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NEW PAN-LONDON GUIDANCE ON CHILDREN, YOUNG PEOPLE AND ALCOHOL

More London Drug and Alcohol News

LDAN RESPONSE TO THE LONDON HEALTH INEQUALITIES STRATEGY

Following a consultation process with members, LDAN has submitted a response to the London Health Inequality Strategy.

The Mayor of London has published the first London Health Inequality Strategy for public consultation. The strategy proposes ways to improve the physical and mental health of Londoners, with a focus on health as a state of overall ‘wellbeing’ and not merely the absence of ill health. The strategy acknowledges a key health determinant as ‘the use, or level of use, of tobacco, alcohol or other substances’. The final statutory strategy will be published later in 2010.

LDAN’s response focuses on barriers to health and social care for drug and alcohol service users, and also includes specific recommendations that relate to dual diagnosis and employment pathways.

To access LDAN’s response on the Health Inequalities Strategy click here. (pdf)

To access LDAN’s briefing on the Health Inequalities Strategy click here. (pdf)

To access the full draft strategy click here (pdf)

DRUG USE AND DRUG SERVICES AMONGST BLACK AND ETHNIC MINORITIES

LDAN has produced a summary of Jane Fountain’s series of publications to inform drug service planning and provision amongst Black and ethnic minorities. This summary focuses on the findings that relate to patterns of substance use and drug service needs in England. The reports are based on the results from the Department of Health’s Black and minority ethnic drug misuse needs assessment project and focus on the following groups:

• Black African
• Black Caribbean
• Kurdish, Turkish Cypriot, Turkish
• Chinese and Vietnamese
• South Asian

To access the LDAN summary click here

To access the full reports click here

DRUGSCOPE/ LDAN NEW HORIZONS RESPONSE TO MENTAL HEALTH STRATEGY

LDAN has contributed to DrugScope’s response to the New Horizons consultation. New Horizons is the new national mental health strategy to promote good mental health and well-being and improve services for people who have mental health problems. New Horizons will build on the National Service Framework (NSF) for mental health which comes to an end in 2009. The DrugScope/LDAN response has a particular concern with the relationship between substance misuse and mental health problems, and the complex and multiple needs that often accompany ‘dual diagnosis’.

The DrugScope/LDAN response primarily builds on a consultation process with DrugScope members, including an expert seminar held on New Horizons in September. However, following LDAN’s merger with DrugScope in March 2009, our 200 strong membership of London-based drug and alcohol agencies has also provided invaluable input and feedback into DrugScope’s work on New Horizons and other key policy areas.

Download the response here (PDF)

INTERESTED IN VOLUNTEERING FOR LDAN/DRUGSCOPE?

Find out more here

LDAN BRIEFING ON SUBSTANCE MISUSE AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

As part of LDAN’s London Councils funded Domestic Violence Project, LDAN produced a new briefing that explores the links between substance misuse and domestic violence and outlines the current research, responsible bodies, legislation and policy that relates to this issue.

To access LDAN’s Briefing on Substance Misuse and Domestic Violence click here (PDF).

LDAN is launching a Domestic Violence peer support network on 29th October in Central London. The network will focus on identifying best practice and current issues in relation to substance misuse and domestic violence, particularly in relation to domestic violence perpetrators. If you are interested in finding out more about this network, please contact Carlita McKnight, LDAN Membership Development Officer, esthers.ldan@drugscope.org.uk

LDAN RESPONSE TO THE DRAFT LONDON HOUSING STRATEGY

Following a consultation event with LDAN members held at City Hall and a number of member emails, LDAN has submitted a response to the Draft London Housing Strategy.

The London Housing Strategy sets out the Mayor’s vision for housing in London. It includes key policy commitments for the drug and alcohol sector in London, such as the development of a specialist project for rough sleepers with multiple needs, especially targeting those who have behavioural and health-related problems linked with alcohol abuse.

Our response focused on the following issues in relation to substance misuse:

• Housing, social re-integration and recovery
• Access to housing
• Support in housing
• Quality of housing
• Substance misuse, housing and welfare to work
• Impact of drug-related crime and anti-social behaviour

To read LDAN’s response to the Draft London Housing Strategy click here (PDF)

To read LDAN’s briefing on The Draft London Housing Strategy click here (PDF)

To access the full Draft Strategy click here

CAN YOU HELP LDAN TO IMPROVE ACCESS TO PSYCHOLOGICAL THERAPIES FOR SERVICE USERS?

LDAN is working to improve links between our sector and the Government’s £200 million programme Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (or IAPT). We know that a high proportion of people in drug and alcohol services experience depression or anxiety, but are they accessing IAPT therapists who can help them with these issues?

We are interested in hearing about your experience with IAPT – including any experiences of working with the IAPT programme to facilitate effective working arrangements between drug and alcohol, IAPT services and other local stakeholders. Potentially, these could be showcased nationally by IAPT in supporting the development of best practice.

If you have experience of working with a local IAPT initiative, or any other comments on the IAPT programme we would be interested in hearing from you. Please contact Carlita McKnight on 020 7520 7558 or alternatively email at esthers.ldan@drugscope.org.uk

For further information on the IAPT programme, including pathfinder projects in your area, please go to the IAPT website at www.iapt.nhs.uk