On Thursday, 25^th June 2026, the British-Irish Council Drugs and Alcohol Work Sector held a webinar entitled ‘Lived Experience: The Key to Better Services’.  The webinar was chaired by Jim Walsh (Principal Officer at the Drugs Policy, Refugee and Inclusion Health Unit within the Government of Ireland) and Laura Hardiman (Manager at Better Together). The online event was attended by 87 people from across these islands.

The webinar featured presentations from five contributors based in Scotland and Northern Ireland.  These presentations explored some of the strategies being developed to ensure the full involvement of those with lived experience in the design of recovery and support services. The presentations  also set out the efforts being made to tackle stigma.

Professor Toby Brandon of Northumbria University opened the webinar with an introduction detailing why the involvement of individuals with lived and living experience of substance misuse is so vital. To illustrate this, he drew upon various academic studies and highlighted the ongoing research being undertaken at Northumbria University.

The second session featured Hannah Graham (Scottish Government) and Claire Longmuir (Simon Community). Hannah outlined the role of the Scottish Government’s National Collaborative, which was established in response to Scotland’s drug deaths emergency. Building on this, Claire highlighted the work of the Simon Community in engaging with people experiencing addiction, providing support throughout their recovery journey. She also discussed the Charter of Rights and its importance in promoting dignity, respect and access to support.

Jessica Murray and Gerard Silcock from the Northern Ireland Public Health Agency then delivered a joint presentation on their work to tackle stigma associated with substance use and addiction. Gerard reflected on his own lived experience, as well as the experiences of those he has worked alongside, offering a powerful personal perspective on the impact of stigma.

The session concluded with Jim Walsh inviting questions and comments from attendees. He reflected on the key themes emerging from the presentations and facilitated a wider discussion on the issues raised.

The BIC Drugs & Alcohol Work Sector met in Dublin on Thursday 20 – Friday 21 November 2025 featuring a series of organisations from across Ireland working to support those with substance use disorders.

Attendees heard from: Dag Rekve (World Health Organisation (WHO)) as well as representatives from both Alcohol Forum Ireland and The Living Well Community (based in Northern Ireland).

The organisations present showcased a series of community initiatives being trialled in Dublin. This linked in well with the BIC’s Drugs & Alcohol work plan.

The following day, we visited two charities in Dublin: Merchant’s Quay Ireland and the Dublin Simon Community’s Usher’s Island facility.

The morning began with a tour of the Dublin Simon Community’s Usher’s Island facility to learn about the ongoing work to provide specialist care to those suffering from alcohol and drug use disorders. Officials in attendance met with staff and service users.

The Work Sector group then moved on to Merchant’s Quay Ireland. Staff gave a tour of their facilities and talked about the range of services offered to those with addiction issues within the homeless community. As part of the tour, officials learned more about the work of the Union for Improved Services, Communication and Education (UISCE), a group advocating for the rights of drug users.

On 12- 13 March 2025, officials from the Early Years Work Sector and the Drugs and Alcohol Work Sector participated in a joint visit to Powys, mid-Wales, to learn about the whole systems approach being developed in Wales on trauma-informed delivery of services and ACE (Adverse Childhood Experience) awareness.

The visit was designed to afford officials across both Work Sectors the chance to share learning and practice on the best approach for supporting families dealing with the impacts of drug and alcohol abuse.

The visit began with productive Work Sector meetings at Welsh Government offices in Newtown. Both groups also received a presentation on the work of the BIC’s Indigenous, Minority and Lesser-Used Languages (IML) Work Sector and language in Early Years and Drugs and Alcohol services.

Day Two of the visit featured a series of presentations highlighting the extensive research in Wales around the experiences of ACEs and substance use.  It also explored the impacts of the practical application of the trauma-informed approach in service delivery in Wales. 

Before proceeding to a site visit to Kaleidoscope, the group heard contributions from the Powys Substance Use Expert Reference Group members. These were Neville Brooks (Substance Misuse Commissioner & Area Planning Board Manager for Powys) and Detective Superintendent Gareth Roberts (Out of Court Disposal Initiative, Dyfed Powys Police, Substance Use Drugs Force Lead who spoke about “The Powys approach to implementing the Trauma-informed Framework”.

During the visit to Kaleidoscope, BIC officials met with staff and service users involved in the various projects taking place across Powys, which forms part of the support Kaleidoscope provides up to 10,000 people a year across Wales.

The visit concluded back at Welsh Government offices with a showcase of powerful animated films made by people from Powys with lived experiences in drug and alcohol abuse exploring the stigma surrounding drugs and alcohol use. Officials then participated in a Q&A session with the film makers and heard how the film-making process had empowered them to speak out about their experiences and the benefits of a trauma informed approach – utilised by Kaleidoscope – in improving their wellbeing.

Overall, the visit offered an excellent opportunity for fresh learning and discovering new insights and approaches and for strengthening professional networks.

The British-Irish Council (BIC) Drugs and Alcohol Work Sector, held a Ministerial meeting hosted by the Government of Ireland. The meeting was chaired by Hildegarde Naughton, Minister of State for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drugs Strategy, Government of Ireland. Ministers approved a Forward Work Plan to drive and direct activity for the period 2024-2026. 

In October, the Drugs and Alcohol Work Sector was hosted by the UK Government in London for a workshop on engagement and cooperation with the voluntary and community sectors in the provision of drug and alcohol services and in the development and monitoring of policy. The group heard from the Office of Health, Improvement and Disparities (OHID) on the role voluntary and community sectors have played in treatment in England, with a focus on recent work to better integrate lived experience-led recovery organisations. The group also heard from Collective Voice – a national charity working to improve England’s drug and alcohol treatment and recovery systems.