School of Law Society and Criminology, Faculty of Law and Justice, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia.
Cluster for Resilience and Well-Being, School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, Central Queensland University, Rockhampton, Australia.
Harm Reduct J. 2023 Sep 9;20(1):129. doi: 10.1186/s12954-023-00854-2.
Safe Spaces are a harm reduction approach commonly utilised in nightlife and festival settings to address alcohol and other drug-related harms. Despite increasing use, there has been little independent evaluation of safe space programs. This study aimed to explore (1) program user satisfaction with and use of a safe space program implemented in Sydney, Australia (The Take Kare Safe Space (TKSS)), and (2) the strengths and weaknesses of TKSS from the perspective of key stakeholders.
Semi-structured, in-depth, interviews lasting between 30 min to 1 h were conducted with 38 key program stakeholders, including staff from police (n = 4), ambulance (n = 4), a local hospital accident and emergency room (n = 4), local council (n = 2), city 'rangers' (n = 2), the TKSS program (n = 4), licensed venues and other nightlife service providers (n = 4), and program users (n = 14). Purposive sampling was used to identify key stakeholders to participate in interviews.
Stakeholders stated that the TKSS program had a number of core benefits, including that it filled a service gap in nightlife settings; improved the efficiency and effectiveness of emergency services and other stakeholders operating in nightlife precincts; provided welfare services through proactive and non-judgmental interventions; and facilitated a means to de-escalate conflict without engaging police. Perceived weaknesses of the program included a lack of public awareness about the program; staff and volunteer levels; and misunderstandings regarding the scope and function of the TKSS program by some stakeholders.
This study demonstrates the complex relationships that exist around the delivery of harm reduction in nightlife settings. In particular, it highlights the relative lack of servicing of public nightlife settings and the value of safe spaces/peer-to-peer safety ambassador programs in linking up care and filling this service gap. Further, it documents the extended benefit across key stakeholder groups of delivering proactive and non-judgemental harm reduction services and, in doing so, provides critical evidence around their efficacy in reducing AOD-related harms in the night-time economy.
安全空间是一种减少伤害的方法，通常在夜生活和节日场所中用于解决与酒精和其他药物相关的伤害。尽管使用越来越多，但对安全空间计划的独立评估却很少。本研究旨在探讨（1）在澳大利亚悉尼实施的安全空间计划（Take Kare Safe Space (TKSS)）的项目用户对该计划的满意度和使用情况，以及（2）从关键利益相关者的角度来看 TKSS 的优缺点。
对 38 名关键项目利益相关者进行了半结构化、深入的访谈，访谈时间为 30 分钟至 1 小时不等，利益相关者包括警察（n=4）、救护车（n=4）、当地医院急诊室（n=4）、当地议会（n=2）、城市“护林员”（n=2）、TKSS 项目（n=4）、持牌场所和其他夜生活服务提供商（n=4）以及项目用户（n=14）。采用目的性抽样来确定参与访谈的关键利益相关者。
利益相关者表示，TKSS 计划有许多核心优势，包括填补了夜生活场所的服务空白；提高了夜生活区运营的紧急服务和其他利益相关者的效率和效果；通过主动和非评判性的干预提供福利服务；并为在不涉及警察的情况下缓和冲突提供了一种手段。该计划的一些利益相关者认为该计划的弱点包括公众对该计划的认识不足；工作人员和志愿者的数量；以及对 TKSS 计划的范围和功能的误解。
本研究展示了在夜生活场所提供减少伤害服务所存在的复杂关系。特别是，它强调了公共夜生活场所服务相对不足的问题，以及安全空间/同伴安全大使计划在连接护理和填补这一服务空白方面的价值。此外，它记录了在关键利益相关者群体中提供主动和非评判性减少伤害服务的扩展效益，并就此提供了关于其在减少夜间经济中与酒精和其他药物相关伤害方面的功效的重要证据。
