| |
DRUGS
IN SCOTLAND: MEETING THE CHALLENGE |
| INFORMATION |
| 1. There is scope for improvements to be made
in the collection of information about drug misuse. Progress can best be made by a
continuous process of seeking to improve the availability of reliable information,
concentrating on what is required for policy development or the delivery of services. This
should be taken forward by the proposed Scottish advisory committee (para 2.12). |
| 2. Consideration should be given to extending
the Scottish Drug Misuse Database to include all agency contacts between drug misusers and
drug misuse services rather than just the first contact - the current arrangement - while
maintaining the anonymity of the information collected (para 2.10). |
3. Social work authorities
should ensure that those responsible for assessment across the full range of social work
services are alert to the possibility that drug misuse may be a contributing factor.
Authorities should review their arrangements for recording the incidence of drug misuse at
the point of referral for social work services with a view to ensuring that the
information collected is comprehensive and reliable (para 2.11). |
4. The Scottish Office
should take steps to ensure that a suitable research programme is developed and sustained
(para 3.36). |
