The United Kingdom Anti-Drugs Co-ordinator CABINET OFFICE SECOND NATIONAL PLAN. Tackling Drugs to Build a Better Britain

Transcription

1 The United Kingdom Anti-Drugs Co-ordinator CABINET OFFICE SECOND NATIONAL PLAN Tackling Drugs to Build a Better Britain

2 CABINET OFFICE TACKLING DRUGS TO BUILD A BETTER BRITAIN United Kingdom Anti-Drugs Co-ordinator s National Plan 2000/2001

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4 FOREWORD FOREWORD BY DR MOWLAM I am pleased to provide the foreword to this second Annual Plan. Tackling drug misuse and the harm it causes is a key priority for this Government. It is part of our vision of building healthy communities working for the benefit of everyone. Our 10-Year Strategy is part of a range of policies aimed at fighting crime, renewing our communities, eliminating social exclusion and ensuring decent opportunities are available to all. The Co-ordinator, Keith Hellawell and his deputy, Mike Trace, play a vital role in driving the Strategy forward and ensuring that it is closely linked with other key policies. The Strategy takes a holistic approach, recognising the impact of one aspect of the fight against drugs on other aspects. It places equal emphasis on the need to stifle the supply of drugs through enhanced enforcement measures and the need to drive down demand for drugs with effective education, prevention and treatment. The four aims of the Strategy young people, treatment, communities and availability reflect the breadth of issues that we need to tackle in fighting the harm caused by drugs and the different needs of different groups. On my visits, I have been impressed by the ways various agencies have planned their work to address particular local needs and the positive effect these approaches can have. For example, in Brighton, I saw a drugs rehabilitation programme for women aimed at helping women regain control over their lives and improving their quality of life as they progress through treatment. It provided a specialist crèche to help users of all the services run by the project. In Stevenage, I visited a drugs agency which provides pregnancy and parenthood services in addition to counselling, daycare drop-in and a needle exchange. In Southmead, Bristol, I visited a youth project which aims to provide alternatives to drug abuse for young people encouraging them to take up team sports and other outdoor activities such as cycling. Since its establishment, police in the area have reported a significant reduction in the local crime rate. The programmes and activities in this Plan are all about building up and supporting proactive work to tackle drugs in our communities helping young people to reject drug misuse, getting misusers into treatment and helping them restore their lives, breaking the drugs/crime cycle. We are making good progress. But there is a lot still to do. This is not just for government. We all have a responsibility, as parents, teachers, doctors, community leaders and young people to work together against drug misuse. I commend this Plan to you. DR MOWLAM 1

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6 CO-ORDINATOR S ANNUAL PLAN FOR 2000/2001 CONTENTS Contents Page Executive Summary 5 1. Introduction by Keith Hellawell 9 2. Co-ordination of the Strategy 12 International and national co-ordination International activities The Home Office Drugs Prevention Advisory Service Co-ordination at local level 3. Young People 16 Education Prevention Communications 4. Communities Treatment Availability The Confiscated Assets Fund Research and Information 28 Young People Communities Treatment Availability 9. Across the UK 31 Scotland Wales Northern Ireland 10. Glossary and References 35 3

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8 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In April 1998, the Government published its 10-Year Strategy for tackling drug misuse, Tackling Drugs To Build A Better Britain. The Prime Minister appointed Keith Hellawell as the UK Anti-Drugs Co-ordinator and Mike Trace as the Deputy Co-ordinator, to co-ordinate delivery of the Strategy. The Co-ordinator s first Annual Plan and Report were published in His second Plan sets out the government s proposals for taking the Strategy forward over 2000/2001 and beyond. The Plan outlines how the Strategy is co-ordinated at UK and international level. It focuses mainly on England in describing how the Strategy is delivered and monitored at national, regional and local level across the four aims of the Strategy. Detail on how the Strategy is delivered in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is contained in Section 9. The Plan outlines the structural changes and initiatives being implemented during 2000/2001 across the whole Strategy to enhance delivery. These include: Internationally: Implementing strategic plans to reduce the availability of controlled drugs entering the UK. Sharing good practice and research across all aspects of drug misuse with other countries. Nationally: New interdepartmental senior officials group: Strategic Planning Board to coordinate and monitor progress of the Strategy; Planning and development of a new National Treatment Agency to be responsible for the expansion of drug treatment provision and for ensuring the delivery of high quality services in England; Regionally: Expansion of the role of the Home Office Drugs Prevention Advisory Service (DPAS) to cover all four aims of the Strategy; Locally: Reorganisation of Drug Action Teams (DATs) in England to align all with local authority boundaries, thus increasing the number of DATs and bringing them closer in alignment to other local groups such as Youth Offending Teams. In Sections 3 to 6, the Plan sets out in detail the programme of work for 2000/2001 and beyond under each of the four aims of the Strategy and their corresponding key performance targets: young people, communities, treatment and availability; key elements of the Plan are highlighted below. Section 7 describes the Confiscated Assets Fund and Section 8 sets out the Research and Information programme which supports the Strategy as a whole and each of its aims. 5

9 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Young People: to help young people resist drug misuse in order to achieve their full potential in society. Key performance target: to reduce the proportion of people under the age of 25 reporting use of illegal drugs in the last month and previous year substantially and to reduce the proportion of young people using the drugs which cause the greatest harm heroin and cocaine by 25% by 2005 and by 50% by The Plan sets out a comprehensive programme of general drug education in schools, specific prevention activity targeted at young people at risk and communications activity. The aim is to ensure that all young people are informed about the harm that drugs can cause and that those most at risk have specifically tailored programmes to assist them. Enhancing the effectiveness of drug education in all schools; Integrated prevention and communication programmes targeted at young people at risk. Communities: to protect our communities from drug-related antisocial and criminal behaviour. Key performance target: to reduce levels of repeat offending amongst drug misusing offenders by 25% by 2005 and by 50% by Under this aim, the Plan seeks to break the drugs/crime link by providing opportunities to identify people with drug misuse problems in the criminal justice system and getting them into treatment. Comprehensive coverage of police custody suites in England and Wales by faceto-face Arrest Referral Schemes identifying problem drug misusers and encouraging them to take up appropriate treatment; National roll-out across England and Wales of Drug Treatment and Testing Orders (DTTOs). Under this order the court may, with the offender s consent, make an order requiring the offender to undergo treatment either in parallel with another community order, or as a sentence in its own right. The Plan also looks at strategies for neighbourhood renewal, helping communities to tackle drug misuse. Treatment: to enable people with drug problems to overcome them and live healthy and crime-free lives. Key performance target: to increase participation of problem drug misusers, including prisoners, in drug treatment programmes which have a positive impact on health and crime by 66% by 2005 and by 100% by

10 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Plan seeks to make best use of money available for treatment by bringing together Department of Health and Home Office money into a National Treatment Agency to provide a cohesive approach to purchasing treatment for problem drug misusers. In parallel, there will be increased numbers of misusers accessing treatment and an expansion in treatment services. National Treatment Agency (see above); A national recruitment and training plan for drug workers; Increase in the numbers of problem drug misusers accessing treatment; By 2002, at least 5,000 prisoners a year going through intensive treatment programmes. Availability: to stifle the availability of illegal drugs on our streets. Key performance target: to reduce access to all drugs amongst young people (under 25) significantly, and to reduce access to the drugs which cause the greatest harm, particularly heroin and cocaine, by 25% by 2005 and by 50% by The Plan seeks to remove drugs from prisons by a comprehensive programme of improved security measures and random drug tests in parallel with treatment and support to prisoners with drug problems (see treatment above). It seeks to continue annual increases in the numbers of trafficking groups disrupted, Class A drugs seized and assets secured from traffickers. By 2002, reduce the rate of positive results from random drug tests in prisons from 20% in 1998/9 to 16%; 5% increase in the number of trafficking groups disrupted or dismantled primarily involved in Class A drugs; Maintain increase in Class A drugs prevented and seized; By 2002, increase by one third the amount of assets identified and secured from drug traffickers. Confiscated assets fund This fund channels money from assets seized from drug traffickers back into antidrugs activities supporting the Strategy. For example, key projects agreed during 2000/2001 include: training for local Drug Action Teams and other drug workers; an initiative with Sport England and the Youth Justice Board which aims to use sport to reduce antisocial behaviour, crime and drug use among year-olds; a pilot programme which will look at how we support those recovering from substance misuse to get back into work; in Wales, an initiative to fund counselling areas in a number of pharmacies; and working in partnership with the Rough Sleepers Unit, to provide additional services in central London for rough sleepers with substance misuse problems. 7

11 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Confiscated Assets Fund will become part of the broader-based Recovered Assets Fund to be managed by the proposed new National Confiscation Agency Board. Research and information A key priority of the Strategy is to have an evidence-based approach. To achieve that, there is a need to improve the level of information and robustness of the research base to enable better monitoring and measuring of the delivery of the Strategy. The Plan sets out key research objectives as part of a major new co-ordinated research programme established in 1999/2000. This will provide a better picture of the nature and scale of drug problems and what works best against them. The programme supports all four aims of the Strategy. Across the UK Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have developed their own strategies which are aligned with and reflect key elements of Tackling Drugs to Build a Better Britain. In Scotland, the Scottish Parliament and Executive have devolved responsibility for drugs policy in general including health, treatment, social care, prevention, education and enforcement. Responsibility for the misuse of drugs legislation remains with the UK Parliament. Scotland s drugs strategy is set out in Tackling Drugs In Scotland: Action in Partnership, published in The Scottish Executive s Drugs Action Plan, published in May 2000, sets out current work in support of the Strategy. A Scottish Drug Enforcement Agency (SDEA) has been set up to strengthen links between law enforcement agencies north and south of the border. In Wales, The National Assembly for Wales has devolved responsibility in the fields of health, social care and education and, within this context, exercises functions in relation to the prevention of substance misuse and the treatment of misusers. Responsibility for primary legislation on the misuse of drugs and enforcement lies with central government. The new substance misuse strategy for Wales, Tackling Substance Misuse in Wales: A Partnership Approach was launched in May In Northern Ireland, the Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive have devolved responsibility for health, education and community development aspects of the Drugs Strategy. A new strategy for tackling drug misuse was published in 1999, Drug Strategy for Northern Ireland, embracing the four key aims of the UK Strategy. 8

12 INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION BY KEITH HELLAWELL Our aim is to create a healthy and confident society, increasingly free from the harm caused by the misuse of drugs. We will reduce the use of all drugs substantially, and aim to break the link between drugs and crime. Programmes should consistently address the needs of the whole community, regardless of gender, race, age or drug taking behaviour. This is my second annual plan under the Government s 10- Year Strategy Tackling Drugs to Build a Better Britain, published in It sets out the work that Government is taking forward in the year 2000/2001 and beyond in support of its Strategy. The 10-Year Strategy set out our programme for bringing together international, United Kingdom, national and local agencies and departments to deliver corporate performance targets in support of the Strategy. The aims are challenging but will help to focus our joint efforts and spur us all on to better performance. Under these aims, we have set ourselves challenging key performance indicators and targets. I believe we are making good progress in driving the Strategy forward, but there is more to do. Among young people, national strategy surveys indicate that overall drug misuse may be rising at a slower rate or levelling out. This is not enough. We need to do more to get the message across about the damage drugs cause and to get young people to value their health more. In our schools, a recent Ofsted study found that already 93% of secondary and 75% of primary schools have drug education policies. 95% of secondary schools and an increasing number of primary schools have policies covering drug related incidents. We must build on this solid base in drug education to do more to reach out to those most at risk. In the summer we will ask young people for their views and their needs of the drug education they receive. The new Connexions Service, which will be phased in from April 2001, will make sure that young people can access the information or advice they need about drugs and will make referrals for those young people who require more specialist help. I will continue to visit schools and parents and teacher groups to offer advice, listen to their concerns and reflect those in the actions we take. This year we will continue to expand and develop face-to-face arrest referral schemes in police stations to provide the opportunity for those with drug problems to undergo assessment and referral on to an appropriate treatment or other agency. We will extend the Drug Treatment and Testing Order into all courts in England and Wales resulting potentially in about 3,000 people being subject to such Orders and preventing many thousands of crimes. We will expand the initiatives in prison. We will provide drug assessment and, where necessary, treatment to over 20,000 prisoners each year. The aim is to reduce the likelihood of these offenders returning to prison again because of drug misuse. 9

13 INTRODUCTION We will develop plans to establish a National Treatment Agency bringing together money currently being spent including funding by the Department of Health and the Home Office. We are aiming to deliver a step change in our treatment programmes, increasing the numbers of drug misusers accessing treatment. Persuading young people to choose positive alternatives to drugs and getting drug misusers into treatment will help to reduce the demand for drugs and break the drugs/crime link. But to tackle drugs effectively and deliver the Strategy targets, we must also stifle availability of drugs and penalise those who deal in drugs. That is why this Plan contains a balance of proactive programmes across all four aims of the Strategy with an emphasis on increased co-ordination across the whole Strategy. The Prime Minister has declared his intention to ensure that law enforcement agencies are given the powers they need to effectively tackle the drugs threat. The Home Secretary has asked me to join him in working with the Crown Prosecution Service, the police and Customs and Excise to identify any gaps or weaknesses in existing powers and make recommendations to enhance the capabilities of the law enforcement agencies. This year, we will establish a strategic drug intelligence unit within the Cabinet Office which will help us to increase the impact of our international operations. We will also establish a joint agency team comprising of all the relevant bodies to identify and target our combined operations against heroin and cocaine. We will seek to achieve increased activity with our European Union partners by gaining their support for actions against drug traffickers and continue to exert influence in shaping an international anti-drugs agenda. The Minister for the Cabinet Office, other Ministers and myself will continue to make focused visits to drug-producing, processing and transit nations. We will make it more difficult for criminals to profit from the drugs trade. We have made a start towards achieving our aim to increase by one-third over three years the amount of assets confiscated from drug traffickers. We intend to introduce legislation to pursue civil forfeiture from those who are clearly living beyond their means and to create a National Confiscation Agency. We know that drugs can have a devastating impact on individuals who misuse them. However, within the context of the workplace there are specific issues around the increased risk of accidents, absenteeism, poor performance, theft and employers legal responsibilities. That is why in the year ahead we will be working with representatives from business, trade unions and across government to look at how we can promote the development of realistic and practical workplace drug policies. We are looking at the effects drugs can have on driving. The full results of a threeyear study into the presence of drugs in road traffic fatalities will be published this summer. Interim figures show that the number with illegal drugs in their body has increased five-fold since a similar exercise in the mid-1980s. We will also shortly publish the results of research into drug recognition and impairment testing skills for the police. This research has convinced them that these skills should be offered to forces across the country. We will continue with other research into the effects of drugs on driving. The 10

14 INTRODUCTION development of devices to screen for the presence of drugs at the roadside is ongoing and we are seeking suitable powers for the police to be able to require those whom they suspect to participate in impairment testing and also to provide specimens for analysis. Delivery at local level is critical. That is where it matters. Drug Action Teams (DATs) are a partnership of all the local agencies involved in tackling drug misuse, such as health, local authorities, local education authorities, police and probation. Every year all DATs in England provide me with an outline of their plans for the year, setting out, for example, any local milestones under the Strategy targets and their planned expenditure by the four aims of the Strategy. They also provide a report on the year before. Over the summer, I and my deputy, Mike Trace, supported by the regional DPAS team member, visit all the DATs to discuss their plans and progress reports, help identify any gaps and address any questions they may have. There is a summary of their expenditure plans included in this publication and the detail of the programmes of work underway in each aim is covered in Sections 3 to 6. Our research and evaluation strategy plans are also critical to the Strategy. In 1999/2000 we embarked on a major new research programme funded mainly through a ring-fenced allocation of 6 million over three years. This research will help us better understand the full extent of the problem and the consequences of our activities in many areas. Drugs problems are not restricted to national boundaries and that is why we have a consistency across the United Kingdom. My role in overseeing all of our actions and initiatives allows me to share experiences and good practice. All of this will help to get us nearer to the targets we have set and to measure our progress. But we cannot afford to be complacent. There is still a long way to go. In Autumn, I will publish my Annual Report assessing our progress and identifying what we have delivered over the past year. We will be able to plot progress so far, have a clearer picture of how we need to change and be able to gauge the effectiveness of our work. It will also equally importantly enable us to illustrate in detail some of the excellent initiatives under way across the country and celebrate the hard work and dedication of all those involved in delivering these programmes. 11

15 CO-ORDINATION OF THE STRATEGY 2. CO-ORDINATION OF THE STRATEGY International and national co-ordination In April 1998, the Government published its 10-Year Strategy for tackling drug misuse, Tackling Drugs To Build A Better Britain. The Prime Minister appointed Keith Hellawell as the United Kingdom Anti-Drugs Co-ordinator and Mike Trace as the Deputy Coordinator, to co-ordinate delivery of the Strategy. The Co-ordinator s first Annual Plan and Report were published in His second Plan sets out the government s proposals for taking the Strategy forward over 2000/2001 and beyond. At the UK level, co-ordination of our activity against illegal drugs is delivered through a ministerial committee on drug misuse chaired by the Minister for the Cabinet Office which co-ordinates the Government s national and international policies for tackling drug misuse. The activity is delivered principally by the Home Secretary, the Secretary of State for Health, the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, the Paymaster General and the Foreign Secretary. The Secretary of State for International Development, the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, the Secretary of State for Defence and the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport also have an important role to play. The Co-ordinator and his deputy provide leadership and focus in driving forward the Government s strategy and act as Special Advisers to the Minister for the Cabinet Office. In England they are responsible for the day-to-day co-ordination and monitoring of Government policy and are supported by officials at the United Kingdom Anti-Drugs Coordination Unit (UKADCU), which is a part of the Cabinet Office. UKADCU liaises with departments, agencies and the devolved administrations. Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales have developed their own strategies, which are aligned with and reflect the key elements of Tackling Drugs to Build a Better Britain. This is set out in more detail in Section 9. An additional 217 million was allocated to government departments over the first three years of the Strategy for which Ministers are bound by a Public Service Agreement (PSA) to deliver specific outputs against each of these targets. Modernising Government emphasises our commitment to ensuring that public bodies are clearly focused on the results that matter to people, that they monitor and report their progress in achieving these results and that they do not allow bureaucratic boundaries to get in the way of sensible cooperation. Day-to-day co-ordination and monitoring of the Strategy is delivered through a number of cross-departmental working groups which report to a new interdepartmental senior officials Strategic Planning Board established in June This Board brings together key departments engaged in tackling drugs Home Office, Department of Health, HM Customs and Excise, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Department for Education and Employment and the Cabinet Office and prepares advice to the Co-ordinator and to Ministers on major co-ordination and policy issues. 12

16 CO-ORDINATION OF THE STRATEGY International activities The UK is working to sustain and strengthen international resolve to combat the trade in illegal drugs, bilaterally and through the EU, UN and G8. Throughout the year there is a programme of liaison, co-ordination of activity and sharing good practice and research across all aspects of drug misuse with other key countries. The FCO has funded programmes of assistance worth 6.5 million to countries on the supply routes to Europe, including Colombia, countries of the eastern Caribbean, Iran, Pakistan and the Balkans. In particular the UK has provided equipment and training to Customs and other counter-drugs agencies and has been a major contributor to UN programmes. The G8 Summit at Okinawa agreed an initiative put forward by the Prime Minister to increase international attention to the problem of the illegal diversion of drug precursor chemicals. It also agreed a proposal for the UK to host an international conference on the global economy of illegal drugs. The Conference will take place in early An initiative by the Prime Minister to increase EU activity on drugs bore fruit at the Feira European Council which agreed an EU Action Plan incorporating key UK ideas on co-ordination and support to the EU applicant countries. Dr Mowlam has taken a leading part, with the FCO, in raising international support for the efforts of the Colombian government to reduce the role of the cocaine trade in Colombia where it plays a major role in maintaining internal military conflict and destroying the environment as well as supplying the dealers on our streets. An international conference hosted by the FCO in July gave an important boost to European support for steps to bring this to an end. Operationally the UK s efforts to reduce supply are focused increasingly on those countries and regions which present the highest threat to the UK as sources or transit zones for illegal drugs. The increased impact which this focus will bring will make an important contribution to reducing the availability of illegal drugs in the UK. (See also Section 6 on Availability.) The Home Office Drugs Prevention Advisory Service The Home Office Drugs Prevention Advisory Service (DPAS) provides a vital link between local delivery and central government. It was set up in April 1999 with a remit of supporting the Strategy s young people and communities aims by providing advice and support to local Drug Action Teams (DATs) in respect of their drugs prevention activities. During 2000/2001, DPAS will be expanding its remit to include advice and support to DATs on delivery of the other two aims of the Strategy, namely treatment and availability. DPAS operates at three levels: Nationally: it helps to ensure a smooth interface between central government and local delivery, working closely with the Co-ordinator and the Cabinet Office UK Anti-Drugs Co-ordination Unit and other government departments. This includes ensuring that anti-drugs issues are integrated as appropriate within other government initiatives and programmes, and that good practice is disseminated to enhance local programmes and activities. It provides a grant to DATs in England to core fund their running costs (the central fund). 13

17 CO-ORDINATION OF THE STRATEGY Regionally: nine regional teams provide direct support and advice to all DATs in England. The DPAS teams work with regional and sub-regional bodies to integrate issues into broader social programmes. Locally: it supports and advises the individual DATs, encouraging good practice and helping to join-up initiatives on the ground. DPAS therefore supports local DATs in driving forward progress on all areas of the Strategy and has a role in supporting many of the initiatives and programmes described in the following sections, working with and on behalf of relevant government departments. Co-ordination at local level Local agencies take forward their action against drugs through Drug Action Teams (DATs). These teams bring together agencies such as the health authority, local authority, local education authority, social services, police and probation services to work in partnership to tackle drugs problems. Additional support was provided for this: a total of 5 million in 1999/2000 in central funding. Following a review of DAT functioning in England, the Government decided that there was a need to reorganise local structures: By April 2001, all DATs have been asked to ensure that they are aligned on local authority boundaries. The aim is to improve engagement between DATs and local services such as housing services, social services, environmental services and education and also to enhance links with the new criminal justice partnerships Crime and Disorder Partnerships and Youth Offending Teams in order to assist local delivery of the drugs Strategy. This will involve an increase in the total number of DATs from 112 to some 150 and a proportionate increase in central funding which will rise to over 6 million during 2000/2001. DPAS will be working closely with DATs to support the boundary change and the needs of an increased number of DATs. Investment in delivery of the Strategy is and must be conditional on achieving improved results. DATs report to the Co-ordinator annually on their achievements in support of the Strategy and how they plan to build on their progress in the following year. In their plans for this year, DATs stressed their partnership role: over 75% of DATs have a joint or collaborative commissioning group. All DATs had links with a variety of planning and local co-ordination mechanisms, not only in the health and criminal justice field but also with housing, social care, community care, regeneration, employment and local education groups. Most DATs have adopted the Strategy key performance targets under the four aims and many also set interim milestones for this year and beyond, taking account of local circumstances. Those setting interim milestones set a range of targets of which the average range was: Communities: a reduction of between 10% and 20% in repeat offending by 2002; Treatment: a 15% to 20% increase in numbers treated in 2000/2001 and increases in 2002 of between 25% and 40%; Availability: a 5% to 10% reduction in availability of Class A drugs in

18 CO-ORDINATION OF THE STRATEGY Under Young People, DATs set their targets around specific programmes relating to: promoting, developing and enhancing drug education and prevention work in schools; and developing and increasing services for young people from groups vulnerable to drug misuse. DATs also reported their projected spend by Strategy aim for 2000/2001. Spend is set to rise on average by 15% from last year, with overall expenditure of some 390 million: DAT Planned Expenditure 2000/2001: England Total 58m 113m 33m 188m Young people Treatment Communities Availability DATs are therefore planning that nearly 50% of their expenditure totalling close to 200 million will go on treatment. This reflects a key emphasis of the Strategy on proactive prevention and tackling of the harm caused by drugs and investment in what works. There is clear evidence that treatment is effective in reducing drug misuse and criminal activity. See Section 5 for detail of our plans under the treatment aim. 15

19 YOUNG PEOPLE 3. YOUNG PEOPLE Objective: to help young people resist drug misuse in order to achieve their full potential in society. Key performance target: to reduce the proportion of people under the age of 25 reporting use of illegal drugs in the last month and previous year substantially and to reduce the proportion of young people using the drugs which cause the greatest harm heroin and cocaine by 25% by 2005 and by 50% by Under the Comprehensive Spending Review for , 57 million of departmental funding was allocated over the three years to support more sustained and better drug education and prevention work in schools and the community by means of: The DfEE Standards Fund: 21 million to schools to support training of teachers and delivery of effective drugs education programmes; 18 million Department of Health central prevention expenditure; 18 million for the DPAS to establish nine new regional teams providing support to all DATs. By 2002, our targets are to: Delay the average age of first use of Class A drugs by 6 months; DfEE and DATs to support the implementation of drug education in the context of Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) in all schools, the youth service, further education, the community and with parents, based on evidence of good practice; Reduce exclusions from schools arising from drug-related incidents by reducing the number of such incidents, as part of the Government s overall strategy to reduce all exclusions from schools by one third. During 2000/2001: Education DPAS and DATs will support LEAs, schools and Healthy Schools Partnerships by brokering expert local support and resource and sharing information about the local drug scene to make school programmes more responsive to pupil needs and local circumstances. [HO/DfEE] DATs will influence prevention/education plans targeting young people to ensure that local problems are addressed in a holistic way involving schools, parents, the youth service, further education, the community and statutory agencies through targeted interventions. [HO/DfEE/DH] 16

20 YOUNG PEOPLE We will commission a survey of the drug education training available to teachers to inform the development of a quality assured training package for teachers and advisers working with young people. The survey is due to report in the Autumn [DfEE] We will promote the development of quality drug education in schools through: the roll-out of the National Healthy Schools Standard (launched October 1999); [DfEE/DH] the implementation of the Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) framework in all schools (operational from September 2000); [DfEE] getting feedback from young people on the quality and effectiveness of drug education in schools: report is due in August [DfEE] DPAS will work with DfEE to support preparatory work for the new Connexions Service and to facilitate the links between DATs, the new service and the new partnerships to ensure that drugs issues are properly addressed. [DfEE/HO] Under the Healthy Schools Programme, we will roll-out the Primary Care/Primary Schools project to an additional 50 sites from autumn These projects build links between local GPs and primary schools, to support teachers, pupils and school staff in the delivery of drug education and dealing with health issues. The project will support schools in working towards achievement of the Healthy Schools Standard. [DH/DfEE] During 2000/2001: Prevention DPAS will establish a joint programme of work with the Youth Justice Board to support improved information sharing between agencies and to disseminate information on effective practice to ensure that the drug-related needs of young offenders are addressed. [HO] The Drugs Prevention Board will develop an agreed national programme of action to reduce misuse of Class A drugs among young people. [DH/UKADCU/HO] We will implement drug prevention projects targeted at vulnerable groups of young people to a second wave of 15 more Health Action Zones. [DH] We will ensure that by the end of 2000/2001 all health authorities will have commissioned in cooperation with other members of their local DAT, targeted prevention activity covering at least 30% of all vulnerable young people highlighted in their 1999/2000 needs assessment. [DH] We will work with Sport England and the Youth Justice Board to set up 24 projects under the Positive Futures Initiative which aims to divert vulnerable young people aged 10 to 16 years old into sport and healthy outdoor activities and away from drug misuse and antisocial activity. The initiative was launched in March

21 YOUNG PEOPLE During 2000/2001 Communications We will undertake preparatory work in support of the Drug Prevention Board to implement targeted drugs communications activity from 2001 based on a cross-government drugs communications strategy. [DH] Communications activity from autumn 2000 with new and potential intravenous drug users in order to try and reduce the number of new injectors. [DH] 18

22 COMMUNITIES 4. COMMUNITIES Objective: to protect our communities from drug-related antisocial and criminal behaviour. Key performance target: to reduce levels of repeat offending amongst drug misusing offenders by 25% by 2005 and by 50% by The Comprehensive Spending Review for 1998 provided additional funding to increase the number of offenders referred to and engaged with treatment services. This included 60 million for implementation of the Drug Treatment and Testing Order (DTTO) and around 60 million for treatment in prison (also referred to in section 5). Over three years from 1999 to 2002, a total of 20 million will be provided to increase the pace at which arrest referral schemes are introduced in England and Wales. Once national coverage has been achieved, the scheme could result in a substantial reduction in recorded crime. DPAS and its key partners will act to explore the links between drug use and strategies for neighbourhood renewal through funding action research into how drug use in disadvantaged communities can be tackled. DPAS will issue guidance on best practice in the management of drug issues in rented housing. By 2002 we will ensure that: All police services operate face-to-face arrest referral schemes covering all custody suites; There will be a significant expansion of probation and court referral schemes in line with emerging evidence from the drug treatment and testing pilots and other studies; We achieve a reduction of 3 percentage points in the proportion of arrestees testing positive for heroin and/or cocaine/crack from the 1999/2000 halfbaseline; We establish a baseline measure for drug-related accidents at work. (DETR) During 2000/2001: Up to 9.5 million will be disbursed to police forces this year in England and Wales by DPAS under the Arrest Referral Joint Funding Initiative: identifying problem drug misusers and encouraging them to take up appropriate treatment. This funding scheme is helping police forces to achieve comprehensive coverage of custody suites by face-to-face arrest referral schemes this year, ahead of the strategy target of 100% coverage by The 9.5 million includes 4 million for police forces to invest through DAT joint commissioning arrangements in treatment services, to help to ensure quick access to appropriate services by those in need of help identified through local arrest referral schemes. [HO] We will publish the final evaluation of the Drug Treatment and Testing Order (DTTO) pilots which ran from late 1998 to spring 2000; and make access to referral 19

23 COMMUNITIES schemes available in every court in England and Wales by end March 2001, through rollout of the DTTO from October Under this order the court may, with the offender s consent, make an order requiring the offender to undergo treatment either in parallel with another community order, or as a sentence in its own right. [HO] The roll-out of DTTO should result in an estimated 3,425 orders being made by Working alongside the Probation Services, DPAS will provide on-the-ground support for the national roll-out of DTTO, disseminating practice findings from the pilot programmes, assisting DATs in developing appropriate commissioning arrangements and providing support and advice on implementation issues including the implications for local services. [HO] There is clear evidence that drug misuse, particularly heroin and crack/cocaine, is strongly associated with crime. Research indicates that getting drug misusers into treatment can considerably reduce both their illegal use of drugs and their offending behaviour. In one programme, average drug expenditure fell from 400 per week to 70 per week, with corresponding reductions in crime. That is why powers are being sought in the Criminal Justice and Court Services Bill to extend drug testing across the criminal justice system. These will include drug testing for heroin and crack/cocaine of arrestees charged with specified offences most commonly associated with the need to buy illegal drugs. The purpose of drug testing is to identify those offenders who misuse specified Class A drugs and support them into treatment where appropriate. A positive drug test will also be used to inform any court bail decision. The Bill will also introduce a requirement to undergo testing for all those on community sentences for particular offences whom the court consider are dependent on or have a propensity to misuse Class A drugs. Where an alternative community sentence is not appropriate, courts will be given the power to make a Drug Abstinence Order. To complete the provisions, the Bill will introduce a condition to undergo testing to be included in the licence conditions of those within the target group when they are released from prison. Subject to Parliamentary approval, a two year pilot evaluation of the programme is planned in three areas to commence in Spring It is estimated that each pilot programme could save up to 40,000 recorded crimes annually. We are also re-examining the powers available to law enforcement agencies to effectively tackle the drugs threat. The Home Office, Crown Prosecution Service, the police and HM Customs and Excise will be identifying any gaps or weaknesses in existing powers and will make recommendations to enhance the capabilities of the law enforcement agencies. [See also Section 6] By March 2001, the Prison Service will ensure sufficient voluntary testing places for all prisoners willing to sign compacts undertaking to remain drug free. Other targets for the Prison Service are covered in Sections 5 and 6. [HO] Drug driving: during August 2000, ACPO will begin rolling out a training programme for police forces to train officers in drug impairment recognition techniques, following a trial undertaken during 1999 by six forces. DETR s report on the trial will be published in summer Neighbourhood renewal: we will deliver a new grant of 300,000 to help local communities confront the drugs problems afflicting their local area. 20

24 TREATMENT 5. TREATMENT Objective: to enable people with drug problems to overcome them and live healthy and crime-free lives. Key performance target: to increase participation of problem drug misusers, including prisoners, in drug treatment programmes which have a positive impact on health and crime by 66% by 2005 and by 100% by The 1998 Comprehensive Spending Review allocated significant additional resources for drug services: 20.5 million for local authorities and 50 million for health authorities over the three years April 1998 to March In broad terms this could increase treatment provision by about one third, but there is a need for a matching increase in capacity, recruitment, training and buildings. It is crucial to the delivery of the 10-Year Strategy that this capacity building is funded, steered and monitored in the short to medium term. The additional resources available for the full range of treatment services to fund referrals from the Criminal Justice System should result in a steady rise in the number of problem drug misusers entering treatment. By 2002 we will: Require all DATs to have established a maximum waiting time for admission into a drug treatment service and to be monitoring agencies performance; Ensure that the Prison Service CARATS (Counselling, Assessment, Referral, Advice, Throughcare Services) annual caseload reaches 20,000; that there are 30 new prison-based rehabilitation programmes; and that 5,000 prisoners a year go through treatment programmes; Have in place National Occupational Standards for specialist drug and alcohol workers; Reduce the numbers of those in treatment who report injecting and the numbers of those injecting who report sharing; Ensure that all treatment programmes accord with nationally accepted quality standard. During 2000/2001 we will: Carry out planning and development of a new National Treatment Agency to be responsible for drug treatment provision and for ensuring the delivery of high quality services, to be established by 1 April [DH] Develop specialised services for young people using different commissioning processes in two regions, to inform the development of the National Treatment Agency. [UKADCU/DH] 21

25 TREATMENT Develop and implement a national recruitment and training plan for drug workers. [DH] Audit the performance of health and local authority treatment services through the NHS Performance Management and Social Services Performance Assessment frameworks operating through 2000/2001. [DH] Publish and disseminate guidance on model pathways of care for drug treatment services. This will be a guide to integrated service provision and optimum client care pathways. It will advise on the drug services and service configurations which offer best value for money. It will be relevant to drug service commissioners, drug service users and all treatment services themselves, wherever they are provided. [DH] Introduce new licensing arrangements for doctors to prescribe substitute and other controlled medications prescribed in the treatment of addiction. [HO/DH] Produce a plan of action to monitor and reduce drug-related death, taking account of the recommendations from the report of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs on drug-related death. [DH] Ensure that all health authorities: develop services so that 15% more problem drug misusers (excluding those from the criminal justice system) are accessing drug treatment services by March 2001; and participate actively in DATs, in particular on treating referrals from the criminal justice system. 22

26 AVAILABILITY 6. AVAILABILITY Objective: to stifle the availability of illegal drugs on our streets. Key performance target: to reduce access to all drugs amongst young people (under 25) significantly, and to reduce access to the drugs which cause the greatest harm, particularly heroin and cocaine, by 25% by 2005 and by 50% by Of all forms of serious and organised crime, drug trafficking in Class A drugs is regarded as one of those which is of greatest threat to the United Kingdom. Detecting, investigating and prosecuting drug trafficking in Class A drugs therefore receives a high priority from law enforcement authorities. Police forces, HM Customs and Excise, the National Crime Squad, the National Criminal Intelligence Service, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Home Office and the security and intelligence agencies are working in partnership to suppress the availability of all illicit drugs in the United Kingdom, but especially those in Class A. Working together in strategic partnership, these agencies seek to protect public health and security by vigorously disrupting and dismantling the illegal trade in controlled drugs. The agencies seek to prevent the unlawful importation, manufacture and distribution of controlled drugs in the UK, by disabling criminal networks, by bringing lawbreakers to justice, and by denying criminals the proceeds of their crime. They do so by: Reducing the quantity of controlled drugs entering the United Kingdom unlawfully. In particular, concentrating overseas anti-drugs activity on the key source and transit countries to disrupt the flow of Class A drugs to Europe and the UK; Dismantling and disrupting criminal enterprises engaged in serious and organised crime connected with illicit drug trafficking by seizing illicit drugs, arresting and prosecuting the individuals involved and denying them the proceeds of their crimes; Reducing the unlawful manufacture and distribution of controlled drugs within the United Kingdom. By way of example, the key activities undertaken by the leading agencies include: Developing and implementing strategic plans to disrupt the flow of drugs to the UK by interdiction overseas of bulk consignments closer to source; Developing intelligence to target serious crime and criminals and thereby increase the number of drug trafficking organisations disrupted and dismantled; Strengthening the multi-agency approach by increasing the number of joint operations between UK drug enforcement agencies and their partners overseas; 23

27 AVAILABILITY Refining the information and intelligence obtained in source and transit countries to improve our knowledge of the drug trade and enhance our interdiction capability; Analysing the strategic and tactical information available from successful operations to disrupt the activities of drug distributors and dealers in the UK. The 1999 School Survey (first results published in May 1999) and the 1999 Key Informant Survey to be published later this year, have between them provided baseline estimates for availability as viewed respectively by young people and by practitioners in DATs and police forces. Additional work will develop better measures of effectiveness of supply and demand measure on availability, both at international and domestic levels, and a better handle on the scope and nature of the illicit market. There will be improved security procedures in prisons to detect drug smuggling. By 2002 we will: Have developed and implemented drug distribution models, on which flow estimates from source to Europe and the United Kingdom can be more accurately calculated; Increase the percentage of heroin and cocaine seized, which was destined for Europe and the UK, as proportion of overall availability; Increase by one third the amount of assets identified from drug traffickers and secured; Have developed and implemented a model to assess the levels and routes of supply drugs within prisons; Reduce the rate of positive results from random drug tests from 20% in 1998/9 to 16%. In 2000/2001 co-ordinated activity by the strategic partnership described above will in particular: Increase Class A drugs prevented and seized. Concentrate overseas diplomatic and operational effort on those key countries involved in the production or trafficking of Class A drugs. Maximise the disruption of drugs trafficking by targeting Class A drugs shipments as close to source and in the greatest bulk possible. Increase by 5% the number of trafficking groups disrupted or dismantled primarily involved in Class A drugs. Maintain increase in number of offenders dealt with for supply offences in respect of Class A drugs. 24

28 AVAILABILITY Develop performance indicators and data collection mechanisms in support of the Strategy, including: new performance indicator to measure the percentage of heroin and cocaine seized, which was destined for Europe and the UK, as a proportion of overall availability; development of an economic model which demonstrates how enforcement efforts can affect the price of drugs. To help us achieve this we will: Establish a strategic intelligence unit within the Cabinet Office which will help us to increase the impact of our international operations. Establish a joint agency team comprising all the relevant bodies to identify and target our combined operations against heroin and cocaine. Seek support of our European Union partners for action against drug traffickers and continue to exert influence in shaping the international anti-drugs agenda. 25

29 THE CONFISCATED ASSETS FUND 7. THE CONFISCATED ASSETS FUND The initiatives and programmes under the Strategy also receive support from the Confiscated Assets Fund (CAF). As from 1999/2000, a proportion of assets seized from drug traffickers in this country are being channelled back into anti-drugs activity through CAF. In 1999/2000, the fund totalled 3 million and following greater efforts to strip criminals assets this will rise to 5 million over 2000/2001. Criminal assets confiscation will be stepped up further following the establishment of the proposed National Confiscation Agency, a new dedicated resource to drive forward a more rigorous approach to depriving criminals of their unlawful gains. By extending civil forfeiture powers and strengthening confiscation laws the new Agency will make it harder for criminals to hang on to their wealth. The Confiscated Assets Fund was established: to allow for assets seized from drug traffickers in the UK to be channelled back into anti-drug activity; and to allow for seized assets to be shared with other governments where successful cases involved international cooperation. The activities to be funded in the UK are identified by the Co-ordinator, agreed with Ministers and support the key aims of the Strategy. In particular, CAF is intended to support projects which represent a positive and proactive investment in preventing the drugs problem and which focus on collaborative projects tackling high priority groups. The funding is generally distributed through DATs on the basis of specific bids. Initiatives agreed by Ministers for funding contributions from CAF include: DAT training on treatment commissioning: this aims to support DATs and their agencies in managing joint commissioning arrangements. Women and ethnic minorities: over 1 million over two years to fund research into drug misuse amongst women and amongst ethnic minorities to identify any gaps in service provision and to fund a series of pilot projects to address those gaps. Progress projects: helping people who have graduated from drug treatment programmes into the labour market. (Co-funded by DfEE and managed by the Employment Service). These pilot projects will provide a bridge between treatment and access to the labour market. Positive Futures: an anti-drugs programme with Sport England and the Youth Justice Board which aims to use sport to reduce antisocial behaviour, crime and drug use among year-olds. Training for drug treatment workers recruited through a government recruitment campaign, to boost drug treatment services. 26

30 THE CONFISCATED ASSETS FUND Central Drugs Treatment Fund. Rough sleepers initiative: a joint initiative with the Rough Sleepers Unit and the UKADCU providing over 1 million to develop a tiered approach to service provision for rough sleepers in central London. Community action projects: these will provide support for local community groups to better address drug problems through working closely with DATs, local authorities and the police to make a real difference at local level. In Wales, three projects which focus on high priority groups counselling areas in a number of pharmacies; prevention materials aimed at young people, ethnic minorities and women these materials will be evaluated and have potential for use on an all-wales basis; a service targeted at groups who have been difficult to reach, such as women at risk and young people excluded or absent from school. Following the publication of the Cabinet Office s PIU report Recovering the Proceeds of Crime published in June 2000, there will be some changes to the Confiscated Assets Fund. The Fund will become part of the new broad-based Recovered Assets Fund to be managed by the proposed new National Confiscation Agency Board, which will consist of senior representatives of the relevant organisations including UKADCU. The National Confiscation Agency is being established as a new dedicated resource to drive forward a more rigorous approach to depriving criminals of their unlawful gains. This will be achieved by extending civil forfeiture powers and strengthening confiscation laws to make it harder for criminals to hang on to their wealth. 27

31 RESEARCH AND INFORMATION 8. RESEARCH AND INFORMATION In order to measure and monitor our progress towards the aims of the Strategy and make best use of our resources, a key priority must be to improve our level of information and the robustness of our evidence base. A major new research programme funded mainly through a ring-fenced allocation of 6 million over 3 years was started in 1999/2000. Better and shared information systems will be put in place to show more definitively what the drug problems are and what works best against them. This programme is managed from within the Research and Statistics Directorate of the Home Office, in partnership with UKADCU and other government departments. It is managed by a steering committee (Research and Information Group (RIG)) chaired by UKADCU. The primary aim of the research programme is to track the progress of the Strategy in terms of key performance indicators; but effectiveness and other relevant issues are also researched. In addition, throughout the year 2000, several government departments will also be supporting the Strategy through ongoing commissioning and management of research into drugs as part of their departmental policy research programmes. For example, the Department of Health is investing 2.4 million over five years in a major new research initiative into the prevention and treatment of drug misuse and 0.5 million into research on hepatitis C and drug misuse. Research objectives for the year 2000/2001 include: Young people A programme of in-depth studies of drug use amongst 'vulnerable' groups, such as young offenders, the homeless, those looked after by social services and school excludees and truants. [HO/DPAS] Publish the main report on the 1999 Survey of Schoolchildren and carry out the fieldwork for the 2000 Survey of Schoolchildren. [DH] Preparation for publication of a report on the drugs component of the 2000 British Crime Survey, which includes an ethnic booster sample. [HO] Publication of a report concerning drug use reported to the Youth Lifestyle Survey, with a focus on vulnerable groups. [HO] Carry out a study on the feasibility of conducting a freestanding, national drugs survey. [HO] Long-term study of effectiveness of drug education in schools (subject to funding). [DfEE/HO/DH/UKADCU] 28

32 RESEARCH AND INFORMATION Communities Publication of the 'half-baseline' report from the first eight NEW-ADAM research sites (large-scale programme of urinanalysis and interviewing of arrestees). [HO] Conduct a study examining the delivery of drugs prevention and drug services to ethnic minorities. [HO] Publication of the final evaluation of the Drug Treatment and Testing Order (DTTO) pilots. [HO] Initiate the evaluation of arrest-referral schemes in London, and the beginning of evaluation of schemes throughout the rest of England and Wales. [HO] Plan the evaluation of drug testing pilot schemes (subject to the schemes receiving parliamentary approval). [HO] Drugs and driving: publication of the results of: a three year survey into the incidence of drugs in road accident fatalities; other research into the effects of drugs on driving. [DETR] In preparation for the introduction of the Supporting People programme in 2003, DETR has commissioned research which in 2002 will: provide good practice guidance to all local authorities in England enabling them to assess the current supply of housing and support for people with a variety of needs including substance misuse problems and identify the need for additional local provision; provide national level estimates of the current supply of housing and support services for people with substance misuse problems and the need for any additional provision. Treatment Complete the second phase of the strategic review of the Regional Drug Misuse Databases and roll out implementation of recommendations. This will include an initial exercise to identify the total number of problem drug misusers in treatment and act as a basis for introducing an annual follow-up of users to provide information about all drug misusers in treatment on an ongoing basis. [DH] Commission research to estimate the number of problematic drug users in England and Wales. [HO] Commission research on and provide initial estimates of the rates and causes of drug-related mortality amongst recently released prisoners. [HO] Publication of a report on 'The Impact of Methadone Treatment on Drug Misuse and Crime'. [HO] Put forward proposals to examine the feasibility of collecting data on drug-related attendances at casualty departments. [HO] 29

33 RESEARCH AND INFORMATION Manage a research programme on prevention and treatment of drug misuse. This includes research on co-morbidity of substance misuse and mental health problems, waiting list effects on outcomes and take-up and how to use waiting positively, the psychosocial consequences of drug misuse and the patterns and problems of longterm heavy cannabis use. [DH] Complete commissioning of and manage research programme on injecting drug misuse and hepatitis C infection. [DH] Availability Publication of research into how the middle levels of the UK drugs market operate. This is intended to improve understanding of the dynamics of secondary drug distribution in the UK i.e. between importer and street dealer levels. [HO] Publication of a research report that will provide figures on and develop methods for estimating the scale of drug consumption in the UK. [HO] Provide initial information on ways of measuring the effectiveness of HM Customs and Excise and NCS anti-trafficking operations. [HO] A third report will be published updating the identification of those countries posing the greatest Class A drug trafficking threat to the UK. [HMC&E] Production of a feasibility study on how to measure the scale of drug production and international flows to the UK. [HMC&E/NCIS/FCO] Develop a database to profile the origin of heroin supplies to the UK. [HO] Continue the annual series of statistics on drugs seizures and offenders. [HO] Initiate a project to develop a system which collates and records all information on movements of cocaine (and heroin) in the UK. 30

34 ACROSS THE UK 9. ACROSS THE UK In the following section we discuss the framework within which the Strategy is delivered in other parts of the UK. Fuller details can be obtained from the publications referred to below. In Scotland The Scottish Parliament and Executive have devolved responsibility for health, treatment, social care, education, prevention and enforcement as well as drugs policy generally in Scotland. Responsibility for the misuse of drugs legislation continues to rest with the UK Parliament in Westminster. Scotland s drugs strategy is set out in Tackling Drugs in Scotland: Action in Partnership, published in Each of the four key UK aims embracing young people, communities, treatment and availability are reflected in the Scottish Strategy. Specific objectives and action priorities for each aim are set out in the Strategy to address Scottish circumstances and problem areas. The Scottish Executive s Drugs Action Plan, published in May this year, sets out what the Executive is doing to support the implementation of the drugs Strategy by the Drug Action Teams (DATs) agencies and others in the field. Additional funding for the treatment and rehabilitation of drug misusers was announced at the same time. A Cabinet sub-committee co-ordinates anti-drugs work across departments and agencies. Expert advice is provided by the Scottish Advisory Committee on Drug Misuse, chaired by the Deputy Minister for Justice. Action is being taken to join up the work of the DATs with that of the other local agencies, reflecting the links between drug misuse and other social problems. Implementation of the Strategy at a local level is being monitored through a performance management framework between DATs and the Scottish Executive. There has been one year of reporting under these arrangements and the findings were taken into account in the preparation of the Drugs Action Plan, including emerging priorities. Work is now underway on the development of targets for the Executive, the DATs and the agencies to help deliver sustained progress in key areas, and allow success to be judged in the coming years. Since coming into office the Executive has committed funding of over 29 million to new anti-drugs initiatives, including over 16 million for treatment and prevention. In recognition of the additional responsibilities now being placed on DATs in supporting implementation of the Strategy, additional support funding has been provided and now totals over 1 million per annum. 31

35 ACROSS THE UK Other action taken in support of the implementation of the drugs Strategy in Scotland and the UK has included: The establishment of the Scottish Drug Enforcement Agency (SDEA) to provide a strategic and tactical focus to the already close working relationship that exists between the Scottish Crime Squad, the National Criminal Intelligence Service and HM Customs and Excise; to co-ordinate their activities with those of enhanced force drug squads and to strengthen links between law enforcement agencies north and south of the border; The formation of a specialist Prevention and Effectiveness Unit within the Public Health Policy Unit of the Executive in July to, among other things, advise on what is and is not working and to make sure resources are being targeted where they are most needed; Support for the work of DATs and Social Inclusion Partnerships in communities through additional targeted funding; Funding of Scotland Against Drugs (SAD) to increase its existing community and business work through the Scottish Drugs Challenge Fund; The building of a drugs misuse website, now online, with links to all related research and information databases, to help deliver good practice and the best possible information on drug misuse from around the world to all the key players in Scotland; A revamped prisons drugs strategy, which includes the appointment of a drug strategy in every prison for day-to-day management of the prisons drug problem. The Executive are establishing in 2001 a new initiative for the training of staff working with drug misusers in the field, which will ensure that people who work with drug misusers are knowledgeable and confident about how best to help them reduce or stop their drug taking. A strong research and information agenda is a vital part of the Strategy in Scotland. A drug misuse research programme is being drawn up by a subcommittee of the Scottish Advisory Committee on Drug Misuse to support the needs of the national Strategy. This will include research under each of the four key Scottish and UK aims. An information strategy run by a specialist unit is ensuring the availability of enhanced statistical information to support and inform policy development nationally, and enhance the work of DATs and local agencies. A considerable amount of work has been done, and is continuing, to build knowledge on what the Executive is spending on drug misuse. This vital information will help the Executive to get the maximum value for money from anti-drugs activity and support ongoing efforts to match activity and resources with key objectives and priorities. In this way, Scotland will continue to develop a balanced Strategy which takes into account prevention, treatment, care, rehabilitation, enforcement and education. 32

36 ACROSS THE UK In Wales The National Assembly for Wales has devolved responsibility in the fields of health, social care and education and, within this context, exercises functions in relation to the prevention of substance misuse and the treatment of misusers. Responsibility for primary legislation on the misuse of drugs and enforcement lies with central government. Forward Together, Wales previous strategy to combat drug and alcohol misuse, has now been refocused in the light of the UK anti-drugs strategy Tackling Drugs to Build a Better Britain. The new substance misuse strategy for Wales, Tackling Substance Misuse in Wales: A Partnership Approach was launched on 25 May Within the Welsh strategic framework, the four key aims of the UK anti-drugs Strategy are embraced. The new Welsh Strategy also encompasses the UK s four key objectives against which the overall progress of the Strategy will be monitored and evaluated, complemented by objectives that are relevant to Wales. Rigorous assessment of the effectiveness of implementing the new Strategy will be a central feature of its development. A research and information strategy will be developed in the forthcoming year to support the implementation of the Strategy, and research and information requirements will be regularly assessed against the Strategy s aims, objectives and targets. Tackling Substance Misuse in Wales: A Partnership Approach will run until March 2008, to coincide with the timeframe of the UK Strategy. Whilst a long-term approach is required, it is recognised that the nature of substance misuse is constantly changing and a process of strategic review is required. Over the three financial years 1999/2000 to 2001/2002, 4.5 million is being made available for a Drug and Alcohol Treatment Fund which will be used to support drug and alcohol treatment services to improve access to treatment, particularly for vulnerable younger people. Funding for specific projects in Wales under the Confiscated Assets Fund is described on p 27. In Northern Ireland The Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive have devolved responsibility for health and education, prevention and community development aspects of the Drug Strategy. Responsibility for co-ordinating action to implement the Strategy has passed from the Northern Ireland Office to the Northern Ireland Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSS&PS). Responsibility for issues relating to enforcement remains with the Northern Ireland Office. Mechanisms have been put in place through the DHSS&PS to facilitate co-ordination between the Executive and Whitehall departments (primarily the Northern Ireland Office and HM Customs and Excise). This is to ensure achievement of the objectives in the Northern Ireland Drug Strategy. A new strategy for tackling drug misuse was published last summer Drug Strategy For Northern Ireland embracing the four key aims of the UK Strategy. The Strategy recognises the changing nature of the problem of drug misuse in Northern Ireland and highlights the need for action to reduce drug-related harm, particularly among young people and within communities. 33

37 ACROSS THE UK The Strategy also recognises that drug misuse cannot be tackled by any one organisation. It promotes the concept of partnership between government, the voluntary sector, the private sector and local communities. Funding of 5.5 million over the three years to March 2002 has been made available to support the Strategy. Most of this funding is going directly to projects that will help deliver the outcomes of the Strategy. During 1999/2000, over 2 million was allocated to 16 projects targeting young people, users and offenders and covering education, health promotion, treatment and rehabilitation. In April 2000, bids were invited against resources of approximately 2.5 million and over 70 applications were received by the closing date. Of these bids over half are led by community and voluntary groups. Assessment of the bids is currently underway and announcements are expected at the start of the summer. Work is continuing on setting specific targets to support the Strategy and its intended outcomes. An information and research strategy is also being finalised and a communications strategy is planned. 34

38 GLOSSARY AND REFERENCES GLOSSARY AND REFERENCES ACPO CARATS DAT DfEE DH DHSS&PS DPAS DTTO EU FCO G8 HO NCIS NCS PSA PSHE SAD SDEA UKADCU UN Association of Chief Police Officers Counselling, Assessment Referral Advice Throughcare Services Drug Action Team Department for Education and Employment Department of Health Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety Drugs Prevention Advisory Service Drug Treatment and Testing Order European Union Foreign and Commonwealth Office Group of 8 most industrialised nations Home Office National Criminal Intelligence Service National Crime Squad Public Service Agreement Personal, Social & Health Education Scotland Against Drugs Scottish Drug Enforcement Agency United Kingdom Anti-Drugs Co-ordination Unit United Nations 35

39 GLOSSARY AND REFERENCES The Comprehensive Spending Review Public services for the future: modernisation, reform, accountability 1998 Cm 4181 (ISBN: ) Modern public services for Britain: investing in reform 1998 Cm 4011 (ISBN ) 1999 School Survey of Drug, Smoking and Alcohol in Secondary School Children Vol. 1. May 1999 The Stationery Office (ISBN: ) Arrest Referral Joint Funding Initiative Home Office Circular 41/1999 Drug Strategy for Northern Ireland August 1999 Northen Ireland Office Available Health Promotion Branch, DHSS&PS, Belfast Modernising Government White Paper Cm 4310 (ISBN: ) NEW-ADAM, research project monitoring recent and long-term drug use (Class A) and availability among arrestees by urinanalysis and interviewing. Research finding No. 70 & Drug Testing Arrestees Research Study No 183 Drugs & Crime: the results of research on drug testing full text on site, or contact tel: fax: Recovering the Proceeds of Crime June or contact PIU or 6950 Reducing Drug Related Deaths June 2000 (ISBN: ) Available TSO Tackling Drugs to Build a Better Britain: The Government s 10-Year Strategy for Tackling Drug Misuse April 98 Cm 3845 (ISBN: ) Available TSO Tackling Substance Misuse in Wales: A Partnership Approach May 2000 (ISBN: ) The National Assembly for Wales tel: UKADCU First Annual Report & National Plan Cabinet Office May 1999 UKADCU tel:

40 Produced for Cabinet Office, UK Anti-Drugs Co-ordination Unit by Central Office of Information. Ref. J /0007/D160