Living Room Cardiff's Annual Lecture

Press Release 11.4.16 Annual Lecture discusses role of Recovery in a Social Justice context The 8th Living Room Annual Lecture will take place for the first time outside Cardiff on Tuesday 17th May. Held at the University of Wales Trinity St David’s Halliwell Centre in Carmarthen, Recovery as an issue of Social Justice will be delivered by David Best, Professor of Criminology at Sheffield Hallam University. The event begins at 6pm. David Best is qualified as a psychologist and criminologist, and has worked in both research and policy areas for around 20 years. He has worked and studied at Strathclyde University (Glasgow), the Institute of Psychiatry, London School of Economics, the University of Birmingham, The University of the West of Scotland and Monash University, and has held research policy roles at the Police Complaints Authority and the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse. He is the author of two previous books on addiction recovery and currently working on a third, and is the author of around 150 peer reviewed journal papers. His main area of interest is around pathways to recovery and the role of social networks in promoting wellbeing. Wynford Ellis Owen, Chief Executive, Living Room Cardiff, said, “To have secured David Best as our guest speaker this year is a big coup. His views on social justice in an addiction context are compelling. Addiction can strike anyone, but the harm of this situation is felt most keenly in poorer communities. “In this lecture, Professor Best will argue that recovery is about a personal journey of growth and change but one that is embedded in social networks and societal responses. He will say that other people – sponsors, family, friends, and partners – have a huge role to play but we have to understated the role society (and all of us) has in allowing people to change and become reintegrated. The conclusion will be that if we do this, society is strengthened through the inclusion of a group of people who can be ‘better than well’. “The annual lecture programme is going from strength to strength and will be of interest to anyone involved in the addiction and substance misuse field and recovery orientated services in Wales. “The Annual Lecture also marks the start of an exciting strategic partnership between Living Room Cardiff and University of Wales Trinity St David. As part of a new course, three modules will be delivered through work based learning at the University from October 2016. The course will target small businesses, the student population - particularly those studying psychology, counselling, social work/care, medicine, nursing or probation - and the recovery community itself.“ Clive Wolfendale, CEO of CAIS, the parent company of Living Room Cardiff, added, "At a time when society needs grounded and cost-effective methods of supporting those who are disadvantaged or facing other life challenges, we explore Recovery as a means of creating a lasting and self-sustaining pathway for individuals who find themselves disenfranchised and at odds with society. We explore the way back". Anybody wishing to attend the lecture, which is free of charge, should contact Living Room Cardiff on 029 2049 3895
or email: livingroom-cardiff@cais.org.uk. ENDS For further information please contact Rhodri Ellis Owen at Cambrensis Communications on 029 20 257075 or Rhodri@cambrensis.uk.com