Write to your MP

It’s time for Westminster to WiSE UP! Use our template email to tell your MP why drug support for women matters, and help create a future where every woman can access the support she needs.

Throughout history, women’s needs have been low down the list of political priorities – and for too long, the people in power have overlooked the experiences of women who use drugs.

Even though one in every four people accessing alcohol and drug support is a woman, we face inequality, judgement and stigma, in systems that weren’t designed with us in mind.

By contacting your member of parliament (MP), you can help put women’s experiences on the agenda. Join our call for treatment and support services that work for women so we can prevent the harm of drugs and other social challenges.

Women deserve support that meets our needs – and politicians have a responsibility to listen.

Find your MP

You can search for your MP’s name and email address by entering your postcode on the UK government website.

Find your MP

How to contact your MP

Once you’ve found your MP’s name and email address, write to them about supporting women who use alcohol and other drugs. You could talk about barriers you’ve experienced when trying to access support, or how services like WiSE have helped you move forward.

Below, you'll find a template email that you can use to contact your MP. Simply copy it into your email platform (e.g. Gmail, Hotmail, Outlook), and personalise it by editing the parts written in [square brackets].

Dear [Your MP's name],

I hope this email finds you well.

I am getting in touch to ask if you would be willing to meet with me to discuss women's treatment needs and experiences of drug and alcohol support. [Choose the option that best describes you: "I have personal experience of this issue and feel passionately about it." or "I feel passionately about this issue."] I would welcome the opportunity to talk about it with you.

My name is [Your name] and I am one of your constituents. I am writing to arrange a meeting at a time that suits you to discuss issues [Choose the option that best fits: "I have experienced within the drug and alcohol treatment system." OR "I know women who use drugs and alcohol face when trying to access treatment and support."]

I am increasingly concerned that we are failing women both locally and nationally when it comes to access to the services and support they need to reduce drug-related harm. I see this as an issue of equality. If women do not feel safe accessing drug and alcohol services, they are more likely to experience the harms associated with drug use.

[Share your own experience, concerns or observations here, if you would like to.]

In our meeting, I would like to discuss with you:

[Delete any points that are not relevant]

My personal experience of issues with inequality in accessing services
Women's experiences of support with drugs, alcohol and wider social issues
Gender-informed and trauma-responsive approaches to women's needs
What you could do regarding this issue

Women face acute and difficult situations that effective, gender-informed drug and alcohol support could help address. Women who use drugs face higher levels of domestic abuse, sexual violence, child removal, health-related issues and other social harms – access to services that meet their range of needs is a matter of equality.

The WiSE Project (https://wise.cranstoun.org/) has demonstrated that taking a more holistic, trauma-responsive and gender-informed approach to drug and alcohol support can increase access to treatment services for women who use drugs but have not yet engaged with support, or for whom support has not previously worked. Almost half (47%) of women attending WiSE are not currently accessing treatment.

I am part of a community of women who care deeply about this issue and want to see change so that women can access drug and alcohol services on an equal footing. I hope you will be able to meet with me and use your position as my elected representative to help raise awareness of and advocate for this issue.

Yours sincerely,

[Your name]
[Your email address]

Top tips

Include your name and address at the top of your email. MPs have to reply to people living in the area they represent, so adding your contact details will help your email reach the right place more quickly.
If possible, please attach an overview of the WiSE Project and include a link to our website. This will help your MP learn more about the issues affecting women who use drugs before they respond.
Be as personal or as vague as you want – your email can include as much or as little about your own experiences as you’re comfortable to share. Adding your own thoughts can help show why change is needed, and makes it more likely you’ll get a prompt and personal reply.
If you’d like us to read your email first, please send it to us and we’ll be happy to help! Depending where you live, we may be able to arrange WiSE Project team member to support you at a meeting with your MP.

Your voice matters. By emailing your MP and sharing your experiences if you feel able to do so, you’ll help build the case for better support, better treatment, and better outcomes for women.

Share your email with WiSE

Before you send your email, please add our email address to the ‘cc’ field. This shares a copy of your email with the WiSE Project team and helps us track which MPs have been contacted about support for women.

wiseproject@cranstoun.org.uk