'Stand up and tell me your story': SHAAP launches new report

SHAAP launched its latest report on the meanings and importance of lived and living experiences for alcohol and drugs policy to a packed audience at the Royal College of Physicians in Edinburgh.

The study draws on interviews carried out in 2019 with representatives of non-governmental agencies in Scotland who are concerned with supporting the development, implementation and evaluation of Scotland’s ‘refreshed’Alcohol Framework 2018  and the Scottish Government Alcohol and Drugs Strategy ‘Rights, Respect and Recovery’.

SHAAP's review highlights the value of lived experience as a human rights approach to policy making, gaining meaningful insights into lives, the pain faced, and bring to the fore the impact of structures and environments in a way that may otherwise remain hidden. It brings to light the uniqueness of voices, emphasising humanity, to deepen understanding, and in this context to change and develop policies, services, environments and structures accordingly.Capturing narratives is challenging. As well as hearing from those who are part of networks and recovery communities, i.e. people with lived experience,policy makers and planners need to engage with the broader population,including people who might be defined as having living experience, i.e. with the problems continuing, whether they recognise this or not.Policy makers and planners need to ensure that those with lived experience with whom they engage are well supported. The sharing of stories should be purposeful. Their perspectives should genuinely be listened to and seriously considered, for the right reasons, and without tokenism.

SHAAP's intention is to supply Government and relevant stakeholders with suggestions about how such engagement might support the development, implementation and evaluation of the Alcohol Framework 2018 and ‘Rights, Respect and Recovery’ 

To read the full report:  https://www.shaap.org.uk/downloads/reports-and-briefings.html