Cambridgeshire DAAT Briefing - June 2004

The "Cambridgeshire Drug & Alcohol Action Team Briefing" aims to provide information regarding the current work of the DAAT partnership in tackling substance misuse across the county. I hope you find this useful - your feedback is welcome. If you would like further information on any of the following, please do not hesitate to contact the DAT Office on 01223 713067.

GENERAL NEWS

• DAAT Website now LIVE - Feedback has been very positive; if there is anything you would like to see included, or any changes that need to be made, please contact Vickie or Laura.
• Criminal Justice Interventions Project Manager, Emma Pawson, will begin on 1st July.
• Needle Exchange Co-ordinator for Peterborough and Cambridgeshire DAATs, Joan Kempster will be joining the team in July.
• Officers from the Drug Strategy Directorate recently attended the DAAT; this enabled them to see how the National Drug Strategy is being delivered at a local level. They were impressed by the strength of the partnership and the collaborative approach taken. Specific impressions included:
  • Good interagency working
  • Clear leadership
  • Clear lines of accountability
  • A real commitment to achieve results
  • Appropriate financial management and monitoring procedures
  • Co-ordination between strands of activity; and
  • Achievement through partnership.

YOUNG PEOPLE

• The Young Peoples Plan for 2004/05 has been submitted to Government office. If you would like a copy please contact the DAAT Office.
• A "virtual" young peoples substance misuse team is being developed to ensure greater continuity of care for young people concerned about their substance use. This fits with the Green Paper "Every Child Matters" setting out the development of children's services.
• Young Peoples Alcohol Outreach Workers are being employed countywide through Drinksense. Concerns about young peoples alcohol use in specific areas can be brought to the attention of these workers through the local Drinksense teams, for more information please contact Vickie or Veronica.
• The IMPACT Project works with families where parents have a substance misuse problem which affects their ability to parent. Additional funding has enabled the team to work with families where the primary substance is alcohol. The team can also work with parents where it is the childs substance misuse which is causes problems for the whole family. If you would like to refer a family for this service, please contact Warwick Tomsett, Programme Manager, for an informal chat about what the prohject can offer and how to refer into services. Warick can be reached on 01223 712 718.

COMMUNITIES

• Work continues on countywide drug audits, Laura (DAT Information Officer) is leading on this for the DAAT. If you have any data or information that may be useful, please contact Laura directly.
• Work on CJIP is moving ahead, with Resettlement Workers, a Tenancy support worker and Aftercare Workers being employed throughout the county by various agencies. It is hoped that this will be "live" before the autumn, for more information please contact Emma or JC. CJI will also include an intensive "pre-arrest" scheme in Cambridge City; this will replicate work currently underway in Peterborough on the "Nene" project. To date this has resulted in significant reduction in crime in Peterborough.
• Lucas Oliver is working with community groups in the South of the county, if know of a group which would like to know more about drugs and the work being done to tackle drugs, please contact Lucas directly.
• The Home Office Lead for Diversity has endorsed Cambridgeshire's Drug Awareness work with Travellers, as a model of good practice. This was funded in 2003/04 through the DAAT and Community Safety Partnerships, and continues to be funded by DAAT. The DAAT have been funded to hold a conference disseminating this good practice nationally, this will be held in the autumn.

TREATMENT

• The Cambridgeshire Treatment Plan has been submitted to the NTA, if you would like further information please contact Jane or Vickie.
• Models of Care work is continuing in each locality, to ensure effective routes into and throughout substance misuse treatment.
• Cambridgeshire Public Health are writing a Blood Bourne Virus (BBV) Strategy for the county which will be informed by drug agencies and the experiences of those in treatment with experience of BBV testing and treatment.

AVAILABILITY

• A joint protocol between the East Anglian Ambulance Service and Cambridgeshire Constabulary has now been agreed, this is a significant piece of work and copies can be made available on request.
• The Availability Plan is still being written, this is complex as it is essential that it be aligned with police strategy and targets.
• The police have already used the new Anti-Social Behaviour powers to close premises, which they believe are being used for the use or supply of Class A Drugs where this is having an effect on the local community. This involved a number of partners to ensure that the process is smooth and that support services are available for those who may be homeless as a result of the closure.

ALCOHOL

• The DAAT Agreed that alcohol is a major strategy area and that key stakeholders need to meet to agree the way forward in terms of setting out countywide alcohol strategy. Christine Greer will be the lead DAAT member for this area.

Next DAAT Meetings:

Thursday 2nd September, 1.00pm Hunts Professional Development Centre
Thursday 9th December, 12.30pm The Grange, Nutholt Lane, Ely