Substance use - supporting employees with lived and living experience: guiding principles

The ‘Guiding Principles’ in action

How the ‘Guiding Principles’ can be used to shape guidance, policy, and practice.

Principle 1: Employers should support people with experience to work.

• People with experience should have the same access to paid, or voluntary, work as anyone else.
• Volunteers should have parity with colleagues in paid work, including the opportunity to engage in appropriate training to support, train and develop, as set out in Volunteer Scotland’s Charter.
• People with experience should be able, and where appropriate, encouraged, to apply for a range of posts:
  • Posts to which anyone may be recruited
  • Posts for which it is desirable that people with direct lived or living experience are recruited, where the postholder would be expected to share their status with colleagues and people who use services (peer roles)
  • Posts where it is desirable that people with direct lived or living experience are recruited, where the postholder would not be expected to share their experience (non-peer roles)
• Recruitment decisions should be based on a candidate’s skills, knowledge, competency and potential.
• People with experience should not face additional barriers to gaining employment.
• Employers should avoid arbitrary requirements relating to problematic substance use. The emphasis should always be on readiness to engage in the work.
• Employers should, where appropriate, engage with Disclosure Scotland to best support those with previous convictions and overcome any potential barriers to employment, whilst maintaining appropriate safeguarding practices.
• Scottish Government’s Pathways to Employment: Supporting People with Lived Experience of Substance Use into Work provides advice to organisations on supporting people with convictions through the Disclosure Process.

Principle 2: People with experience should have their strengths recognised by employers.

• Employers might benefit from supporting people with experience to identify their strengths during the recruitment phase. Employers can help people to identify their unique personal assets through open conversations.
• Employers should not ignore any challenges but shift the emphasis on to how employers can support people to identify and address any issues. Such an approach will allow employers to better understand any support required.
• Alternative recruitment methods, such as group exercises and open sessions might be considered.
• Employers should support continuous career development and provide constructive feedback to employees. The Drugs and Alcohol Workforce Learning Directory can support continuous career development by setting out training opportunities for the development of the knowledge and skills set out in the Drugs and Alcohol Knowledge and Skills Framework.

Principle 3: People with experience should have dignity and fulfilment in their work.

• People with experience and their roles should be fully integrated into the workforce.
• People with experience should only have additional supervision and scrutiny applied where there are specific circumstances requiring this. Specific circumstances may relate to HR processes, specific support needs, or professional development requirements, such as when moving into a new role or progressing in the organisation.

Addressing stigma

• Employers should respect the many pathways to, and forms of, recovery that exist and should support employees in their chosen path.
• People with experience should be free to work in a stigma-free environment.
• Employers should promote an anti-stigma approach, actively challenging language, assumptions and stereotypes towards people with experience and adopting strategies to achieve this.
• Employers could encourage employees to undertake appropriate anti-stigma training. This will help reduce unconscious bias and create a more inclusive culture.
• During the review of relevant policy or practice, employers should ensure that they do not exclude or perpetuate stigma towards people with experience.^[2]
• When workplace policies and procedures are reviewed, or developed, then mechanisms should be in place to consider the views of people with experience. However, employers should be careful to ensure this does not become an additional burden.
• As the range of operational guidance, policy and practice across any workplace may be vast, then clearly, it would not be feasible to involve people with experience in every policy review. However, people with experience may be consulted in, for example, the review of policies relating to substance use, recruitment, disciplinary processes, confidentiality arrangements.
• Input for this process may be sought from people with experience already working within your organisation, or it may be solicited from established lived and living experience networks.^[3]
• Fostering an inclusive culture which encourages people to speak up about bullying or harassment concerns is important to ensuring dignity at work.

Stigmatising attitudes in the workplace:

"After I disclosed that I was using alcohol problematically. I felt unsupported, and working in an organisation which had a specific drugs and alcohol policy I felt that the onus was placed on me to define my capabilities rather than supporting me to allow me to do my job – essentially looking for ways to say that I couldn’t do my job rather than assisting me to do it.

Recovery Officer with Experience.

Terminology

• Employers should ensure that inclusive terminology is used within the workplace.^[4]
• Preferred terminology can vary between individuals and evolves over time. It is useful for services to regularly review the terminology used. This may be achieved by speaking to people with experience and through established networks. Employers should seek to understand what language is stigmatising and identify preferred terminology.

The right to privacy

• There should be no automatic expectation that someone will share the fact they have experience, nor the nature of that experience. An exception to this may for example be when a person with experience is employed in a ‘peer role’.
• Conversations about a person’s needs or their treatment should always take place in a private setting and any notes taken should be held securely, and in line with information governance procedures and GDPR principles.
• There may, however, be certain circumstances when health and safety concerns arise, or HR processes are initiated, if a person problematically uses substances. In such circumstances it would be appropriate that their line manager be made aware of this to manage any presenting risks.

A Case Study: Concerns over an employee using substances – the right to privacy

“Colleagues of a support worker in a drug and alcohol support service, noticed a change in their behaviour. The employee appeared disoriented during shifts, regularly forgot important information, and had cancelled appointments.

“They were found asleep in the staff office when they should have been supervising a group session. A concerned colleague brought this to the attention of their line manager. After an open conversation, the employee disclosed that they had been using substances. Their line manager was concerned this was impacting their ability to perform their duties safely.

“The line manager required to be aware of the employee’s substance use to manage any associated health and safety risks. The employer had to reduce the risk of the problematic use compromising the employee’s own well-being, and the safety and psychological wellbeing of clients reliant on their support.

“The line manager supported the employee to access relevant support and time off work. In this instance it was necessary to temporarily pause client-facing duties to ensure the safety of everyone involved.”

Development and changing roles

• People with experience should have equitable opportunities for career development and promotion.
• People with experience should be supported to move from volunteer positions to substantive roles within an organisation or elsewhere, should they wish.
• People with experience working in explicitly peer roles should be supported when moving to non-peer roles for which they are suitably qualified, if that is what they want. They should not face additional barriers.

Principle 4: People with experience should have their work acknowledged, valued and respected by employers.

• People with experience should have pay and conditions equitable to other colleagues undertaking similar roles.
• People with experience should be able to undertake volunteering roles. However, volunteering positions should not carry out duties formerly performed by paid workers.
• The pay, terms and conditions for people with experience working in explicitly “peer roles” should reflect the often-challenging nature of the role.
• Employers should provide a decent standard of living and income. As for all employees, this should meet legal requirements in relation to, for example minimum/living wage and annual leave as a minimum.

Principle 5: People with experience should have appropriate support at work from employers.

• People with experience should have support and opportunities equitable to other employees. This includes appropriate induction, training, supervision and support.
• People with experience, like all employees, should receive support to ensure that they are safe, and their wellbeing is supported. Work should not negatively affect a person’s ability to preserve their own health, wellbeing or recovery.
• Whilst problematic substance use is not currently recognised by the Equality Act 2010 as a disability, many associated physical or mental health issues may qualify as disabilities. It is therefore vital for employers to be sensitive to the impact of and physical or mental health issues arising and avoid taking any potentially discriminatory steps.
• Workplaces should be trauma-informed. There should also be appropriate risk management and support in place to address vicarious trauma.
• All employees, including people with experience, should have provision made so that they can attend vital healthcare appointments. This may include the regular collection of essential medication.
• People in receipt of additional financial support may be directed to information allowing them to understand the financial implications of taking on a new role or increasing hours. Advice is available from Benefits - mygov.scot, or they can call Social Security Scotland for free on Telephone: 0800 182 2222 to apply over the phone or to request a paper application form.

The Importance of Training:

"There was the assumption that due to my lived experience I would just know what to do. I was given my caseload as a lived experience worker, but given no support and didn’t know how to do my job. Training Is vital and recognition that just because you are in recovery you don’t automatically know what to do.”

Senior Leader with Experience, Recovery Organisation.

Principle 6: Employers should recognise that recovery is not always a linear process and that setbacks may occur.

• Employers should have policies and practices in place to support voluntary disclosure of problematic substance use.
• Support should be made available, including provision for how absences for rehabilitation or treatment will be managed.
• It can often be difficult for employees to initiate discussions about problematic substance use and/or any underlying conditions. Such discussions should be handled with sensitivity and processed in line with the data subjects’ rights.
• Employers should recognise that people with experience have both the right to privacy and to seek and obtain support elsewhere, so long as substance use does not affect their performance, conduct, attendance or the health and safety of themselves or others.
• People with experience should, whenever possible, be supported following a setback. In some instances, this may require some time away from work. The employer’s main concern should, wherever possible, be on supporting people to return to work and to remain in post. All employees have a statutory right to ask for flexible working arrangements^[5] and this can be beneficial, alongside access to wellbeing support.
• Additional support might also include managerial discussions, reflective debriefs or staff peer group support meetings. People with experience may also be referred to more formal arrangements such as the National Wellbeing Hub and 24/7 helpline (0800 111 4191) which are available to everyone working in health, social care and social work in Scotland. The Supporting Staff in Distress & Crisis Information Sheet^[6] also signposts some national wellbeing resources available to employees across the health and social care sector.

Returning to work after a setback:

"For me, the most crucial aspect of returning to work was having access to supervisors who could empathise with my journey and offer personalised support. Being able to have candid conversations about my experiences without fear of judgment was instrumental in building my confidence and sense of belonging in my role.”

Health Care Support Worker with Experience.

Understanding of the Recovery Journey:

"I struggled moving into new accommodation, remembering anniversaries of family deaths etc. These are things that can lead to relapse. Having an open relationship with my supervisor allowed me to tell them that things were coming up which could impact on my wellbeing – managers need to be aware of things like this and create conditions in monthly wellbeing conversations to support people to get through tough things in life.”

Training and Development Officer with Experience.