Peer Based Harm Reduction WA Strategic Plan 2022 – 2027

Acknowledgements

Peer Based Harm Reduction WA acknowledges the traditional owners and custodians of the lands where we work and live. We celebrate the stories, culture and traditions of First Nations peoples, and thank those that are a part of Peer Based Harm Reduction WA’s network and community for the valuable contribution they make to our work.

Peer Based Harm Reduction WA values and respects the contributions of the drug using community, appreciating their guidance and leadership that informed the establishment of the organisation and continues to shape the services we provide to the community.

About Peer Based Harm Reduction WA

People who use drugs are vulnerable to a wide range of harms. Peer Based Harm Reduction WA has considerable experience in delivering targeted peer-based services that reduce the level of drug related harm in the community. Peer Based Harm Reduction WA has been an incorporated organisation for more than 22 years.

Peer Based Harm Reduction WA maintains a priority focus on the most marginalised and disadvantaged groups within the drug using community, and as such engages individuals who do not typically access mainstream health services. Our priority focus is people who inject drugs who have increased risks associated with their use, including the transmission of blood-borne viruses.

Peer Based Harm Reduction WA is the only peer-based harm reduction organisation in the state. As a peer-based organisation we are a vital part of the national network of drug user organisations and a member of the Australian Injecting and Illicit Drug Users League (AIVL), the national peak body organisation representing drug user organisations nationally.

Peer Based Harm Reduction WA provides peer-based support, information, education, advocacy and harm reduction services. It also provides health services that aim to reduce the transmission of, and treatment for, blood-borne viruses and sexually transmissible infections associated with drug use.
Peer Based Harm Reduction WA is committed to overcoming stigma and discrimination experienced by people who use drugs by promoting social inclusion and participation across all levels of our work.

AIM

An inclusive society where all voices are heard, people are treated with dignity and have equitable opportunities regardless of their choice to use drugs.

PURPOSE

Peer Based Harm Reduction WA works to advance the health, dignity and social justice of people who use drugs in Western Australia.

VALUES / PRINCIPLES

• Community ownership and accountability
We exist for our communities, to identify and serve their needs. We have a commitment to constantly review ways to enhance representation and ownership by the community.

• Diversity and social inclusion
We strive to respect and meaningfully represent all people who use drugs regardless of culture, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, health status, spirituality or socio-economic status.

• Participation and voice – ‘nothing about us without us’
We challenge and reject all forms of discrimination against people who use drugs and are committed to working towards the elimination of stigma associated with the use of drugs. We emphasise the right of people who use drugs to be directly involved in determining responses to drug use and related issues.

• Health and well-being
We seek to advance the health and well-being of people who use drugs by creating an enabling environment in which individuals are empowered to realise their aspirations and participate fully in society.

• Partnerships and collaborations
We are committed to forming partnerships built on shared goals and trust, in order to respond more effectively to the needs and reduce the harms for people who use or have used drugs.

• Continuous Improvement
We maintain a commitment to quality and evidence-informed practice and are accountable for our actions to the community we represent.

Strategic Alignment

Peer Based Harm Reduction WA Strategic Plan 2022 – 2027 aligns with the current State and National Blood Borne Virus and Sexually Transmitted Infection Strategies, the current National Drug Strategies, and the Western Australian Mental Health, Alcohol and Other Drug Services Plan (2015 – 2025). Consumer feedback also informs service needs when gaps in service provision are identified in implementing our response to these strategies

STRATEGIC PRIORITIES