• GambleAware has today released its new Organisational Strategy, guided by the overarching vision of a society safe from gambling harms.

• To help achieve this vision, the Organisational Strategy is underpinned by four key commissioning objectives linked to awareness, inequalities, service capacity and access. 

• New funding certainty, secured through industry financial commitments, has enabled GambleAware to take a longer-term integrated and strategic approach to addressing gambling harms which includes collaboration with the government, NHS, public health agencies, local authorities, and voluntary sector organisations.

• GambleAware has already begun progress on working towards its vision with new projects such as training programmes for debt advisors and faith leaders, a targeted women’s prevention campaign and research programmes to build knowledge of the lived experiences of gambling harms amongst women and minority communities.

LONDON, 28th APRIL 2021: GambleAware has today published its new Organisational Strategy incorporating commissioning, research, communications, and the wider business, guided by the long-term vision of a society safe from gambling harms.

The five-year Organisational Strategy is underpinned by four key commissioning objectives, which include:

• developing awareness and understanding of gambling harms;
• increasing access to services and reduce gambling harm inequalities;
• building capacity among health and community services to respond better to gambling harms;
• improving the coherence, accessibility, diversity, and effectiveness of the National Gambling Treatment Service.

Longer-term financial commitments from the gambling industry have made it possible for GambleAware to focus, not simply on grant making and procurement of services, but on investment in preventing gambling harms for the longer term. Increased investment will be based on a public health approach, underpinned by the three tiers of harm prevention (universal, selective, and indicated). The new approach will mean GambleAware can deliver a programme of work that demonstrates leadership in establishing, developing, and maintaining a co-ordinated network of services. It will enable further collaboration and growth of the National Gambling Treatment Service and ensure future service provision consistently delivers high standards of care and good outcomes.  

Collaboration between GambleAware and health and community services is integral to pursuing the vision of a society safe from gambling harms. Effective prevention requires a coherent and coordinated ‘whole system approach’, which acknowledges the many other organisations, networks, and individuals - including those who have lived experience of gambling harms - that already play a key role across the system, or that have the potential to do so in the future. This ‘whole system approach’ is intended to ensure that clear prevention messages, strong referral routes, and solid care pathways are in place for all individuals in need of support.

GambleAware’s strategy lists more than 40 programmes, across research, evaluation, education, and treatment to achieve its vision of a society safe from gambling harm. Activities include delivering improvements to the National Gambling Treatment Service and collaborating with providers to establish clear treatment pathways. Other programmes are the co-commissioning of place-based hubs; training programmes for faith leaders and debt advisors; new youth education hubs; a targeted women’s prevention campaign; and research programmes to build knowledge of the lived experiences of gambling harms amongst women and minority communities.

These tailored, targeted projects are intended to serve the dual purpose of delivering best-in-class commissioning, whilst also encouraging statutory bodies to follow suit. GambleAware is working toward a future in which the NHS and other statutory bodies take the lead in commissioning prevention and treatment services, whilst continuing to receive support from the voluntary and private sectors. 

Zoë Osmond, CEO of GambleAware, said: “Following a detailed consultation, it is clear that GambleAware and other organisations need to work together to achieve a society that is safe from gambling harms. Thanks to greater certainty in funding, we are now able to develop and implement longer-term commissioning plans to work towards a society where fewer people experience gambling harms and ensure that those who do, receive timely and effective support.  

“Over the next five years, we will work to build the accessibility and effectiveness of the National Gambling Treatment Service and ensure it is recognised as a strong coalition of treatment services and prevention activities, delivered in collaboration with the NHS and others.  By 2026, we hope to have made significant progress towards our vision, but also want to ensure that these programmes will continue to be sustained beyond the five-year term of this strategy.”

The press release can be downloaded and viewed in full here. 

The Organisational Strategy is available to view here. 

GambleAware also carried out a consultation when developing the strategy. The list of consultation questions can be viewed here.