Setting the blueprint for a more equal and prosperous Wales for people who use substances.
‘We are READY for what’s to come’.
This conference is sponsored by Peredur Owen Griffiths MS.
We are excited to announce the return of Barod’s annual conference. This year, our conference will take place on Wednesday 19th June at the The Pierhead, Cardiff Bay. We will be launching our manifesto, and related campaign, ‘Setting the blueprint for a more equal and prosperous Wales for people who use substances’, setting out 10 ‘asks’ on how we feel Wales can move forward and be a global leader when it comes to supporting people affected by substance use. We will be hearing from experts from within Wales and across the UK, related to our ‘asks’, outlining some of the incredible work that is already happening, as well as how we can move forward to ensuring Wales becomes a more equal and prosperous society for all.
On the day
Doors will open from 10am for refreshments with the conference and welcoming address commencing at 10.30am. The conference will end at 3pm. Please bring your confirmation email with you, preferably digitally to help us reduce our use of paper. There will be a buffet lunch and refreshments breaks during the conference.
This event is sold out and booking has closed.
We are very grateful to Peredur for sponsoring our conference, enabling us to host it at The Pierhead. Peredur is a Senedd Regional Member for Plaid Cymru and is currently the chair of the Substance Use and Addiction – Cross Party Group. For more information regarding Peredur, please click here. You can also follow Peredur on X: @PeredurPlaidAS
Image source: Senedd.Wales. Please click here to view the licence for the use of this image.
Image source: Senedd.Wales. Please click here to view the licence for the use of this image.
Jayne Bryant MS – Minister for Mental Health and Early Years.
Jayne Bryant MS was born and brought up in Newport where she lives. Jayne went to school in Newport and entered politics at age 17. In 2016 Jayne was first elected as the Assembly Member for Newport West. She was appointed Chair of the Standards of Conduct Committee in the Fifth Senedd, and also sat on the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee. Re-elected in 2021, Jayne was nominated to Chair the Children, Young People and Education Committee in this Sixth Senedd and also sat on the Special Purpose Committee on Senedd Reform and the Local Government and Housing Committee. Jayne chaired Cross-Party Groups on Diabetes, Preventing Child Sexual Abuse, Arts and Health and Suicide Prevention and acted as Vice Chair for the Cross-Party Groups on Dementia and Intergenerational Solidarity.
Jayne was appointed Minister for Mental Health and Early Years on 21 March 2024. With a passion for social justice, and an advocate to help and support people, Jayne is an active campaigner on issues such as health and wellbeing; the environment and climate change; transport; and tackling inequality. Jayne is dedicated to encouraging young people to be active and interested in politics. Politics matters and young people must be at the heart of it.
Shayla Schlossenberg – Drug Service Coordinator, Release
Shayla joined Release after spending the last two years at an East London homelessness charity, managing a drug and alcohol outreach team. Originally from Baltimore, Shayla moved to the UK in 2019 to complete an MSc in Anthropology at the University of Oxford, producing a dissertation on harm reduction’s role in drug user subjectification in the UK. Prior to this, Shayla has been working in the harm reduction world since 2015, at centres for people who use drugs and sex worker projects in three cities in the USA (Baltimore, Washington DC, and New York City) and in Shanghai, China. Shayla’s particular harm reduction skills are working with people oppressed by patriarchy, people who use methamphetamine, and people who trade sex.
X: @SSchlossenberg & @Release_drugs
Professor Fiona Measham – Chair in Criminology, Sociology, Social Policy and Criminology at Liverpool University & founder of The Loop
Professor Fiona Measham was appointed Chair in Criminology at the University of Liverpool in 2019 and before that was Professor of Criminology at Durham University from 2013. Fiona has conducted research for over 35 years across criminology, sociology and particularly drug policy, exploring changing trends in drug use, supply and markets; night life, gender, sexuality and the socio-cultural context to drugs; and most recently, the development and impact of drug checking. With 10,000 citations from over 100 publications, she is an internationally recognised scholar in her field.
Fiona’s commitment to public service is evidenced by membership of numerous scientific advisory committees and expert panels including having been a government advisor for over 25 years. She was appointed by Home Secretaries to serve three terms on the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) 2008-18; appointed by the Minister of State for Crime Prevention to serve on the Ministerial Review of New Psychoactive Substances; is a permanent member of two ACMD Standing Committees; and is a regular co-opted member to ACMD task and finish working groups. Fiona is a founding member of the Drug Science drug policy think tank since 2010 and, across the political spectrum, has sat on Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat drug policy expert panels.
Fiona is co-founder of The Loop (established in the UK in 2012 and in Australia in 2018), charities providing drug checking and associated harm reduction services to communicate relative risk and to promote health and wellbeing around alcohol and other drugs. The Loop was designed to be both an evidence-based health service and an evidence-making university action research project and impact case study. The Loop is best known for introducing drug checking in the UK, in festivals in 2016, in city centres in 2018, and through the first regular Home Office-licensed, fully funded drug checking service from 2024 onwards. The Loop Australia introduced the first permanent drug checking services in an Australian state, in Queensland in 2024.
X: @FMeasham, @LivUni, @LivUniSoc
Professor Magdalena Harris – Professor of Inclusion Health Sociology at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Magdalena Harris is Professor of Inclusion Health Sociology at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and holds an honorary Inclusion Health Consultant position at University College London Hospital NHS Trust. She works in partnership with community organisations, through qualitative methods, peer research & intervention science, to understand and address stigma and health inequity among inclusion health populations. She currently leads two NIHR-funded research projects aiming to improve service provision, health and social outcomes for people who use heroin and crack cocaine, respectively. In 2020 she received the Society for Study of Addiction Impact Prize “in recognition of her high-quality, innovative research and its positive, practical impact for people who inject drugs” and in 2022 was elected a Membership through Distinction of the Faculty of Public Health.
X: @pwidpride
Huw Thomas – Director of Operations, Barod
As Director of Operations for Barod Huw is responsible for services across all regions, ensuring that they are delivered in line with organisational values, objectives and service specifications.
Huw has an extensive background in delivering substance muse services to adults, children and young people in the South Wales area. In his early career, Huw joined the Integrated Offender Management Unit within the Probation Service, working to provide holistic support to priority prolific offenders. He has worked in a number of front-line drug worker roles within community services and the criminal justice sector, delivering harm reduction and recovery work. He subsequently worked for Barnardos, where he developed his experience within children and young peoples’ (CYP) services, and his knowledge of CYP development.
Huw joined Barod from Pobl, where he developed an integrated pathway for substance use homelessness services, and formed a special interest in innovative counselling and assertive outreach. Huw held positions as Chair of Cardiff and Vale Harm Reduction Working Group and Co-Chair of the Newport Child Sexual Exploitation Forum. He collaborated with the University of South Wales (USW) on alcohol related brain damage research projects, to develop a training package and screening tool which has been nominated for a USW Impact and Innovation award. He is a firm advocate of multi-disciplinary working and integrated services. In his personal time, Huw enjoys mountain biking, walking and rugby.
Rachel Wilson – Resilient Families Manager, Barod
I am Rachel Wilson the Resilient Families Manager for Barod, leading on the Choices West Young Persons service in Dyfed, the Floating Support service in Ceredigion and am currently managing DDAS on an Interim basis. I have worked in the substance use field for over 22 years and am passionate about ensuring that everyone who accesses our services have good quality information regarding substances and are able to achieve their identified goal with feelings of courage and empowerment. I co-facilitate Barod’s Trauma and ACE (TrACE) working group with my colleagure Sarah Walsh and am also one of Barod’s safeguarding leads.
Insta: @choiceswest
Sarah Walsh – Service Manager, Gwent N-Gage (Young Person’s Substance Use Service)
I am a Children, Young Person’s and Families Service Manager for Barod currently leading on two services in Gwent – Gwent N-gage and Gwent Drug and Alcohol Family Service. I am passionate about ensuring all young people and families in Gwent have access to good quality drug and alcohol information and support. I co-facilitate Barod’s Trauma and Ace (TrACE) Informed Practice steering group. I am also a qualified life coach and enjoy bringing this into my role as a manager.
Insta: @gwentngage
We are really excited to launch our ‘Setting the blueprint for a more equal and prosperous Wales for people who use substances’ manifesto, outlining our 10 campaign ‘asks’, and individual policy briefings, for each ask. The manifesto will be officially launched at the conference, however, you can download both the Welsh and English versions of the manifesto, as well as the policy briefings, here.
Please note this information is taken for the senedd.wales website.
Welsh Parliament, Cardiff Bay, Cardiff, CF99 1SN
+44 (0)300 200 6565
Active Travel
There are two locations on the estate for cycle parking, near the Pierhead and Tŷ Hywel entrances.
There are cycle trails in each direction. The Cardiff Council website has resources to help plan your journey.
Bus
The No. 6 Baycar leaves from Cardiff Queen Street Station, Dumfries Place, Greyfriars Road, St. Mary Street or Cardiff Central Railway Station and stops at both Pierhead Street and outside the Wales Millennium Centre adjacent to the Senedd.
Routes 7 and 8 depart from Canal Street and Westgate Street respectively and stop on Pierhead Street, a short walk (approximately 200 metres) from the Senedd, Tŷ Hywel and the Pierhead building.
For more information go to the Baycar website [opens in a new window]
Train
Services run from Cardiff Queen Street Station to Cardiff Bay Station. The station is a few minutes walk from the Senedd, Tŷ Hywel and the Pierhead building.
For more information head to the Traveline website. [Opens page in new window]
Road
From the West, leave the M4 at junction 33, follow the A4232 to Cardiff Bay and follow signposts to Welsh Parliament, CF99 1SN.
From the East, leave the M4 at Junction 29, follow the A48 and then A4232 to Cardiff Bay and follow sign posts to Welsh Parliament, CF99 1SN.
Disabled Car Parking
Parking is available by prior arrangement for visitors to the Senedd who are disabled.
In the case of visitors who are attending meetings with Members of the Senedd, Welsh Ministers or officials, arrangements should be made with their offices.
In the case of visitors attending Plenary meetings, committee meetings or pre-arranged visits to the Senedd, parking can be arranged by contacting us.
There is an external lift available for visitors who are disabled at our accessible parking area outside the Senedd.
A minimum of 24 hours’ notice is usually required together with information about the vehicle and driver. Visitors must display their disabled parking badge on arrival.
Taxi
A number of companies provide taxi services from Cardiff city centre to Cardiff Bay. Taxi ranks are situated across the city, including outside Cardiff Central railway station. The nearest location to the Senedd estate is on Bute Street near Mermaid Quay.
Car Parking
The nearest car park is the Q-Park multi-storey on Pierhead Street (Pierhead St, Cardiff CF10 4PH), a short walk from the Senedd. A discount can be applied to pre-bookings using the code ‘SEN’.
On-street, pay and display parking may be available on Harbour Drive or there is a pay and display car park off Stuart Street.
In the lead up to the event, we will be posting content on all our social media channels regarding the conference and speakers. We will also be using the hashtag #Barod24, so please feel free to use the hashtag if you post anything on your own socials, including on the day, and we will share it.
X: @wearebarod
Facebook: @wearebarod
TikTok: @wearebarod
Insta: @barodproject
YouTube: @barod2067
LinkedIn: @barod
