Charity (no. 1154933)
B3 | Brent Service User Council
"B3 provides peer support and advocacy to drug and alcohol service users in Brent"
Who We Help, Why We Help & the Difference It Makes
ABOUT US
Known locally as B3, the Brent Service User Council aims to:-
- Raise awareness of drug and alcohol issues through information and education.
- Provide a voice and support for service users.
- Improve services in Brent through community feedback, partnership work, training and service user involvement.
History
B3 started as a small service user group in 2008 and went from strength to strength, eventually running courses, doing outreach and education, and setting up BSAFE (weekend service) in 2010.
A service that is designed and run by service users. B3 was created by individuals who were accessing drug treatment services and wanted to help themselves and others facing the same struggles. From its conception through to the present day B3 has always been an entirely peer run service. Addicts doing it for themselves, if you like!
How is BSAFE funded?
We are funded and directly commissioned by Brent Public Health who are part of Brent Council that deals with commissioning treatment and recovery services across Brent.
B3's & Brent Public Health's Charter
This charter ensures the substance misuse treatment services deliver a high standard of care to service users. E.g., confidentiality, respect, service user involvement and complaints.
Our Services Are
FreeWhat We Do
BSAFE (Brent Social Access For Everyone) operates as an out of hours weekend service for individuals with substance misuse issues and/or in recovery from these problems.
Our drop-in service provides:-
- A friendly, safe and relaxing environment
- Refreshments
- Newspapers, TV and computer access
- Children are welcome if accompanied by a responsible adult
BSAFE is a place where people can access activities and support services, and be guided towards other local services where they can receive help e.g. Food Banks, WDP, Crisis, St. Mungo's, The Terrance Higgins Trust etc.
Volunteer
BSAFE has been running since 2010 and has been getting stronger and stronger, thanks to all our amazing volunteers who work tirelessly to keep it all going. THANKS GUYS! We could not do it without you!
BSAFE is designed to operate on two levels. Its main purpose is to provide a friendly, supportive and relaxing environment that offers people with substance misuse issues a place where they can access activities and support services, and be guided towards other local services where they can receive help e.g. Cobbold Road Recovery and Treatment Centre, CGL, ARCC and WDP.
Our volunteers regularly attend training on Health & Safety, Food Safety, Fire Marshal, Safeguarding.
We do not offer service users any professional help ourselves and you are therefore not expected to offer any kind of key-work counselling. Instead a friendly and professional approach should be adopted and then we can guide people to the relevant services as necessary.
We hope to offer a supportive environment for our volunteers where they can develop on both personal and professional levels. Promotional opportunities are possible. Volunteers can apply for promotion to a team leader role. While not everyone has the makings for leadership and extra responsibility if you wish to try we will do our best to support you in your ambition.
Please remember BSAFE is a new venture for most of those involved. We are in the process of learning to work alongside one another, and we ask that you kindly bear this in mind. It is a large and extremely diverse team. A little tolerance and understanding goes a long way!
Hopefully everything you need to know will be in the Volunteer Handbook, and by the end of reading it — you will want to join our wonderful team (if you haven’t already).
We are a small charity, run mostly by current and former service users. Together we make a brilliantly diverse team!
Do I need to have had a substance misuse issue to volunteer for BSAFE?
Absolutely not! Although the majority of the volunteers have had to deal with substance misuse at one point or other, we welcome anyone with commitment and passion to our team. Diversity is our greatest strength and we’re proud to run an open door policy on recruitment. If you are interested in us, we are interested in you!
Interested?
If you’d like more information on volunteering at BSAFE or you want to find out about other ways to get involved, please speak to our service manager, Radha Allen on 07958 086346.
Community Trail
Additional Info
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