From topics as wide-ranging as loneliness to mental health and homelessness, overcoming social and self-stigma to engage people in need of information and support can be a significant challenge for many charities.   

GambleAware, an independent charity that commissions prevention and treatment services throughout Great Britain, is working to address the stigma associated with gambling harms. Stigma is identified as a significant barrier to support-seeking, so GambleAware is working nationally to reduce its prevalence.  

GambleAware’s Community Resilience Fund (CRF) is a grant funding programme that supports novel ideas and ways of engaging seldom heard communities, to offer support and information on gambling harms. The Fund supports 21 organisations, which deliver existing health or social support services in their local communities. Only a handful of these organisations have previous experience in the field of gambling harms, but all have identified it as an issue for their communities. They are being funded to deliver awareness-raising activities and support, alongside existing services offering group sessions, one-to-one support, training and partnership development.   

NPC is working with Ipsos to evaluate this programme. Together with the funded projects, we’re learning more about what works for addressing stigma and increasing public awareness and understanding of gambling harms.  

Here’s what we’ve learned so far:

  1. Address stigma among staff and volunteers
  2. Involve those with lived experience
  3. Understand the source of stigma
  4. Collaborate
  5. Find another way in

Read the full article about working on stigmatized issues by Joanna Scott at NPC.