Warwickshire News Mine

Led by Warwickshire’s Drug and Alcohol Action Team (DAAT), the Tackiling Drugs Week events offered the service an opportunity to meet with local residents to discuss drug related issues and advise people where to go for extra support and information.

Supported by partners in treatment services the service spoke to over 500 people at the road shows in the town centre, at Rugby College, the town hall and four sessions local community forums.

Kit Leck, Manager of Warwickshire DAAT, said: “The road shows in Rugby were a great success and I am really pleased that so many people came to talk to us.

“These events form part of a longer-term strategy to reduce drug misuse. The national campaign has given extra focus to this issue but we will continue to work with a range of agencies throughout the county as well as colleagues in the police and borough councils to continue to offer the best support to members of the public.”
In addition to these activities, the service have also been promoting a drugs consultation, this has been extended until the end of June and is available online at http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/nationaldrugsweek.

The service will use the anonymous consultation responses to get a picture of drug use in the area and people’s attitudes toward seeking support.  Kit Leck is encouraging people to take part, he said: “The short survey takes only a moment to complete and the website is a great resource features lots of other useful information for online visitors, we hope more people will log on and share their views with us.”

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For media enquiries please contact Helen List in the Warwickshire County Council press office on 01926 414142.

Notes to editors:

Warwickshire DAAT
The Drug and Alcohol Action Team (DAAT) is a local authority officer team based within Warwickshire County Council’s, Customers, Workforce and Governance Directorate. Its function is to support the Warwickshire Safer Communities Partnership to implement its responsibilities relating to the national strategies for drugs and alcohol.

The DAAT staff team:
Supports the work of the County strategic partnership to co-ordinate and plan actions to reduce the harm caused by drugs and alcohol. These are in the key areas of: Education and prevention, treatment, care and rehabilitation, availability and supply, crime reduction and community safety.
Supports district and Safer Neighbourhood Teams in their delivery of activities to reduce harm caused by drugs and alcohol.
Undertakes and commissions needs assessment and gather information.
Prepares strategy and implementation plans as indicated by need and as requested/directed by local, regional and national government.
Manages a number of specific allocations made by Government to reduce the harm caused by drugs.
Influences and co-ordinates spending by partner agencies.

Additional quotes from services who work with the Warwickshire DAAT
Mike Vickers, Manager of the Cranstoun Community Drug Agency, a service commissioned by DAAT said: “Cranstoun Drug Services offer a range of easy to access services to drug users and their families throughout Warwickshire. We offer assessment, brief interventions, structured one-to-one sessions, acupuncture, needle exchange, advice and information on harm reduction, and referral to other services.”

Tony Farquharson, Manager of Warwickshire’s Young Persons Substance Misuse Service, commissioned by DAAT said: “Our service provides advice, support and treatment for young people under 18 years of age who have concerns or problems with drugs or alcohol misuse. We are part of the Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Partnership Trust, delivering a free, non-judgemental and confidential service, on a one-to-one basis throughout Warwickshire. Anyone can refer a young person to us on our freephone number 0800 088 7248.”

Link to WCC