Event Details

Key Speakers

	Nicola Singleton, Director of Policy & Strategy, UK Drugs Policy Commission
	Alan Hopley, Addaction
	Nick Barton, Chief Executive, Action on Addiction
	Martin Barnes, Chief Executive, Drugscope
	Chief Superintendent Graham Bartlett, Divisional Commander, Brighton & Hove Division, Sussex Police

Overview

Drug dependency is a complex health disorder with social causes and consequences. Recovery from drug dependency can be a long-term process which typically follows a pattern of lapse, relapse and repeated attempts at treatment before sustained recovery can be achieved. Drug treatment keeps people alive by preventing overdose and the spread of blood-borne viruses such as HIV and hepatitis.

In December 2010 the Government published its new Drug Strategy, ‘Reducing Demand, Restricting Supply, Building Recovery: Supporting People to Live a Drug Free Life’, which set out a radically different approach to tackling drugs and the problems they create for society. The strategy outlines a vision for effective prevention, robust enforcement and a full recovery-oriented treatment system.

In March 2012, the Home Office published ‘Putting Full Recovery First’, outlining their roadmap for building a new treatment system based on commitments made in the Drug Strategy.

Against this background, according to the British Crime Survey (BCS) the proportion of young people who have used cannabis in the past year continues to decline from a peak in 1998, whilst use of class A drugs such as cocaine and heroin have declined to a lesser degree. Recent figures from the National Treatment Agency indicate that heroin and crack cocaine are mostly confined to older users. National Health Service surveys also suggest that fewer schoolchildren aged between 11 and 15 are affected by drugs – in 2010 only 18% said they had ever used drugs, an 11% reduction from 2001.

Nevertheless, England still has comparatively high numbers of people experiencing drug problems in the Western world, though it also has one of the highest proportions of these people in treatment, leading the way internationally on drug treatment outcomes work.

This special symposium provides an invaluable opportunity for local drug action teams, health and social care services, NHS and public health specialists and Third Sector practitioners to discuss the latest Government strategy to enable individuals to become free from their dependence, recover fully and live meaningful lives.

Delegates will:

• Discuss the Government’s three guiding principles underpinning the drug strategy – wellbeing, citizenship and freedom from dependence
• Explore how effective the new strategy will be in tackling the economic, criminal and social reach of drugs
• Assess the impact of the impending transfer of critical functions from the National Treatment Agency (NTA) to Public Health England
• Examine the new role of local authorities in improving the health and wellbeing of their communities
• Share ideas, experience and opinions on establishing recovery champions at three levels – strategic, therapeutic and community

Programme

Who Should Attend?

• Drug Action Team Co-ordinators and Commissioners
• Drug Treatment Providers
• Drug Agencies and Rehabilitation Centres
• Addiction Services, Addiction Psychiatrists and Psychologists
• NHS Health Service Professionals
• Local Authorities
• Central Government Departments and Agencies
• Social Workers and Social Care Services
• Recovery Sector Professionals
• General Practitioners
• Public Health Specialists
• Anti-Social Behaviour Coordinators
• Police Services and Policy Authorities
• Youth Offending Teams
• Youth and Outreach Workers
• Probation Officers
• Community Support Officers
• Children and Youth Services
• Domestic Violence Co-ordinators
• Leads on Hepatitis and Substance Misuse
• Family Support Practitioners and Commissioners
• Local Education Welfare Authorities
• Teachers and Head Teachers
• Neighbourhood Wardens and Co-ordinators
• Service User Advocacy Groups and Carers
• Parenting Practitioners
• Accident and Emergency Departments
• Town Centre Managers
• CAFCASS Members
• Connexions Service
• Local Children’s Safeguarding Boards
• Providers of Young People’s Drug Services
• Equality and Diversity Practitioners
• Third Sector Practitioners
• Academics and Researchers

“ …Putting Full Recovery First, outlines the Government’s roadmap for building a new treatment system based on recovery, guided by three overarching principles– wellbeing, citizenship, and freedom from dependence.
…We do not underestimate the scale of the transformation from a system that has concentrated on engaging and retaining people in treatment to one that is capable of delivering recovery outcomes.
Our ultimate goal is to enable individuals to become free from their dependence, to recover fully and live meaningful lives. ”
— Lord Henley, Chair of the Inter-Ministerial Group on Drugs, 14 March 2012