We have recently engaged service users, peer mentors, volunteers and staff in refocusing our Mission as part of our transformational work. As our Chair discusses in his report, it is ever more important that we are able to describe how our organisation has impact. In order to do that, we needed to hear and understand real examples from across the areas in which we work.

Voice, Vision and Values

Together with people who have experience of tackling their own drug and alcohol issues we have developed the Voice Project. This is more than an opportunity to 'involve' people in their treatment. It is the beginning of a radical development in our approach to obtaining 'qualitative' feedback - the feedback that tells us more about what the numbers actually mean. There are many stakeholder voices to which we must and do listen. But as you can see from the Voice team in this review, if we want people to tackle problematic use, we must learn what works. The Voice team will tell you the rest here

At the same time as the Voice Project was taking place, we took all areas of our workforce through a reorientation process designed to ensure a firm grounding for establishing the values needed to move into the future. Everyone had an opportunity to participate, and we were quickly able to move to a position of greater clarity and cohesion on what we are here to do.

We work across a diverse range of settings, from adult prisons to young persons diversionary projects. It is important that all areas of our delivery understand the mission behind our work in an everyday sense. That way, we build quality into what we do at every stage, while tailoring our services for different needs. See our Mission, Vision and Values statements here.

More about our Mission   

Our Mission: Reducing harm, promoting recovery, challenging inequalities

Lifeline's Mission was recently revised to reflect both internal and external changes. Two key questions: 'why do we exist?' and 'who do we serve?' were put under scrutiny.

We thought it was important to consider how the recovery orientation of the drug strategy, with its strong emphasis on personalisation, together with the renewed local focus were each informing and shaping our purpose. We took into account the role of the knowledge, the experience we have gained from all our harm reduction work and learned that the appetite of our workforce is very much about looking forward, intelligently informed by the past.

Recovery may mean different things to different people. To many, recovery may mean abstinence, and we will continue to carve out and facilitate integrated routes through to abstinence. For others, it will mean improved health and wellbeing, through progress in one or many domains (e.g. employability, education, self management and caring for others).

We recognise that personal assets, circumstances and capacities vary every bit as much as people's hopes. While we will support people in their aspirations, we will not abandon them where there are roadblocks, incapacities and setbacks. We will support people who need time to tackle mental or other types of illness or distress. It is our mission to do what we can to drive forward improved chances for anyone who comes to us for help and support.