This webinar will take place on Thursday 17th July 2025 at 10am, focusing on family and concerned others of people who use substances. As part of our ‘Setting the blueprint for a more equal and prosperous Wales for people who use substances’, we are asking for ‘Concerned others to be a recognised group of people within their own right and adequately supported to help improve the health and wellbeing of themselves and their loved ones’. Our speakers will be focusing on the work and support that is taking place and available for family and concerned others, here in Wales.

Our guest speakers are:

Anna Lewis

Young Person’s Service Manager, Cardiff and The Vale Drug and Alcohol Service (CAVDAS)

I have worked in the substance use field for over 25 years in a variety of roles including open access and adult criminal justice services, before moving to Children & Young persons about 15 years ago.  Over the last 7 years I have been working within the teams to develop a family and concerned other offer, that is not an add on to adult services but its own stand-alone strand.

I started this work in Gwent before moving to the new service covering Cardiff & The Vale.  When we started in CAVDAS we had one worker from the CYP team and one worker in adult services.  The team have grown over the last three years and now have their own team leader and 3 full time staff.  I am very proud of the work that is being done across the areas and the change in mindset that allows us to see this support as vitally important in its own right

Kate Doyle

Team Leader, Cardiff and The Vale Drug and Alcohol Service (CAVDAS)

I have worked in the field for many years, I started as a volunteer, supporting young people in the justice system who had experienced exploitation. I was a part of the design and delivery of the primary school substance use education package and worked in education and youth settings delivering substance use education and harm reduction messages. I was always passionate about supporting and advocating for children, young people, and their families. I always felt there was a void in support for people impacted by other people’s drug and alcohol use, specifically young people. When CAVDAS started I worked along side adult services and this lead to supporting children of the clients who engaged in adult services. The growth of the FCO team has been incredible and I am very proud to lead the family team as we continue to grow.

Joely Rose

Team Leader, Gwent Drug and Alcohol Family Service (GDAFS)

I am the Team Leader for Gwent Drug and Alcohol Family Service (GDAFS) covering Caerphilly, Newport, Blaenau Gwent, Monmouthshire, and Torfaen.  I have been in the substance use field for over twenty years, with experience in numerous strands, working within the adult, children and young people, criminal justice, and family services.

Mike Blanche

Family Worker, Gwent Drug and Alcohol Family Service (GDAFS)

I have been working with concerned others for 27 years after issues within my own family. After volunteering for a year providing a listening ear to parents, I became a founding member of DAFS and took up the role of coordinator. I am presently a family worker with GDAFS and I run three family support groups with both on line and face to face group meetings.

 

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This webinar will take place on Wednesday 18th June 2025 focusing on ‘Why language is important’ when communicating about substance use. We will also be launching our ‘Why language matters‘ terminology guide that has been co-produced with people with lived and living experience of substance use.

Our guest speakers are:

Deb Hussey

Account Support & Harm Reduction Lead, Exchange Supplies

Deb Hussey is the Account Support and Harm Reduction Lead at Exchange Supplies. With personal experience of problem substance use, she is passionate about involving people with lived and living experience in service development and delivery.

Deb recently led a co-production project in Somerset, where she ensured that the lived experience contributors were at the centre of the project. As National Safer Lives Lead, Deb works to support Turning Point’s response to the increase in drug-related deaths, with a focus on harm reduction and increasing naloxone awareness, distribution, and carriage across their services.

At Turning Point, Deb believes that lived experience should be included in every aspect of their service, from involving people they support in service design and delivery to having staff use their own experiences to enhance the support they offer.

 

Rob Barker

Campaigns and Communications Lead, Barod

Rob has been working in the substance use field for nearly 15 years and is currently the Campaigns and Communications Lead for Barod. During that time, Rob has held multiple positions across the organisation, as well as completing a Churchill Fellowship in 2017. Rob is passionate about ensuring everyone has access to evidenced-based information that allows for informed choices when it comes to substance use. Most recently, Rob worked with multiple lived and living experience groups to help produce Barod’s ‘Why language matters’ terminology guide, that will be launched at this webinar.