The latest news from Adferiad Recovery – October 2021

Welcome to this month’s edition of the Adferiad Recovery Newsletter!

Throughout September and October Adferiad Recovery held 23 events across Wales and Lancashire (read more below!) and an online consultation asking our stakeholders what kind of charity we should be, what aims we should have, and what we should be campaigning for. I would like to say a huge thank you to all who supported the campaign, whether it was by attending one of our events or by completing the online survey. I am delighted to be able to share with you some of the key findings from the consultation.

One of the key questions we asked was: what should our main priorities be? The top priority identified by our stakeholders was developing joined-up services for people with mental health, addiction or co-occurring problems: i.e., we need to treat the person as a whole and provide an integrated approach instead of pigeonholing people into specific services. Other key priorities included tackling the stigma surrounding addiction, mental health and co-occurring diagnoses, and ensuring Adferiad Recovery is a great place to work!

A major concern identified in the survey was the need for improved rights to timely, well-resourced and patient-centred services for our client group. Specifically, when asked what new services they wanted Adferiad Recovery to develop in the coming years, participants identified a priority for those which focus on befriending and social activities: a clear sign of the importance of getting people together in a post-COVID Wales.

Adferiad Recovery belongs to its stakeholders: members, clients and their families, volunteers, staff, partners, funders and supporters. The trustees and management of Adferiad Recovery are at your service and ready to act on what you tell us.

The “Talk to Adferiad” campaign has provided an opportunity for our stakeholders to have their say, and you have made it absolutely clear what kind of charity Adferiad Recovery should aspire to be, what strengths it should build on, what weaknesses it should address, what services it should seek to develop, and what issues it should campaign on.

In the coming years we are going to shape our new charity in light of the priorities identified by the consultation: this will include the development of ambitious new services for people with co-occurring needs, tireless campaigning to reduce stigma, and active lobbying to improve the rights of our client group.

We look forward to keeping you – our stakeholders – updated about the future of your charity!

Alun Thomas

Chief Executive, Adferiad Recovery

Download the newsletter here.