Influencing substance use policy in Wales, and across the UK, is a critical component in enabling us to achieve our purpose, and improve the lives of the citizens of our nation. What we advocate for, is steeped in evidence, and backed up by our own learning and wealth of experience.
However, we rarely go about this alone. Partnerships and collaboration is key to helping achieve our goals. Our influencing work is often done so with people with lived and living experience, commissioners, academics, NGO’s and other substance use treatment providers.
Barod aims to influence policy in Wales and across the UK in numerous ways:
- Providing expert analysis, such as at Government-led enquiries
- Providing organisational responses to public, Government-led consultations, including ‘Expanding access to naloxone: supply and emergency use’ and ‘Ketamine harms assessment’
- Produce original frameworks to guide change and set out specific calls to action, such as our ‘Blueprint for a more equal and prosperous Wales for people who use substances‘
- Work in partnership with other treatment services, such as through Developing a Caring Wales (DACW)
- Collaborate with, and support academics, during research activity and developing respective evidenced-base to improve the lives of people affected by substance use
- Hosting annual conferences, webinars, publishing thought-provoking articles and hosting our own podcast, Drugs Unwrapped
Influencing policy can have significant implications, from changing frameworks to legislation, with the people affected by substance use, at the heart of such advocacy. By campaigning for policy changes can lead to improved service delivery and therefore improving the opportunity for people to enhance their lives. But it can also act as a way to implement evidenced-based, harm reduction interventions, that can improve the lives of people who access our services, and our communities, that up until now, have been blocked, often due to legislative barriers.
We frequently receive research requests to gain access to staff and people who access our services. If you would like to make such a request, or looking for Barod to partner with you on a piece of research, please complete the form below. Once received, your request will be reviewed, based on a set of criteria, including benefit to the organisation, benefit to the people who access our services, ethical considerations, and time required by Barod. We would aim to respond to your request, as quickly as possible.
**Our form is currently being developed. In the mean time, please email info@barod.cymru with information regarding your request.**
