A Doncaster service that supports the recovery of people from drug and alcohol addiction has shared its innovative work with the people of Sweden.
Stuart Green, Service Manager at Aspire Drug and Alcohol Service, which is run by Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust (RDaSH) and the Alcohol and Drug Service, was invited to speak and deliver training in the City of Gothenburg as part of a new venture called ‘Recovery Cities’ to aid the wellbeing and recovery of families, neighbourhoods and whole communities.
The two-day conference was attended by over 300 delegates and leading experts from all parts of the drug and alcohol recovery field across Sweden.
The presentation and learning workshops focused around the main successes in Doncaster. These are the annual Recovery Games which provide a visual and fun way to celebrate those in recovery. The Northern Recovery College, a joint collaboration between Professor David Best of the University of Sheffield and Dr Linda Harris from Spectrum Health Care, which attracts delegates from across the region to share evidence and practice based learning. Another recovery success is the town centre Pop-up Hub for vulnerable people and rough sleepers.
Stuart said: “It was an honour to have been invited to talk to the Swedish people about how we are creating effective recovery and well communities. We have been working proactively with our partners in education and other organisations locally and across the region to discover and build on the assets present in our community for the recovery of people from substance misuse.
“It’s very encouraging to know that other countries are taking a keen interest in what we are doing in Doncaster putting us at the forefront of the recovery of people from substance addiction. It was also an opportunity to learn how recovery is supported in Sweden and bring this knowledge back to the UK.”
Recovery Cities is a new joint scheme between Aspire Drug and Alcohol Service with the University of Sheffield. It focuses on the Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) approach to well communities by identifying community connections to sustain, benefit and support the recovery of individuals and those around them.
