Toolkit: Charter of Rights for People Affected by Substance Use

To help duty bearers and rights holders apply the Charter of Rights the National Collaborative have created a Charter Toolkit.

Please note that documents are not yet live and will be available from 11th December 2024 following our launch event.

Purpose

The Toolkit developed by the National Collaborative is to help you use the Charter.

For those of you who are “duty bearers” (those bodies responsible for the design, delivery and monitoring of support services) it offers practical guidance to you on how to implement the Charter to improve the delivery of services.

For those of you who are “rights-holders” (individuals affected by substance use) it offers practical guidance to you on how to use the Charter to understand the support you are entitled to receive, to participate in decisions made about your support and to hold service providers to account when need be.

You should understand the Toolkit as being like a “spine” providing an overarching framework and guidance for the implementation of the Charter by everyone, “rights-holders” and “duty bearers” alike.

It will grow “arms and legs” as it is applied and adapted by those of you most closely connected to the diversity of contexts where the Charter can be used.

For example, it is anticipated that the general Checklist provided by the Toolkit will be adapted by those of you who are most closely connected and understand best the diversity of contexts such as those relating to families, women, people in custody and many others.

These emerging examples of the use and adaptation of the Charter Toolkit can be shared in a resource section of the Toolkit.

It will in this way become a “living document” belonging to us all, both “rights-holders” and “duty bearers” alike, and able to be applied to future developments.

This Toolkit then is a starter to be adopted and adapted by you as it is you who knows best how it can work best for your own circumstances. We will all learn from the sharing of your experiences.

Toolkit

Guidance on human rights duties and principles – an introduction to the key human rights, duties and principles which underpin the Charter of Rights and its Toolkit.

The Right to Health: Principles in practice – how to put into practice the “right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health” with a checklist and other pointers.

Emerging practice examples – to learn from emerging practice examples of the use of the Charter and a questionnaire supporting you to share your own experience.

For those of you who want to understand how to apply in a variety of different contexts the “FAIR” method – a recommended model for the application of a human rights-based approach, go to:

Applying the FAIR approach for Alcohol and Drug Partnerships (ADPs) and LLE Groups – improving engagement between ADPs and LLE organisations.

Applying the FAIR approach for front line services – improving engagement between front line service providers and individuals seeking support

Guidance on balancing rights – improving the prioritisation of services during public spending constraints.