Work with Chapter One

Why work with Chapter One

Chapter One started as a partnership between Gambling with Lives — the charity founded by families bereaved by gambling-related suicide — and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, one of the UK's leading regional voices on gambling harm prevention.

Four kinds of expertise sit behind every piece of work we deliver for commissioners:

Clinical expertise from those who treat gambling harms
Public health expertise from those tackling the causes at population level
Lived experience from people who have been harmed by gambling and from families bereaved by gambling-related suicide
Communications and digital expertise that turns insight into messages people act on

Our independence from the gambling industry means commissioners can trust that the campaigns, training and information we deliver are impartial, evidence-based, and aligned with the public health response — not with industry framing of the issue.

Chapter One was established in partnership with Greater Manchester Combined Authority under the leadership of then Mayor Andy Burnham, before he became Prime Minister. In the video below, he reflects on the impact of our regional work together.

Before becoming Prime Minister, Andy Burnham recognised gambling harm as a public health issue.

Our Services

We offer two main commissioned services to local councils and public health partners: public health awareness campaigns, and training for professionals.

Public health awareness campaigns

We deliver and support gambling harms awareness campaigns in partnership with local authorities, covering prevention, stigma reduction and behaviour change communications.
Each campaign is shaped around the local audience, the local treatment and support landscape, and the public health priorities of the commissioner.
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Training for professionals

Frontline professionals are often the first to come into contact with someone affected by gambling harms. Many have not had access to clear, evidence-based training on the subject. Chapter One's training is designed to close that gap.
Delivered online or in person, our courses build the confidence to recognise the signs and start a supportive conversation.
Professionals Hub

We deliver and support gambling harms awareness campaigns in partnership with local authorities, covering prevention, stigma reduction and behaviour change communications. Each campaign is shaped around the local audience, the local treatment and support landscape, and the public health priorities of the commissioner.
When a local authority wants to run a gambling harms campaign, there are usually three options:
1. Run the campaign in-house — relying on internal communications teams
1. Outsource to an advertising or media agency — buying paid media and creative through a generalist partner
1. Work with a specialist gambling harms provider — such as Chapter One
Media agencies can place advertisements, but they are not set up to make sure messaging is clinically sound, informed by lived experience, stigma-aware, and aligned with the treatment and support people will reach for. Talking about gambling harms to people who are experiencing them, or who are close to someone affected, takes expert handling — not a generic comms approach. The wrong message, in the wrong tone, in the wrong place, can deepen stigma rather than reduce it.
What you get when we deliver your campaign
- Specialist subject expertise. Our team understands gambling harms first-hand, through both personal and professional experience. Every message is built on that understanding.
- Evidence-informed framing. We apply established public health framing to behaviour change communications, grounded in behavioural insight rather than generic advertising creative.
- Lived experience applied to messaging. Our campaigns are shaped by people who have been harmed by gambling and by families bereaved by gambling-related suicide. This is what keeps messaging authentic and stigma-aware.
- Safe signposting. Every campaign points people to NHS gambling services and other evidence-based support, so awareness turns into action and no-one is left without a next step.
We can deliver an end-to-end campaign, support an in-house team, or work alongside a media partner where one is already appointed.
Frontline professionals are often the first to come into contact with someone affected by gambling harms. Many have not had access to clear, evidence-based training on the subject. Chapter One's training is designed to close that gap.
Who our training is for
Our training is suitable for any professional who may come into contact with someone experiencing gambling harms, or someone close to them. This includes:
- Health and social care teams
- Housing and homelessness services
- Financial services and debt advice
- Criminal justice professionals
- Family and community support workers
- School staff and youth-facing workers
What the training covers
Participants finish the training able to:
- Recognise the signs that someone may be experiencing gambling harms
- Understand how modern gambling products are designed, and why anyone can be affected
- Start a conversation with someone they think may need support
- Signpost to specialist treatment, including free NHS gambling services
- Reduce stigma in the way gambling harms are talked about in their setting
Impact so far
Chapter One has trained over 1,000 professionals to date. After our training:
- 95% feel confident to start a conversation about gambling
- 98% feel confident to support someone experiencing gambling harms

We deliver and support gambling harms awareness campaigns in partnership with local authorities, covering prevention, stigma reduction and behaviour change communications. Each campaign is shaped around the local audience, the local treatment and support landscape, and the public health priorities of the commissioner.

When a local authority wants to run a gambling harms campaign, there are usually three options:

Run the campaign in-house — relying on internal communications teams

Outsource to an advertising or media agency — buying paid media and creative through a generalist partner

Work with a specialist gambling harms provider — such as Chapter One

Media agencies can place advertisements, but they are not set up to make sure messaging is clinically sound, informed by lived experience, stigma-aware, and aligned with the treatment and support people will reach for. Talking about gambling harms to people who are experiencing them, or who are close to someone affected, takes expert handling — not a generic comms approach. The wrong message, in the wrong tone, in the wrong place, can deepen stigma rather than reduce it.

What you get when we deliver your campaign

Specialist subject expertise. Our team understands gambling harms first-hand, through both personal and professional experience. Every message is built on that understanding.

Evidence-informed framing. We apply established public health framing to behaviour change communications, grounded in behavioural insight rather than generic advertising creative.

Lived experience applied to messaging. Our campaigns are shaped by people who have been harmed by gambling and by families bereaved by gambling-related suicide. This is what keeps messaging authentic and stigma-aware.

Safe signposting. Every campaign points people to NHS gambling services and other evidence-based support, so awareness turns into action and no-one is left without a next step.

We can deliver an end-to-end campaign, support an in-house team, or work alongside a media partner where one is already appointed.

Frontline professionals are often the first to come into contact with someone affected by gambling harms. Many have not had access to clear, evidence-based training on the subject. Chapter One's training is designed to close that gap.

Who our training is for

Our training is suitable for any professional who may come into contact with someone experiencing gambling harms, or someone close to them. This includes:

Health and social care teams

Housing and homelessness services

Financial services and debt advice

Criminal justice professionals

Family and community support workers

School staff and youth-facing workers

What the training covers

Participants finish the training able to:

Recognise the signs that someone may be experiencing gambling harms

Understand how modern gambling products are designed, and why anyone can be affected

Start a conversation with someone they think may need support

Signpost to specialist treatment, including free NHS gambling services

Reduce stigma in the way gambling harms are talked about in their setting

Impact so far

Chapter One has trained over 1,000 professionals to date. After our training:

95% feel confident to start a conversation about gambling

98% feel confident to support someone experiencing gambling harms

"I have already had several conversations with people about what I learned.”"

Professional, after Chapter One training

"I cannot think of anything that was less than useful — it was one of the best sessions I've attended in ages."

Professional, after Chapter One training

Working with us

If your local authority, public health team, integrated care board or partnership is planning a gambling harms campaign or commissioning training, we would be glad to talk.

We also support commissioners with consultancy, education programmes, toolkits and resources, and lived experience advisory work. If your need is broader than campaigns or training, get in touch and we can shape a brief around it.

We can:

Scope the work with you in a free initial conversation

Quote against a defined brief

Deliver an end-to-end programme

Support an existing team where the work is already underway

Get in touch about commissioning Chapter One

Specialist gambling harms services for local councils and public health teams.