Researchers develop new approach for connecting people with substance use dependency to community support

UWE Bristol researchers have developed a toolkit to help people living with drug and alcohol dependency access community services that support their long-term health and wellbeing.

A team of academics led by Dr Amy Beardmore worked with alcohol and drug charity Via to identify ways that would boost the likelihood of individuals in recovery accessing local community assets that support their recovery, ranging from debt advice services to local park runs and faith groups.

Community connection is widely recognised as being a major benefit for people recovering from addiction but services often struggle to support people to access community assets, particularly during a time when they are experiencing trauma, stigma or low confidence.

Workshops held by researchers with Via service users, peer mentors and staff found that passive signposting to community assets was not effective and that assertive approaches were needed to link people to community assets.

Community assets are local resources, individuals, groups, and networks offering short or long term support. They include peer-supported groups, specialised community hubs, community centres and faith groups, recovery cafes, educational and employment services, active and creative groups, and community champions.

The researchers developed a toolkit designed to act as a bridge between people working with service users, the service users themselves and local community assets that can support their recovery.

The toolkit is made up of four parts:

1) A six‑stage Stages of Engagement model operationalising readiness‑based support

2) A Community Connector role enabling warm handovers and relational continuity

3) A brief conversational assessment foregrounding interests, needs and fears

4) Targeted enhancements to a Digital Community Assets Platform to improve accessibility and use.

The Stages of Engagement model gives practitioners and peers a shared language to talk about readiness (to engage with community life rather than readiness for abstinence). Dr Beardmore says this shift has changed conversations from “Why aren’t people engaging?” to “What support makes sense for this person right now, at their current stage of recovery?”

The Community Connector role description focused on a warm, human connection was consistently identified by project participants as crucial. They expressed a preference for a visible and emotionally intelligent individual to be involved who can offer friendly handovers rather than passive signposting.

Dr Amy Beardmore, a Senior Lecturer in Public Health, said: “It was very clear from our co-production workshops that people in recovery – whatever stage they are at – do not want to be simply signposted to local assets and sent on their way. They want a friendly face (preferably someone with their own lived experience of dependency) who can tell them what to expect, build confidence and reduce fear and anxiety.”

The work – funded through Innovate UK’s Accelerated Knowledge Transfer Partnership – is already beginning to make an impact, with discussions taking place with the Scottish Recovery Consortium about piloting the toolkit in Scotland. The researchers have made contact with Inclusive Recovery Cities international movement and Dr Beardmore  presented the findings of the project at the Inclusive Recovery Cities conference earlier this month.

Dr Beardmore, who worked on the project with Devon De Silva from Via and Leila Powell from UWE Bristol, said: “While this work began as a small, time‑limited project, its impact lies in how it has reshaped conversations about how and when community assets are accessed in people’s recovery journeys.”

The toolkit has also been shared with Bristol Recovery Festival, of which UWE Bristol has become its first academic sponsor. As a direct result of the impact of the research, Dr Beardmore was in contact with festival organisers and liaised with UWE Bristol to secure the sponsorship. The festival – taking place on 18 June – is a community-led event that has been running since 2013 that brings together people with lived experience of addiction, researchers, practitioners, local services and families to promote hope, connection and positive visibility for recovery.

Helen Sipthorp, project manager at Bristol Recovery Festival, said: “It’s a pleasure to be working in partnership with UWE Bristol, and we’re delighted that the university has joined us as the first academic sponsor of the Bristol Recovery Festival.

“The work led by Dr Amy Beardmore and the wider team reflects something we see every year through the festival - that connection and community are fundamental to recovery. We’re proud to provide a space where this can come to life and reach so many people across the city.”