Contents
Welcome: Stigma-Free Organisations
Understanding Stigma: What It Is and Why It Matters
Evidence‑Based Ways to Reduce Stigma (Overview)
Social Contact: The “Why” and the “How”
Education: Building Understanding Without Oversimplifying
Training: Turning Values Into Behaviour and Practice
Structural Interventions: Changing the game, not just the players
Multicomponent Approaches: Combining Actions for Greater Impact
The Implementation Pathway: Co‑Producing and Delivering Change
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Welcome: Stigma-Free Organisations
Understanding Stigma: What It Is and Why It Matters
Evidence‑Based Ways to Reduce Stigma (Overview)
Social Contact: The “Why” and the “How”
Education: Building Understanding Without Oversimplifying
Training: Turning Values Into Behaviour and Practice
Structural Interventions: Changing the game, not just the players
Multicomponent Approaches: Combining Actions for Greater Impact
The Implementation Pathway: Co‑Producing and Delivering Change
Welcome: Stigma-Free Organisations
Welcome to this learning journey on reducing professional and structural substance‑use stigma in organisations. This programme is designed for people who commission, design, manage, or deliver services used by adults (18+) with lived or living experience of substance use, including treatment, health, housing, social care, employment, criminal justice and peer‑led support.
Want to go further?
This learning provides an introduction to reducing professional and structural stigma. For a more detailed guide, explore the complete Stigma-Free Organisations Toolkit, which includes evidence-based approaches, practical implementation guidance, case studies and tools to help organisations develop and sustain anti-stigma initiatives.
What this learning is for
Stigma doesn’t just hurt feelings - it shapes whether people feel safe to seek help, how they’re treated when they do, and whether systems respond fairly. In organisational settings, stigma can show up in everyday interactions, in routine language, and in policies that unintentionally exclude or punish. This learning focuses on the kinds of stigma organisations can directly influence:
Professional stigma
Negative attitudes, behaviours, and practices that lead to poorer care or unfair treatment.
Structural stigma
Policies, procedures, norms or rules that limit rights and opportunities for people using services.
What you’ll learn
You’ll be guided through evidence‑based approaches that organisations can use to reduce stigma. You’ll also learn a practical, step‑by‑step method to develop and implement an anti‑stigma initiative - including how to co‑produce work with people with lived and living experience, how to plan activities, and how to evaluate and sustain improvements.
What this learning does not do
This is not an “off‑the‑shelf” set of interventions. What works in one setting may not work the same way in another. How you personally adapt approaches to your own setting really matters.
It also does not focus on public stigma or building media campaigns. Our emphasis here is on professional and organisational areas.
How to use these pages
Each page includes:
Key ideas
What matters most?
Practical actions
What you can do?
A quick reflection
How can you apply it?
Quick reflection
What is one way your service currently makes it easier - or harder - for people to feel respected and included?