BMBC 21: Barnsleys Local Area Agreement 2008-2011

Drugs and AlcoholThe Barnsley Drug and Alcohol Team (DAAT) works to reduce drugand alcohol use and the resultant harm on individuals, families andcommunities by commissioning effective treatment services - working inpartnership with other relevant agencies and voluntary sector providers.Although more than 1000 drug users accessed services in 2007/08, the2007 Needs Assessment identified a further 627 ‘treatment naïve’problematic drug users. The Drug Interventions Programme (DIP)continues to achieve success with drug misusing offenders, requiringthem to attend for assessment and working to retain them in thetreatment system, thereby reducing drug related offending.There are also significant local issues concerning excessiveconsumption of alcohol and its adverse impact on health. Femalemortality rates are twice the regional average, and alcohol attributablehospital admission rates amongst the under 18’s, are 50% higher thanthe regional average. Binge drinking remains a concern, with 1 in 5adults regularly consuming more than the recommended daily amount.The DAAT commissions the Alcohol Treatment services and leads theimplementation of the Barnsley Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy. TheDAAT has also identified that there is wide spread ignorance amongstBME communities of the services available to them, through variousagencies, to deal with drug and alcohol related concerns and thereforework to improve knowledge and access to relevant providers is takingplace.The Children and Young People Treatment Needs Assessment, whichconfirmed the prevalence of cannabis and alcohol as drugs of choiceImproving the Quality of Life in Our Communities: By Protecting theCommunity from Crime, Disorder and Other Risks to Safety43for young people in Barnsley, has informed the 2008/09 TreatmentPlan. The Integrated Youth Support Strategy should ensure thatsubstance misuse treatment, information, advice and guidance is partof the holistic response to the needs of young people and their carers.The DAAT will work to ensure a smooth transition from young people toadult services where this is required.Offender ManagementA key part of the approach to community safety is pro-active offendermanagement which is aimed at protecting the wider community, whilstsupporting the effective rehabilitation of offenders. This is undertakenby the National Probation Service which works with offenders over theage of 18 who have been sentenced by the Court to a community orcustodial sentence. The work they undertake seeks to achieve thefollowing:-• Protecting the public• Reducing re-offending• The proper punishment of offenders in the community• Ensuring offenders' awareness of the effects of crime on the victimsof crime and the public• Rehabilitation of offenders.In Barnsley, the multi-agency overarching group that strategicallymanages offender management for both adults and young offenders isthe Barnsley Offender Management Forum (BOMF). Its role is toBarnsley’s Local Area Agreement 2008-11