Digital harm reduction

It’s likely you already have the soft skills to support someone with digital harm reduction. Digital harm reduction is more about people skills than it is about digital skills. A good Digital Champion is:

• Committed to the principles of Harm Reduction;

• Non-judgemental, open, compassionate, and empathetic;

• Working in a trauma-informed way;

• Understanding of the whole person you are beside;

• Passionate about the possibilities of the internet and about the person's ability to learn new things;

• Ready to help if things go wrong.

Your digital harm reduction support can be underpinned by the resources in the 'By My Side' app.

You don’t need to be a tech expert, but you should be confident in being online and understanding how the internet can help people who use drugs. You don’t need to know how to do everything. In fact, it can be more empowering for them if you don’t know how to do everything. One of the best skills you can can demonstrate is problem-solving, and being honest when you don’t know how to do something.

As well as your own skills, it’s important to be honest about your own fears or dislikes about being online. We all have them, but it’s important that you’re aware of these and don’t allow this to negatively impact or scare your learner. For example, just because you don't use online banking it doesn't mean it isn't a useful or safe service for your learner to access.

It is also helpful to think about whether or not you might have some unconscious bias about giving someone a device. What do you really think might happen? We know that some devices may go missing, for a whole range of reasons, but many more will be lifelines for those who have them, and it is important not to let your own worries impact on this.