Action on Addiction's Response to the New Drug Strategy 2008
27 February 2008
Response from Nick Barton, Joint Chief Executive, Action on Addiction on the New Drug Strategy
"Action on Addiction is pleased that the government has renewed the drug strategy. Given the enormous ongoing cost to society, the need for a national framework and investment to support it remains paramount."
"We welcome certain aspects of this strategy but see missed opportunities in some areas."
Families
"The new focus and emphasis on responding to families affected by substance misuse is to be welcomed. The damage done to family life and the well being of children by problem drug and alcohol use is well documented. It is really important that proper family support programmes are implemented on a national scale to support families."
"Action on Addiction's Families Plus team has pioneered a variety of interventions to help individual family members and families as a whole, including most recently the Moving Parents and Children Together (M-PACT) programme which has demonstrated positive effects."
Treatment
"We wonder whether financially penalising people on benefits with addiction problems for not seeking treatment works. Any new programme needs to be carefully evaluated."
"A great deal of focus is being put into treatment within the criminal justice system. We want to see a more balanced approach with more investment going into treatment within the community preventing people ending up in the Criminal Justice System in the first place."
"We need to make sure that it is easy for people to access treatments in the community and treatments that enable people to make real progress towards a drug-free life. If we take a comprehensive approach to restoring people's lives, drug-related crime will take care of itself."
"It is imperative that we bridge the gap between harm reduction and treatments aimed at a drug free outcome."
Treatment Workforce Development
"It is well known that behind every client's effective recovery are a team of well trained competent staff. Despite this fact there are no clear plans to invest in the professional development of the addiction treatment workforce."
Action on Addiction will continue to play its part, launching the Centre for Addiction Treatment Studies, the only one of its kind in the UK, where addictions counsellors will be trained to degree standard.
Research
"It is universally acknowledged that the evidence for different kinds of treatment in the UK is inadequate and yet the new strategy fails to address this vital discrepancy. Given the apparent shift toward an outcome driven approach, a lack of commitment to research seems counterproductive."
Commissioning
"It is now critical that service commissioners have the knowledge, confidence, willingness and funding to commission services for families."
Action on Addiction
We take action on addiction. We do this through research, treatment, family support, education and training
For further information please contact
Nicola Brian on 020 7793 3411