It’s time to change the narrative around substance treatment for Black and minority ethnic communities, says Kevin Ruddock.
In October last year, Black History Month reflected on the theme of ‘reclaiming narratives’. For me, that means more than just acknowledging the past. It’s about breaking down the barriers that still exist today and increasing understanding, particularly around substance misuse and how it’s seen in Black and minority ethnic communities.
There’s a misconception that substance use is a moral failing, but it’s much more complex than that. It’s often tied to things like structural racism, economic inequality, and a lack of access to mental health support. For many Black individuals, these factors make it harder to seek help. Our role isn’t just to treat people but to understand the barriers they face and to work with them to overcome those challenges.
In Coventry, only around 3.5 per cent of our service users come from Black communities. That’s a huge disparity given the diversity of the city. We know that we’re not reaching everyone who needs our services, and that’s a problem we need to address. People from these communities often face stigma and cultural barriers that make it harder for them to engage with services like ours. There’s also a lack of trust in institutions – particularly health services – which makes it even harder for them to come forward.
Building trust
This isn’t an issue with one simple solution. We can help to build trust by ensuring our own organisation is as diverse and representative as possible, but we also need to be reaching out to underserved communities. One of the key ways we’re looking to tackle this issue is through ‘community champions’, an initiative that grew directly from our work with Byron Taylor from the organisation Settlement Support. Byron was concerned that the health needs of the Black African community in Coventry weren’t being met, and he also highlighted that many people were uncomfortable advocating for themselves – particularly when it comes to sensitive issues like substances.
We knew we needed to approach this carefully, so we spent time building relationships and listening to what communities wanted. We attended community events, often in partnership with Byron, and through those conversations we identified people who were interested in becoming champions. We spoke at church services and other community gatherings, making sure that people felt comfortable asking questions and offering feedback. As Molly Cox, who is leading the project, says, ‘The key to this approach has been asking what they need, rather than telling them what we think they need.’
The champions are people from within the community who we train to act as advocates. They understand both the community’s needs and what we can offer, which helps bridge the gap. ‘They’re essentially advocates for both their community and for Change Grow Live,’ states Molly. ‘They can have those initial conversations with people who might otherwise avoid treatment and make them feel more comfortable.’
Navigate the system
Champions are there to help individuals navigate the system, whether that’s by being present at appointments, acting as translators, or just making sure the person feels supported. One of the key things we’ve learned is that flexibility is crucial. You can’t expect every community to fit into the same structures or timeframes. When we first started working with Byron, he made it clear that Sunday was the best time for us to engage, as that’s when people would gather for church. We don’t usually work Sundays, but we knew we had to make it happen if we wanted to build trust.
It’s that willingness to adapt and meet people where they are that’s allowed us to start building stronger connections with the community. Trust is a big issue for many Black and minority ethnic groups, who have longstanding mistrust of institutions like ours. The community champions help us break down those barriers by acting as a trusted voice. They’re from the community, so people are more likely to listen to them and feel comfortable opening up about their problems.
‘It’s not just about getting our voice out there – it’s about giving the community a platform to have their voice heard,’ says Molly. ‘The champions advocate for their community to us, and for us to their community. It’s a true partnership.’
An effective model
The work we’ve done with Settlement Support and the Black African community in Coventry has shown us how effective this model can be. But we know that this is just the beginning. We’re looking to replicate the community champions model with other groups, including the Polish and Sikh communities – because we recognise that every community has its own unique challenges.
We know people aren’t always comfortable coming to us, so we need to go to them. That’s the key to all of this – getting out there and making sure our services are accessible, approachable, and responsive to what people need. It’s not just about getting more people into our services. It’s about reclaiming the narrative around how people from underrepresented communities engage with substance treatment.
We’re still learning, and we expect to keep refining our approach as we get more feedback from the communities we serve. But one thing is clear. The community champions are helping us build trust and change lives.
Kevin Ruddock is services manager at Change Grow Live in Coventry. If you’d like to find out more about this project or discuss this work in more detail, please get in touch at Kevin.Ruddock@cgl.org.uk
