Recovery initiatives. I personally think the two bodies need each other. One goal, generate and record positive change (participative transformation) in the lives of individuals and communities. Time for action. I took you at your word.
I’m going to come back to the concept of definitions of Recovery in my next blog.
Onward and Upward.
Its a really positive statement and a necessary step. Umbrella organisations are essential when there are lots of small local groups many without a legal identity but lots of energy and enthusiasm. Umbrella organisations have to be “political” in the sense that they have to argue a particular position or for resources with the public sector big beasts its not everyones cup of tea but it has to be done.
So well done for starting the ball rolling. My only concern would be that large membership based organisations require a lot of administration which costs scarce resources.
Good point ( wheresmybonusthen) and great name BTW, in the states Faces & Voices are supported from a diverse group of foundations, organizations and individuals in the recovery community.
Their support has been critical in strengthening the national recovery advocacy movement over the pond.
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has supported their work since our founding in 2001. Reckitt Benckiser has provided them with an unrestricted grant in 2008.
They are also supported by the Sumner Gerard Foundation and the Hanley Family Foundation. They also deliver services and have been the grateful recipients of contracts from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA); the National Conference of State Legislatures; and the US Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration’s Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (SAMHSA/CSAT).
They are also supported by a whole host of other organisations small and large and focused the many individuals who are founding members of Faces & Voices of Recovery, i suppose what I am saying is when the time comes for money, it may be similar organisations and peoplke in the UK that are attracted to supporting the foundation.
Brilliant, I live in Bristol and have been in recovery for 20 years. This is the quantum leap we’ve needed for a very long time, how do I get involved?
You’re involved now Brendan. We will be in touch.
Hi – in my capacity as a Board Member of the Recovery Academy, happy to report that David Best and I have been in contact with Anne-Marie and although won’t become Directors we are totally behind any joint working and collaboration. I would envisage that as both organisations develop their agendas dovetail and complement each other.
A co-ordinated approach is so important!
how do I get involved?
