The clients of drug rehabilitation services are heterogeneous group which differs significantly from those who use services for alcohol addiction. Even within the field of drug and alcohol treatment, drug addicts who need special services such as replacement therapy are exceptional, and clients of replacement therapy have experienced discrimination on the part of both professionals and other clients because they do not fit within the category of ‘home and dry’ drug addicts or alcoholics.
At the instigation of replacement therapy clients, a new model of low threshold drug rehabilitation has now been launched. Last year, a local third sector association (the Sovatek Foundation) which provides drug rehabilitation services in central Finland, began an innovative experiment: a peer action center for replacement therapy clients. This experiment is funded by the state with fix-termed assistance.
The peer group action is not yet service product but rather a civic action supported by two professionals of the association. However due to the funding and governance of peer action, the peer action center initially lacks the co-operative connections to the social and health care service delivery system. From the replacement clients’ view the peer group center offers almost only option for them to participate beyond their official service contacts with treatment staff.
Both the Rehabilitation Foundation and Sovatek Foundation aim to increase collaborative efforts in central Finland to enhance the co-production of mental health and substance abuse rehabilitation. The essential question in the case of the peer group center though, is how to increase the possibility for replacement therapy clients´ to be involved in those different activities which improve their ability to cope with everyday life.
In our presentation we will analyze the challenges of co-production and ask: What transitions are required to integrate the peer group center of excluded clients as part of public services? How may we bring social and health care service agents, replacement therapy clients and other client groups together to participate in mutual rehabilitative activities and processes which can improve client’s quality of life and the overall accessibility of services?
