Derbyshire Recovery Steering Group

The Derbyshire Recovery Steering Group brings together people with lived experience, recovery projects, treatment providers, community organisations and public health partners to help strengthen recovery across Derbyshire.

Since its formation, the group has focused on developing a recovery-oriented system of care, supporting the growth of Lived Experience Recovery Organisations (LEROs), tackling stigma, improving communication and access to recovery support through GRID, and shaping the future direction of recovery services.

The group has also worked to increase lived experience involvement, support partnership working, and identify opportunities to improve recovery outcomes for individuals and communities across the county.

If you feel you would like to support the work of the steering group please use the form here.

September 2026 Meeting

Discussions included:

  • Recovery Support Grant and LERO Capacity Builder Grant updates.
  • Development of the new GRID recovery map.
  • Recovery Connector updates and new recovery groups.
  • Recovery support available during evenings and weekends.
  • Review of the Recovery Steering Group Terms of Reference.
  • Strengthening collaboration across Derbyshire’s Recovery Orientated System of Care (ROSC).
  • Improving communication and engagement with the wider recovery community.
  • Exploring a potential GRID mailing list and WhatsApp channel.
  • Shared practice from The Third Space community rules and induction process.
  • Updates on Hope Festival, Recovery Games and wider recovery activity across Derbyshire.

May 2026 Meeting

Discussions included:

  • completion of the Stitch Away Stigma project and sharing of its impact
  • recovery community updates and the growth of local recovery activities
  • progress on the Derbyshire LERO development plan
  • future leadership arrangements for Derbyshire’s recovery ecosystem
  • increasing lived experience involvement in recovery planning and decision making
  • potential development of lived experience advisory groups
  • improving communication and engagement across the recovery community
  • support and oversight for emerging recovery leaders
  • opportunities to secure sustainable long-term funding for LERO development

February 2026 Meeting

Discussions included:

  • distribution and promotion of GRID recovery materials
  • future development of a GRID WhatsApp communication channel
  • potential future involvement in hosting a National Recovery Walk
  • progress towards the Derbyshire Recovery Strategy
  • updates on recovery grant funding for 2026/27
  • development of a Derbyshire LERO model and lived experience leadership
  • the concept of “Recovering County Lines” and supporting recovery across geographical boundaries
  • updates from Recovery Connectors and the Lived Experience Career Pathway
  • recovery community achievements and positive recovery stories across Derbyshire

November 2025 Meeting

Discussions included:

  • distribution of new GRID promotional materials including flyers, videos and digital resources
  • early planning for Recovery Month 2026
  • opportunities around hosting a future National Recovery Walk
  • progress towards a Derbyshire Recovery Strategy
  • reflections from the Derbyshire LERO roadshows and celebration event
  • support available for people interested in establishing local LEROs
  • funding opportunities through Health and Wellbeing Partnerships
  • introduction of the Derbyshire recovery complexity profile
  • recovery project responses to complex situations involving people seeking support

October 2025 Meeting

Discussions included:

  • local and national recovery events
  • the stitch away stigma quilt is now in Derbyshire
  • progress on the steering group introductory video
  • Overview of The Hope Festival, held in September 2025.
  • how recovery projects respond to either withdrawal in a recovery setting and responding to someone seeking support but not yet in recovery

July 2025 Meeting

Discussions included:

  • the filming of a recovery steering group introductory video which will be hosted on the GRID website.
  • the passing of Jennie Street, founder and managing director or Rhubarb Farm, who has been influential in supporting people in recovery and disadvantaged people both locally and internationally. Thanks was paid to Jennie from all members of the group for her hard work.
  • planning for Recovery Month 2025
  • Chesterfield FC Community Trust’s world record attempt
  • how we can measure recovery in Derbyshire to support evidencing the effectiveness of recovery support we provide.

May 2025 Meeting

Discussions included:

  • discussed the upcoming LERO Roadshow Events coming in Summer 2025 across Derbyshire, which supports the development of a LERO (Lived Experience Recovery Organisation) or multiple LERO’s in Derbyshire.
  • spoke about the Stitch Away Stigma quilt and the possibility of bringing this to Derbyshire this year.
  • introduced a new Lived Experience Pathway Coordinator who will lead the Lived Experience Pathway.
  • introduced a new Recovery Connector team leader, who will help linking up people from treatment with recovery services across the county.

March 2025 Meeting

Discussions included:

  • Recovery updates shared by steering group members, including recovery projects, treatment and information around the Digital Skills for Recovery Course.
  • An update  from special guest Dot from Recovery Connections (based in the North East of England) about what makes a successful LERO (Lived Experience Recovery Organisation) and the LERO Roadshows happening in Derbyshire this year.  
  • A glossary of language discussion focused on the word Recovery, exploring its definition and whether it has a beginning or an end, which will be discussed again at the May Meeting.
  • Discussions around group membership and confirmation the DRSG will be extended to all of the Recovery Projects.
  • Further discussions around producing a physical booklet to promote recovery activities in Derbyshire.
  • Further discussions around how to understand the recovery needs of people in Derbyshire

February 2025 Meeting

Discussions included:

  • Discussions around a sexual health booklet produced by the Growing Lives Project and its partner agencies and how this could be shared among Derbyshire’s recovery community.
  • Further discussions around how the group can support the development of a LERO (Lived Experience Recovery Organisation) or multiple LERO’s in Derbyshire.
  • Scoping out how Derbyshire could host the Stitch away stigma quilt
  • Increases to the amount of recovery spaces in Derbyshire
  • Announcement of a Digital Skills for Recovery course – more details to follow
  • Further discussions around producing a physical booklet to promote recovery activities in Derbyshire.
  • Further discussions around how to understand the recovery needs of people in Derbyshire, including the creation of a survey among people in recovery projects
  • Working out how to, as a group, support the partnership working from Elastic FM and Rhubarb Farm in delivering an event called Hope Talks in Derbyshire in summer 2025

January 2025 Meeting

Discussions included:

  • Reviewed and finalised the Terms of Reference
  • Agreed to promote the work of the  group and to produce a visual of the group purpose to publish on GRID website
  • Agreed to approach mutual aid groups to gauge their interest in being part of the group
  • Agreement to produce a glossary of language document to support the use of standardised language
  • Started to discuss the group’s strategic priorities
  • Agreed to use visual and written minutes for ease of reading
  • Agreed to review GRID website from lived experience perspective
  • Agreement to produce an overview booklet of recovery services in Derbyshire
  • Discussed new recovery branding and website update

December 2024 Meeting

Discussions included:

October 2024 Meeting

The October meeting as the first meeting of the group and the meeting focused on discussing the proposed terms of reference, including:

  • The purpose of the group being to ‘work in partnership to maximise recovery opportunities and the recovery capital of people recovering from substance use in Derbyshire’.
  • Ensuring the meeting etiquette follows a ‘big tent’ approach, meaning that ‘while members of the meeting cover a broad spectrum of beliefs, respect is shown to all members, members are treated equally, and all voices are equally valid in discussions and decision making’.
  • Discussing the membership of the group ensuring it reflects representatives from different areas include lived and living experience, including affected others, together with representatives from a wide range of services and organisation from across the recovery system in Derbyshire.
  • Discussing how this meeting could influence the wider substance use system in Derbyshire from a recovery point of view, highlighting that this meeting would report to the Derbyshire Substance Use Treatment and Recovery Networking Group (DSTRNG), which itself then reports to the Derby and Derbyshire Drug and Alcohol Strategic Partnership.