| |
DRUGS
IN SCOTLAND: MEETING THE CHALLENGE |
CO-ORDINATION |
| 44. In each health board area, a small group
of senior people should be established to draw up an action plan for tackling drug misuse
locally and thereafter driving and monitoring its delivery. This group - which should be
known as the Drug Action Team - should consist of senior local figures from the statutory
and non-statutory agencies, including the health board, the social work department, the
education department, the police and the voluntary sector (para 7.4). |
| 45. The Drug Action Team should consist of
officers who are at, or just below, chief officer level. The Chairman should be of chief
officer level - that is to say a Health Board General Manager, a Social Work Services
Director, a Director of Education, a Chief Constable or a person of similar standing. He
or she should be selected through the machinery which exists locally for consultation at
chief officer level, following whatever wider consultation seems appropriate. The Chairman
should report regularly to the local chief officer's group on the activities of the Drug
Action Team (para 7.6). |
| 46. Drug Action Teams should be established
in all health board areas by 1 April 1995. Within 6 months they should draw up strategic
plans for tackling drug misuse in their areas. Although teams are to be locally based and
not subject to central direction, The Scottish Office should monitor their development,
should receive and assess their strategic and annual operating plans and should use its
good offices to resolve any difficulties which arise locally (para 7.8). |
| 47. The Scottish Office should provide
funding to enable each Drug Action Team to have a Drugs Development Officer (para 7.10). |
| 48. To support and inform the work 'of each
Drug Action Team, a Drugs Forum, covering the same catchment area, should be established.
This should be broadly based, representing the interests of those who provide services to
drug misusers, drug misusers themselves and their families and carers and representatives
of communities affected by drug misuse. The main purpose of the Forum would be to
ascertain, co-ordinate and express the views of service providers, service users and those
in need of services (para 7.11). |
| 49. The Scottish Office should establish a
Scottish advisory committee on drug misuse, reporting to the Secretary of State for
Scotland, to provide advice on policy, priorities and strategic planning (para 7.14). |
| 50. The development of a strategy for
the training of those working in the drug misuse field should be taken forward by the
Scottish advisory committee (para 7.17). |
