DDN Conference 2025: speakers

Levelling the field: How lived experience is proving a lifeline to those affected by multiple disadvantage.
Jamie Poole is a lived experience project manager for the Changing Futures programme with Surrey County Council. Jamie’s own lived experience has helped to shape the person he is today.

New prospects: Changing the course of your future through the individual placement and support (IPS) employment programme.
Zack Haider has been with Intuitive Thinking Skills from the beginning and brings a wealth of personal and professional experience to his role as Community Development Director. He says, ‘My real passion is in helping people solve their own problems rather than create another dependency.’

LEROs at large! How do you work in partnership with providers while maintaining your independence?
Jon Roberts is the founder of Dear Albert, a Midlands-based peer-led social enterprise promoting positive change by communicating recovery as a viable and attractive option. Dear Albert delivers targeted support, combining innovative approaches with evidence-based initiatives.

From the outside in: A personal journey from homelessness, showing how the right support is crucial.
Hannah Mordey, Activities Coordinator within a Complex Needs Support service in the Social Interest Group, talks to Andrew Mitzwa-Mubayiwa about his experiences when homeless, his recovery, and his projects and ideas for creating meaningful change for individuals facing homelessness.

Power in our hands: Politics starts with you – how we can all be agents for change.
Labour MP Grahame Morris has represented Easington since 2010. He chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Drugs, Alcohol and Justice – a policy forum for providers and interested parliamentarians, with a focus on evidence-based harm reduction, treatment, and recovery.

The ketamine challenge: How can we tackle the rise in ketamine use and provide appropriate support – with young people’s insights.
Dr Abida Mohamed, Clinical Lead, Delphi Medical
Dr Abida Mohamed is a GP with a background in psychiatry and a clinical focus in addiction medicine. She is the Clinical Lead at Delphi Medical, where she develops and oversees treatment pathways for ketamine addiction and other substance use disorders, with a focus on early intervention and integrated care models.
Fin, Founding Member, Ketamine Care Hub
Fin, 25, was in recovery treatment with Acorn when he realised there were no specific support groups for ketamine use. He founded the Ketamine Care Hub to offer a confidential and safe space for people to talk about addiction and sensitive health issues in a peer-led environment.
Dr Lisa Ogilvie, Chartered Psychologist, Acorn Recovery Projects
Dr Lisa Ogilvie is a Chartered Psychologist working with Acorn Recovery Projects and a Visiting Academic at the University of Greater Manchester. She specialises in applying positive psychology to support individuals undergoing treatment for substance use disorders.

The ripple effect: Looking at how you can use self-compassion and self-care for yourself and your family – a story told from a very personal perspective.
Kim founded Blossome Support following the loss of her husband to alcohol. The organisation provides support and connection for anyone who has endured a loved one’s suffering from alcohol or addiction. Blossome offers group support, activities, and self-compassion training in a trauma-informed, compassionate community.

Feel the need, be the change: An exciting and innovative peer-led harm reduction initiative from across the pond!
Lived experience led Jim to direct service work in the Boston harm reduction community in 2018. A former stimulant user, he was impressed with the resources available for people who inject drugs but disheartened by the lack of engagement with stimulant users. Smoke Works aims to dismantle barriers to help harm reduction programmes reach more people with safer smoking supplies.

Bringing it back to you: Organising, mobilising, influencing… how do we get the right treatment and support for every one of us?
Mark Gilman has spent over 30 years working in addictions research, policy, and practice. He has worked for Public Health England and the National Treatment Agency. Mark has championed the importance of lived experience in shaping policy and treatment, and he passionately advocates for integrating harm reduction into treatment services.