ABD hosts a Job Shadowing experience on harm reduction approach with the Look up project

A group of professionals from Bologna came to Barcelona for an exchange of experiences and good practices on harm reduction programs in drugs addiction

From the 7th to the 11th of April, a group of professionals from ASP Città di Bologna Social Cohesion area and Open Group Cooperativa Sociale visited Barcelona to learn more about the harm reduction approach in substance use and social inclusion programs. The visit took place within a job shadowing experience with the Look Up project, in which ABD is participating.

The group was welcomed to the ABD headquarters, where representatives from the health and drugs area and the international department introduced the programs the organisation is implementing and the local context for drug addiction services and homelessness assistance. They also visited the Barcelona Public Health Agency, where they were introduced to the Barcelona Model to approach recovery and harm reduction. Another interesting session involved an exchange with experts on homelessness and discrimination network with participants from ASP Bologna, the network for the care of homeless people (XAPSLL) and Commission on Rights and Aporophobia (Barcelona City Council).

Field visits and job shadowing

Besides the formal meetings, the professionals from Bologna visited specific services such as CAS Baluard and CAS Sarrià, where they took part in job shadowing sessions: a drug checking session in Baluard and a visit to Jardí Fènix in Sarrià. During the job shadowing at CAS Baluard, participants had the opportunity to observe the functioning of the on-site drug checking service, which is currently being implemented in drug consumption rooms across Catalonia by Energy Control in collaboration with the Subdirectorate General for Behavioural Addictions, HIV, Sexually Transmitted Infections, and Viral Hepatitis. They also visited the CRI Galena, a unique harm reduction housing support service designed under a gender approach for people who use substances and find themselves in a situation of homelessness, where they also had a job shadowing experience. Finally, the participants were introduced to the Kitsafe project, which designs and distributes harm reduction materials to use substances in different contexts, and an individual kit was provided as a take-away. 

There were also opportunities to learn about other projects in Barcelona, such as Metzineres, a feminist harm reduction service providing holistic support for women and non-binary people who use substances and face structural violence; and the Apartment zero (Pis Zero) and Llar Pere Barnés run by Arrels Fundació, that apply harm reduction methodologies for people with long-term homelessness experience. And through MigranTour , the Italian professionals were able to discover part of the city with an intercultural walk led by citizens of migrant origin.

Shared experiences and challenges

Through all these activities, the professionals from the ASP Città di Bologna Social Cohesion area were able to learn and compare the harm reduction programs and services offered in both cities and share experiences and good practices with other professionals and experts from Barcelona. Various dialogues highlighted shared concerns such as the increasing number of people living on the streets in both cities, the lack of services that carry an integrated approach to homelessness, incorporating harm reduction for substance use, and the particularly severe situation faced by women experiencing gender-based violence in these circumstances. The participants from Bologna showed strong interest in the universal accessibility of basic healthcare – including people with irregular administrative status in Catalonia-, the rising use of methamphetamine currently being recorded in Barcelona, and the different types of support available in the city for individuals engaging in chemsex practices.

The Look up project is funded by the Erasmus + KA1 call from the European Comission.