Women in Recovery
Women in Recovery: Seven Themes, One Clear Message
Scotland’s recovery system was not built with women in mind. The evidence is clear — women face distinct and complex barriers to recovery, shaped by trauma, inequality, caring responsibilities and a lack of gender-responsive support.
Over the past year, SRC has worked alongside women with lived experience, practitioners, researchers and national partners to explore six critical themes where the system is failing women and where it can do better.
From children removed from their care to menopause, domestic abuse, gambling, the justice system and neurodiversity — this body of work captures what women told us, what the evidence shows, and what needs to change.
This is not just research. It is a call to action.
Explore the Seven Themes
Each theme has been developed as a standalone document so that services, communities and local partners can explore the issues most relevant to them. Read one, read all seven— every theme offers evidence, lived experience insight and practical recommendations for change.
Using the Themes: Guidance and Tools
The Women in Recovery themes are designed to be used — not just read. These two additional companion documents give local partners everything they need to turn the evidence into meaningful local conversations and concrete action.
The Creating Conversation Guidance sets out ten practical approaches for HSCPs, ADPs, services, recovery organisations and community groups — from cross-sector roundtables and workforce training sessions to community conversations and funding bids. It is a flexible tool that can be used as a standalone resource or integrated into existing strategic work such as ADP delivery plans, VAWG strategies and women’s health initiatives.
The Step-by-Step Guidance and Recording Tool walks facilitators through the full process of capturing and acting on learning from each theme — from planning your session and structuring discussion through to validating findings with lived experience and identifying immediate, partnership and long-term actions. It includes a ready-to-use learning template so nothing gets lost after the conversation ends.
Both documents are free to download and can be used independently or together.
A "one size fits all" system is failing women.
Over the last year, we have listened to women and professionals across Scotland.
Welcome to our central hub for the Women in Recovery work. Here you will find our latest reports, event presentations, and resources shared by the community to help build a gender-responsive recovery landscape.
Resources and Publications
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