Lived experience group from Blackburn’s Early Break with Katy Cleece (left) Social Work Research Lead from LSCFT, who co-produced Why Can’t You Be Normal with Made By Mortals

ARC NWC Equitable Place-Based Health and Care Theme Manager Paula Wheeler, in collaboration with Lancaster University and colleagues from Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Trust (LTHR) and Lancashire and South Cumbria Foundation Trust (LSCFT), developed a training package aimed at researchers to challenge stereotypes around addiction and recovery among families. The initiative specifically engaged women facing substance misuse and addiction issues in Blackburn with Darwen.

The Why Can’t You Be Normal training package was co-created with parents who have lived experience and is an immersive audio story about a young woman named Hayley. Hayley is a fictional character devised by parents in recovery, using their skills, imagination, and lived experience as inspiration. She is in early recovery, and her children were removed from her a year ago to live with their grandparents. The story focuses on a significant week for Hayley when her children return to live with her once more.

The video and transcripts were produced by Made By Mortals, a participatory arts organisation that supports research teams by building a community around research projects made up of professional artists, health and social care practitioners, and members of the public with relevant lived experience.

Paula explained, “Over the last year, we have involved the women in sharing their lived experiences with a variety of audiences and recently finished co-producing an audio story in collaboration with Made By Mortals. The intention is to host a workshop in the new year to discuss the possible implications for researchers and others engaging with seldom heard groups in Lancashire and South Cumbria.”

Katy Cleece, Social Work Research Lead at Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust added “It has been a pleasure to empower a group of parents with experience of substance use to be knowledgeable about research methods and approaches, and to have their voices elevated around the barriers to being involved in research, plus design an approach to tackle those barriers.

Some of the group are now involved in delivering research training to other community groups, and delivering workshops around stigma using this audio piece, awing their skills and confidence grow in the research arena is inspiring and exciting, they are changing the landscape of research and creating opportunities for other people at a community level.”

The training package includes audio stories alongside transcripts, a blog, help numbers, and signposting. It aims to equip researchers with the tools to facilitate discussions with colleagues and run training events exploring this topic. Anyone interested in a research workshop delivered by one of Made By Mortals’ expert facilitators should contact admin@madebymortals.org.

There will be a free Why Can’t You Be Normal: Addiction & Recovery Workshop held on February 11 at 10:00 AM and will explore the vital role of involving lived experience participants in addiction recovery work. All details can be found here.