Our speakers at Get the Picture, our ninth service user involvement conference, underlined how engagement was everything. You can read all about the event – and get the picture! – in this issue of the magazine. We had John Bird from the Big Issue using his tough life lessons to offer a ‘hand up not a handout’; Phil Spalding of Hep C Positive countering fear and isolation; Bubic giving their story of outreach alongside peer support; Recovering Justice and the Anyone’s Child campaigns reaching out to families; and Red Rose Recovery showing the power of mutual support.
There was so much about the day that was galvanising – yet we are under no illusions that all in the garden is rosy. In an interactive session our speakers representing policy, treatment, and the profession, acknowledged a squeezed and struggling sector, with more pain to come.
So it’s over to you now to give us the true picture – we want to make sure the service user voice is heard and we’ll communicate with every group and strategy that needs to hear it. An active group began to form at the conference, with the will and the momentum to campaign and carry things forward. Get involved now – you can tweet us and like our Facebook page. We want to hear from you!