Drugs: Our Community, Your Say
Organisations directly involved in providing help and guidance to people with drug problems in Warwickshire were joined by representatives from the police, health services, local authorities and county councillors last week.
They had gathered to make their voices heard on how the drugs issue should be dealt with, locally and nationally.
The Home Office is currently carrying out a national drugs consultation and Warwickshire’s very own Drugs and Alcohol Action Team (DAAT) is co-ordinating the county’s response.
The Warwickshire DAAT welcomed around 60 delegates to a special drugs consultation event for the county, ‘Drugs: Our Community, Your Say’ at Garden Organic, Ryton-on-Dunsmore, on Wednesday 3rd October. The event was chaired by Councillor Richard Hobbs, Warwickshire County Council’s Portfolio Holder for Community Protection.
Work groups of representatives from key organisations involved in drug-related services in Warwickshire discussed subjects including young people, drug education and families; public information campaigns; drug treatment, social care and support for drug users in re-establishing their lives; protecting the community from drug-related crime and re-offending; and enforcement and supply activity.
In August, the Warwickshire DAAT launched an online questionnaire, asking people what they thought about some of the main issues raised in the consultation.
The consultation event will build on the results of the questionnaire, which received a good response from across Warwickshire, to formulate a joint response from Warwickshire to the government’s consultation on its future drugs strategy.
Another aim of the event was to help establish and develop an overall drug strategy for Warwickshire, as well as identify areas where good work is already being done and those areas where improvement is needed.
Kit Leck, Manager of the Warwickshire DAAT said: “This is the largest ever consultation on the National Drugs Strategy and the Warwickshire Drug and Alcohol Action Team is gathering evidence to prepare a response on behalf of residents, policy makers and service providers in Warwickshire.
“Whilst the process has been driven by government, we need to understand the views of Warwickshire people and ultimately put in place services that are important, as well as establish what needs to be done next.”