The Dundee Public Social Partnership was established in November 2019, with the aim of improving outcomes for people affected by substance use and homelessness. The main outcomes the PSP seeks to deliver are:
- Substance use and homelessness services have increased capacity to deliver early intervention, signposting and recovery
- People affected by substance use and homelessness will be better able to access the services they need, when they need them
- People with lived experience will be involved in the planning, delivery and evaluation of substance use and homelessness services
The PSP aims to achieve these outcomes by taking forward a number of tests of change as follows (click on the project title for the full proposal):
Test of Change Proposals
1. Lochee Hub
This test of change will include elements of community outreach, co-production in the planning and delivery of services, wrapping services round the Integrated Substance Misuse Service model, and flexible opening hours during the evenings and weekends in response to local need (Lead Officer : Pam McLaughlin, DVVA)
Outreach work is being used to engage with women who are victims of sexual exploitation and experiencing substance use issues. The Project will develop a blended support model to improve women’s access to services (Lead Officer: David Barrie, We Are With You)
3.Lived Experience/ Outdoor Recovery
People with lived experience will be involved in the planning and delivery of a programme of outdoor activities to support their recovery (Lead Officer: David Barrie, We Are With You)
4. Gendered approach to the delivery of Substance Use and Homelessness Services
The plan is to deliver a short training/awareness raising session to third sector stakeholders on gendered approaches to the delivery of substance use and homelessness services. Increased awareness of the key issues that need to be addressed will be tested through pre/post training assessment. This exercise should provide a platform for future partnership working (Lead Officer: Heather Wilkins, DVVA)
This project proposal seeks to build a tangible recovery community in Douglas, by engaging with families and services and developing a clear pathway to improve access to Recovery Services.(Lead Officer: David Barrie, We Are With You)
6. Custody Assessment and Referral Service
The potential for service user engagement with substance use and homeless services at their first point of engagement in the criminal justice system is being explored with partner agencies. (Lead Officer: Val Darroch, Positive Steps)
The Safe Zone bus will be deployed to reach out into communities to target hard to reach young people and families, and through early intervention, improve their access to health and social care services (Lead Officer: Kathryn Baker, Tayside Council on Alcohol)
8. Homelessness – Involvement of people with lived experience in the planning and delivery of services
This project will support the involvement of people with lived experience of homelessness in all levels of decision making. This will be achieved by peer mentors supporting service user involvement and the development of peer support groups and peer mentoring opportunities. (Lead Officers: Bryan Smith, Transform Community Development/Shirish Patel, Dundee Survival Group)
The National Records for Scotland identified Dundee City as having the second highest proportion of Benzodiazepine deaths in Scotland. This TOC would create a method for non -clinical staff to carry out Benzodiazepine brief interventions. Lead pharmacists, prescribers and other relevant staff will input to a clear pathway of support for Benzo reduction/detox (Lead Officer: Danny Kelly, Hillcrest Futures)
10. Improved Access To Recovery Learning
A package of recovery support will be provided for people in their own communities through a range of methods, including workbooks, 1:1 support, virtual groups and face to face group work. The learning will be supported with a link to a recovery mentor to support learning and engagement with recovery group activities. (Lead Officer: Pauline McIntosh, Hillcrest Futures)
11. Transitions
Hillcrest Futures will undertake outreach work with partner agencies to increase access to drugs treatment, homelessness and mental health services for young people aged 18-25, who are transitioning between young people and adult services. (Lead Officer: Danny Kelly, Hillcrest Futures)
A partnership between Hillcrest Futures and RecoverTay will promote gardening as a meaningful therapeutic activity for anyone in recovery, their family members and supporters. Access to the allotments in Dundee will be expanded to facilitate this development. (Lead Officer: Pauline McIntosh, Hillcrest Futures)
13. Making Dundee Home of Dundee West Church
This project involves 1:1 work with individuals to support their recovery from substance use and homelessness. People will have access to food and a drop in café as a way of combatting poverty, loneliness and isolation. (Lead Officer: Gordon Sharp, Dundee West Church)
A framework for engaging people with lived experience has been developed by the third sector and adopted by the Drugs and Alcohol Partnership. You can access the document by clicking here
The proposal is to build on the Peer Recovery Network’s current engagement with people who have lived experience by increasing its range of engagement activities with individuals in Dundee. This will be achieved by establishing a Lived Experience Network where individuals can sign up to the network, and take part in various activities that will provide them with a voice in decision making and shape services going forward, tying in with the development of local and national strategies where applicable. (Lead Officer: Ruth Brown, DVVA)
The Dundee Boost Project will allow opportunities for participants who are either homeless or threatened with homelessness to make the transition from begging to busking. Enactus Dundee, which is a social enterprise made up of students from different courses at Dundee University, will work together with Transform Community Development and the Dundee Survival Group to further develop and deliver this project.(Lead Officer: Bryan Smith, Transform Community Development)
Evaluation
Evaluations for all the PSP Tests of Change:
Lived Experience Engagement Report – Final Draft 9 March 2021
TOC Evaluations Final Document – Updated 10-08-21 by DG
Assessments for all the PSP Tests of Change:
PSP Tests of Change Suitability Assessments 09.06.21
Report by Neil Gunn, PSP Co-ordinator Updated August 2021
