Brief Insight 21: West Lothian Alcohol & Drug Partnership: A human rights based approach

Background

Ensuring a system wide human rights-based approach is adopted is central to the approach being taken forward within West Lothian.  This will ensure the workforce and people affected by substance use are aware of this approach in terms of rights holders and duty bearers.  The aim of this approach is to develop a system-wide understanding of human rights and their application, contribute to workforce development, continuous service improvement and impact positively on service design, development and delivery.

In the coming months, 20 workshops will be delivered to approximately 360 people. All services, both statutory and non-statutory, will be offered places at the sessions. People with lived and living experience and their families will also be invited to participate in the workshops.  To ensure comprehensive representation at the sessions, a full evaluation of the programme will be conducted. This will inform local workforce development and MAT Standards improvement plans.

Impact

Reach Advocacy has been commissioned to deliver Human Rights-Based workshops using a cross-population approach.  Learning outcomes include awareness of:

  • Social Determinants of Health
  • What are Human Rights?
  • Practical Tools for applying a Human Rights-Based Approach
  • History of Human Rights
  • MAT Standards

Reach Advocacy will also provide Rights Advocacy Practice Award accredited at SCQF Level 7 qualifications for staff within West Lothian’s Mental Health Advocacy Project.  This will ensure advocacy staff are appropriately qualified to deliver a human rights-based approach on behalf of people who require support when accessing medication assisted treatment.

Learning

Feedback from previous participants on the awareness raising workshops and qualifications has been overwhelmingly positive with a particular appreciation of both the depth of knowledge offered combined with practical examples which bring the learning to life.

Top Tips

  • Focus on co-production and empowerment as a basis for gaining traction and buy-in.
  • Participation from the workforce and people who use services minimises biases and assumptions, fosters connections and a common understanding.
  • Adopt a QI approach to the development and maintenance of the programme to reflect and refine throughout.

Next Steps

Sessions will be held throughout the summer, followed by a full evaluation of the programme. The findings will be submitted to West Alcohol and Drug Partnership (ADP) to inform future planning.