Stay tuned as this page develops, covering user involvement, drug user self organising and activism.
Drug User Self Organising &
User Involvement Issues
These are articles, presentations,guidelines/charters, interesting and/or important user surveys/questionaires, and links to articles that we think add to the user activism discourse. And some from BP to. Contact us if you think there is a piece we should be letting others know about and we'll provide a link.
Use the BP Pinboard to let others know about a new user group starting, a special meeting, where to find a GP that prescribes, questions about drugs, interesting news, experiences etc from you would make it a cool message board. Please request if you'd like BP to answer your question or open it out to the whole web by stating: Dear BP...OR....Anyone! If people could self monitor the site and email BP at editor@blackpoppy.org.uk if you feel there's anything to offensive or out of order, we'd appreciate it.
Click here to view the BP pinboard. Feel free to respond to anyone's questions or views. That's what makes it helpful and interesting!
User Survey's;
Have your say - Get your voice heard - Make it count
If you ever have any concerns over a survey or research questionaire you have been asked to take part in, contact us at BP and we'll do our best to find out more about it for you.
The National Treatment Agency's Third Annual User Satisfaction Survey is one of the best opportunities for service users to give feedback on what's good and bad about the drug treatment they are receiving. Survey responses are then used in the process of improving treatment services to meet users' needs.
We know that treatment isn't always perfect, that's why the NTA is urging service users to voice their opinions and have their say on drug treatment services in England by filling in the 2007 User Satisfaction Survey. In the past two years, when we asked service users for their opinion on drug treatment, they replied in droves – making this the biggest annual survey of service user opinion in England so far.
The survey enables service users to:
• tell the NTA in confidence how they really feel about their drug treatment
• suggest ways in which treatment could be improved
It also allows service providers to:
• better understand what service users need
• shape treatment services so that needs can be met
The findings help improve the quality of drug services, because the results are used in the official review of services. This important information can then be fed back to the treatment agencies to enable them to improve the quality and effectiveness of the programmes they offer.
Make sure your voice is heard!
Throughout England this September, the NTA's User Satisfaction questionnaires will be available from the majority of adult drug treatment services. If you are in treatment, please take this valuable opportunity to let us know what is working and what needs to be improved. And, if you know people who are in treatment – please encourage them to take part.
P.S …
All information provided within the questionnaires is solely for research purposes and is completely confidential and anonymous. You do not have to give your name and have the right to not to answer any questions if you do not wish to. Each questionnaire comes with a pre paid envelope to post your answers back to the NTA. You do not have to hand them into your treatment service.
For further information about the survey, including a summary of what England's service users thought about their treatment in the last two years, please follow the link here or contact the NTA research team on
Tel: 020 7261 8959.
Remember - This is about finding out what youthink about your drug treatment, which will help us at the NTA make the right improvements.
Articles
Contact the author for reprinting permission, follow the links to find the authors or contact BP All articles are the copyright of the authors
International User Activists organized the first International Congress Of People Who Use Drugs on 30 April 2006 in Vancouver, Canada. A group of about 100 User Activists gathered at the congress and together wrote the declaration for the international network of people who use drugs. Read the declaration here and follow the link to the International People who Use Drugs website (INPUD)
User Involvement - The Power of Personal Experience A peer presentation on user involvement highlighting the underlying issues suurounding it; empowerment, being valued honestly, doing it for ourselves, the vast depth to discovering what ex AND current drug users have to offer the drugs issue. As given by BP to Kent service users. E.O'Mara
Drug Users are Self-Organizing in BrazilCelia Szterenfeld's "Pedagogy of Harm Reduction" Takes Root. A very interesting piece on users taking back control of harm reduction, from professionals, into the hands of users. Linked to some excellent articles on Brazil's drug user self organising.
Greater, Meaningful Involvement of Drug Users in Work on HIV/AIDS:A Public Health, Ethical and Human Rights Imperative.This is from
the truely excellent Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network. It is a project looking at increasing meaningful involvement of drug users (in particular, injection drug users) in HIV/AIDS programs and services that affect their lives.
There is a downloadable booklet summarizing the report's main ideas and recommendations here also.
