Recovery Capital
Project Summary
The Recovery Capital Project seeks to understand the role of recovery capital in sparking and sustaining recovery from the problems associated with substance misuse through practical action research with different groups of substance misusers across Peterborough. The project will map existing recovery capital across its three main levels (personal, social and community) and generate evidence about what works in strengthening it, mobilising it and developing it through networks.
Our evaluation will show the extent to which recovery and access to recovery capital at the social and community levels are contagious and spread through the networks (for example, we will show how some individuals – such as recovery champions – spread information and access to support to assist recovery through the network). This will provide valuable information for commissioners and service providers on how to spread recovery and support through networks.
What is Recovery Capital?
Recovery Capital refers to the ‘breadth and depth of internal and external resources that can be drawn upon to initiate and sustain recovery’ from substance misuse. (Granfield and Cloud, 2001)
Dr D. Best & Dr A. Laudet wrote ‘The Potential of Recovery Capital’ for the RSA Project. This paper is the first in a series that will shape our understanding of the advancing ‘Recovery Movement’ and will inform the RSA Recovery Capital Project in Peterborough. In this first paper, the authors seek to define recovery capital to capture its flavour and principles, and to look at the intrinsically social forces that are at play in shaping change and in growing the communities of recovery. This paper features in the new national drug strategy.
Project Objectives
The Recovery Capital project will draw on the ideas, practice, resources and access brought about through the wider Citizen Power Project throughout its delivery. Specifically the Recovery Capital Project will operate between 2010 -2012 and will:
- Measure and map the levels of recovery capital across Peterborough and for specific individuals/groups such as prisoners, black and minority ethnic groups, and the homeless.
- Investigate the relationship between recovery capital and user-defined and service provider defined recovery outcomes.
- Map and understand substance mis-user networks, and work through and modify these networks to spark and sustain recovery and give greater access to recovery capital for a greater number of individuals.
- Identify the opportunities for strengthening existing recovery capital or where necessary develop new recovery capital and design mechanisms or interventions to do this (including the re-design of public services).
- Identify and recruit recovery champions as a distinct mechanism to develop recovery capital. These champions will be identified from within and beyond those already involved in the substance misuse field.
- Pilot these mechanisms / interventions and evaluate their impact at the individual, social and community levels.
Keep up-to-date
Contact Rebecca Daddow for more information about this project.
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