FUNDING FEARS
THE AREAS
with the highest levels of
alcohol-related harm – often those with
high levels of social deprivation – are also
the most likely to be reducing funding for
alcohol treatment, according to Alcohol
Concern. Its
Measures of change
report
looks at how the transfer of public health
responsibility to local authorities has
affected alcohol services. ‘Only 6.5 per
cent of dependent drinkers access
treatment in the UK which means that
both treatment and prevention services
need to be given clear prioritisation and
investment, by all responsible agencies
including clinical commissioning groups,’
said head of policy Tom Smith.
Report at
.
ONLINE HELP
CRI HAS JOINED FORCES
with digital
healthcare provider Breaking Free for
Breaking Free Online, an evidence-based
internet treatment and recovery
programme which covers nearly 40
substances. CRI can now ‘offer all its service
users 24/7 access to confidential treatment
and recovery support via the internet every
day of the year’, says the organisation. ‘I’m
very excited to see CRI embracing
technology-enhanced recovery,’ said new
technologies lead Michael Lawrence. ‘It is a
comprehensive and adaptable tool that
includes a range of evidence-based
psychosocial interventions.’
News
CUTTING AGENTS
MORE THAN 50
different cutting agents have
been identified in cocaine, including some
that can cause ‘serious medical harm’,
according to an ACMD evidence review.
ACMD initiated the review because of
concerns over ‘increased consumption and a
perception that the drug is “safe”,’ it says.
Report at
EVIDENCE IS BEST
EVIDENCE-BASED
practices are the best means
of preventing and treating
drug misuse, said UNODC
chief executive Yury
Fedotov in his closing
message to the 58th
Session of the Commission
on Narcotic Drugs (CND)
in Vienna. Harm Reduction
International (HRI) used
the event to launch its ’10
by 20’ campaign, which
wants to see governments redirect 10 per cent
of the money they spend on the ‘war on drugs’
to harm reduction by 2020.
BEREAVEMENT
TRAINING
THE PILOT ROUND
of training for Adfam and
Cruse’s drug and alcohol-related
bereavement project is now open, the
organisations have announced. Anyone who
has been bereaved as a result of drugs or
alcohol and would like to offer peer support
to others going through the same thing is
invited to get in touch, with initial training
taking just two days.
Details at
GOVERNMENT LOOKS
TO ‘GENERAL BAN’
ON NPS
THE GOVERNMENT
is ‘developing plans’
for a general ban on the supply of new
psychoactive substances across the country,
according to crime prevention minister
Lynne Featherstone. The announcement
was made as the Home Office outlawed two
more substances – synthetic opioid MT-45
and stimulant compound 4,4’-DMAR –
as class A drugs.
Read the full stories, and more, online
‘WORSENING FINANCIAL SITUATION’
LEADS TO CLOSURE OF DRUGSCOPE
DRUGSCOPE TRUSTEES
have taken the decision to close the organisation, based
on its ‘worsening financial situation’. Founded 15 years ago from a merger
between the Institute for the Study of Drug Dependence (ISDD) and the
Standing Conference on Drug Abuse (SCODA), the charity has long campaigned
for evidence-based treatment and against stigma and discrimination.
‘It is with a heavy heart that the board has taken this extremely difficult
decision,’ said chair Edwin Richards. ‘I am saddened for DrugScope members
whose support for the organisation has been at the heart of its work and
governance. The focus going forward is on ensuring that the mission is carried
on by other means.’
The charity provided ‘an important voice for those working in the drug and
alcohol sectors’ and proved ‘an authoritative and influential contributor in
Whitehall and Westminster’, said the
Guardian
, which went on to praise its
‘topical, non-judgmental and evidence-based approach’, while Turning Point
chief executive Victor Adebowale wrote that the closure risked creating a
vacuum that would be ‘a blow for all of civil society, not just for social care’.
The decision to close DrugScope would not affect the Federation of Drug and
Alcohol Professionals (FDAP), stated chief executive Marcus Roberts.
‘I would like to take this opportunity to thank staff – past and present – for
all their exceptional hard work and loyalty which has ensured DrugScope’s high
reputation within the sector and beyond,’ he said. ‘It has been an immense
privilege to lead such a skilled and dedicated staff team. I’d also like to thank all
those who have worked as DrugScope trustees – now and over the years – for
their support for the organisation and its mission.
‘DrugScope has had the opportunity to represent the exceptional individuals
and organisations who support individuals and communities affected by serious
drug and alcohol problems,’ he continued. ‘This is one of the most marginalised
groups in our society and the work of the drug and alcohol sector saves and
transforms lives and plays a critical part in creating safe and healthy communities.’
Victor
Adebowale:
‘A blow for all
of civil society,
not just for
social care.’
SOCIAL
WORKER
GUIDE
THE FIRST NATIONAL GUIDE
for social workers on working
with people experiencing
drug and alcohol problems
has been launched by
Manchester Metropolitan
University, the British
Association of Social Workers
and the College of Social Work.
‘Social workers specialising in
adult and children's social
work practice are working
regularly with people with
substance problems, be it alcohol, other
drugs or a combination of both,’ said the
guide’s author Sarah Galvani. ‘As a profession
we've not equipped them adequately for this
work. They need clarity about what their role
and remit is and how their supervisors and
managers can support them.’
Alcohol and
other drug use: the roles and capabilities of
social workers available at
4 |
drinkanddrugsnews
| April 2015
Sarah Galvani:
‘[Social
workers]
need clarity
about what
their role
and remit is.’
‘Evidence-
based
practices are
the best
means of
preventing
and treating
drug misuse.’
