The Worcestershire Drug Action Team

In May 1995, the Conservative Government, with cross party support, introduced a White Paper entitled 'Tackling Drugs Together' which outlined plans to handle drug misuse up until 1998. The strategy focused on crime, young people and public health. The strategy recognised the need for increased collaboration between a wide range of services involved with drug misusers. The White Paper expected to bring together the resources and expertise from three government ministries:

• The Home Office
• Department of Education
• Department of Health

The White Paper sets out major objectives in three area for the newly formed DAT's:

• to reduce drug-related crime;
• to ensure that the law is effectively enforced against drug suppliers and traffickers;
• to reduce the public's fear of drug-related crime;
• to reduce the level of drug misuse in prisons.

• to discourage the taking of drugs by young people;
• to ensure that schools offer effective drugs education, providing facts, stating risks, and helping to develop skills to refuse drugs;
• to raise the awareness of school staff, governors and parents regarding the issues associated with drug misuse amongst young people;
• to provide services for advice, counselling, treatment, rehabilitation and after-care for young
• people at risk or dependant on drugs.

• to protect communities from the health risks and other damage associated with drug misuse, including the risk of spread of communicable diseases;
• to discourage drug-misuse and help those already misusing to stop;
• to ensure access to services for advice, counselling, treatment, rehabilitation and after-care services for individual drug-misusers;
• to ensure families of misusers have access to advice, counselling and support services.

Drug Action Teams were set up across England with a remit to implement the strategy. The teams were expected to adapt the national strategies to their local circumstances. The Drug Action Teams were advised to set up Drug Reference Groups, made up from professionals from various organisations involved with individuals affected by drugs. The DRG's act as a local forum for the exchange of idea's and allow each organisation to learn from one another. The current Labour Government has pursued this work and appointed a National Anti Drugs Unit Co-ordinator (the 'Drugs Czar'). A ten year strategy details the work now going on.

Within Worcestershire there are Drug Reference Groups that address:

• Prevention
• Treatment
• Education

These are made up of individuals from: the Police, Youth Service, JP's, GP's, Psychiatric Nurses, Social Services, Health Promotion, Public Health, Statutory treatment providers, non-statutory organisations, the Prison Service, Probation and the Local Education Authority.

The members of the Worcestershire Drug Action Team

The DAT comprises two levels, an executive level made up of senior officers from the organisations involved in 'Tackling Drugs Together' and a 'core' DAT to handle day-to-day issues, made up of the co-ordinator, information officer and admin. officer. The members of the core DAT come from a variety of backgrounds and experiences:

The executive DAT is made up of senior individuals from a variety of backgrounds and hence experiences:

• Prof. Brian McCloskey (Chairman) Director of Public Health Worcestershire Health Authority
• Allan Jones DAT Co-ordinator
• Dr Alan Tweddell Consultant in Public Health
• Julien Kramer Director of Educational Services
• Avriel Reader Asst. Director Children & Families
• Barry Johnson Asst. Chief Probation Officer
• Supt. Ron Whitfield West Mercia Police
• Jim Mullen Governor HMP Long Lartin
• Peter Siddons Director HMP Blakenhurst
• Bridgit Cooper Principal County Youth Officer
• Richard Edgington DPAS
• Maria Maynard County Co-ordinator PSHE
• D.I. Mike Wilkes West Mercia Constabulary