Partnership Scheme

UK SMART Recovery now works with most of the medium to large treatment providers across the UK, as well as prisons, probation, rehab facilities, NHS and supported housing services. SMART Recovery Champions have helped to grow peer led SMART Recovery meetings, which in turn has helped their service users sustain the recovery gains they achieve within the treatment services.

The UK SMART Recovery Partnership Scheme

Engagement with mutual aid improves the long-term outcomes for people in addiction treatment. UKSR uses psycho-therapeutic techniques similar to those used in most addiction treatment services and offender behaviour change programmes in the UK. This common approach helps UKSR meetings sit comfortably alongside the treatment and criminal justice systems and makes the transition from being a service user or offender to someone taking control of their life a natural and coherent step.

Why Partner with UK SMART Recovery?

The NICE quality standards for drug use disorders state that all service users should be supported to engage with mutual aid, which is defined as including UKSR.

 

UKSR helps to achieve continuity of care, which in the past has proved very difficult to achieve in the UK.

 

A growing body of worldwide evidence supports the undoubted values of the SMART Recovery Programme, as delivered by KSR an forming part of the National Recovery Agenda.

The Growth of UK SMART Recovery

The UKSR Programme has been in the UK since 1998. Most of the growth took place since working in partnership with the treatment sector in 2009.

 

There were some initial concerns that partnerships with the treatment sector would undermine the focus on ‘peer led’ mutual-aid meetings, but this has not been the case. In fact, the reverse has been achieved and working in partnership has sustained and encouraged an increase in the number of peer led meetings.

 

As of 31 March 2018, there are at least 558 meetings being held across the UK.

 

SMART-Recovery-meeting-growth

How the Partnership Scheme works

Please expand the sections below to read more information about how SMART Recovery is introduced through the partnership model.

Set up partnership agreement

Your organisation signs up to the UK SMART Recovery Partnership Agreement which details rights and responsibilities of both UKSR and the partner organisation (the licensee). The agreement will specify which sites are permitted to use the SMART Recovery Programme. If you intend to run the programme from more than one location these sites must be included on the agreement. The list can be amended from time to time with agreement from both parties by completing an addendum. Partners are free to determine how many meetings should be run at each site.

 

A small annual licence fee is charged (please contact us for current rates). Once payment has been received we will issue your license certificate, along with instructions for enrolling your staff and volunteers onto the training site and accessing support.

Staff/ Volunteers complete Facilitator training

Each year, following renewal of your license, you will be able to nominate your staff and volunteers to undertake the SMART Recovery Facilitator training (your partnership agreement will detail the number of training places available to you). Managers should email [email protected] with the nominees name and email address.

Training is usually completed through our online training site but in-house training can also be arranged (additional costs apply).

 

Nominees will be enrolled on the Introduction to SMART Recovery, Getting SMART and Facilitator training courses. Once all courses have been successfully completed we will issue a completion certificate and Facilitator Manual.

Register your meetings

Once Individuals have completed the Facilitator training they will be given access to restricted areas of our website so that they can access additional resources and register and manage their meetings.

All meetings must be registered with us even if they are closed for your clients only.  Registering your meeting enables us to keep track of meetings across the UK, keep in touch with and support Facilitators where required, ensure resources are placed where most needed, and help us identify any gaps. It also ensures you receive your Meeting Starter Pack (included in your licence fee).

UKSR-meeting-starter-pack

More information

Download one of our guidance documents or submit an enquiry below.

Partnership Guidance 2024

Guidance for Partners – Prisons

Guidance for Partners – Family & Friends

Become a Partner