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This report is the response of the Western Region Drugs Task Force to the National Drugs Strategy. It is a regional approach to drug and alcohol misuse that prioritises local needs and sets out local development proposals for the next three years.

The overall aim of the National Drugs Strategy 2001-2008 is "to significantly reduce the harm caused to individuals and society by the misuse of drugs through a concerted focus on supply reduction, prevention, treatment and research" (Dept. of Tourism, Sport & Recreation, 2001). These last four themes are the "four pillars" of the National Drugs Strategy . This report will address drug issues regionally within that framework. It looks at the nature and extent of the alcohol and drug problem in the region, assesses the level of local service provision and identifies gaps in these services, and prioritises those areas most in need of development. The report also outlines how we intend to monitor and evaluate programmes and services.

The aims of the Task Force are:

• To develop an integrated and well-managed response to drug and alcohol problems across the region
• To propose a range of solutions and service interventions based on the four pillars of the National Drugs Strategy

This report incorporates the experience and opinions of Task Force members, who have participated in general and sub-group meetings over the past eighteen months, including discussions of various drafts, and as such it is a collaborative effort. In addition, to reflect local views, two 'Open Space' consultation events were held in November 2004, inviting over 300 participants from a variety of statutory and voluntary agencies, community networks and associations. The first event was held in Castlebar, County Mayo with the participants coming from Mayo and Roscommon; the second event took place in Galway City , involving participants from both the city and the county (see Annex for list of participants). The Open Space format provides a forum in which contributors can decide and discuss whatever topics are of particular interest to them, within the overall theme of the event. Their comments and proposals were recorded and have informed the development of this strategy document.

Throughout the Open Space consultation events there was a general feeling expressed of frustration and disillusionment at the lack of any committed response to tackling the complex issues around alcohol and drug misuse. The consultation process that informed this report was critical of many of the policies to date. Some of the comments made about gaps in services were:

"Money has been ring-fenced for drugs - no one is listening to Alcohol Services"
"Alcohol services lack funding & resources"
"There is a lack of co-ordinated services"
"We need multi-disciplinary teams"
"There is poor communication between service providers & agencies"
"There must be more effective use of funding & other resources"
"We need a more inclusive approach"
"What about parents' knowledge & responsibility?"
"No accurate local data collection regarding drug-related harm"
"So many gaps!"

ore work is required in the coming year to identify the exact nature and extent of these gaps in service provision and their relevance to local needs, and to determine appropriate service responses.

Drug and alcohol misuse is not a new issue. However, it is imperative that it is taken seriously and dealt with effectively at both policy level and at the level of service delivery if we are to make any real impact on reducing the problems that affect our communities.

It is important to be aware of what we know about how drug problems develop and the harm they can cause in a community. We must strengthen and build up the protective factors now that will assist communities, families and individuals to deal with substance use in the future. If we know, for example, that poor socioeconomic status is associated with substance misuse, then it is necessary to ensure that we employ proactive social policies that redress economic inequities, improve access to education, provide employment, enable access to good quality housing and support the overall improvement of people's quality of life, as these are known protective factors that can reduce the incidence of alcohol and drug misuse. We must also be mindful of rural deprivation and isolation which can be less visible but equally as damaging.

Alcohol is a pervasive, complex issue of major public health and social significance. Unfortunately, government and society do not yet seem ready or willing to comprehensively tackle alcohol misuse despite the overwhelming evidence of the harm it can cause.

The recently published second report of the Strategic Task Force on Alcohol made very clear recommendations on reducing the impact of alcohol-related harm. However, in our Open Space consultation process people felt that there is little political will to address the alcohol misuse issue and to implement the STFA recommendations. The members of the Western Region Drugs Task Force feel strongly that it is necessary to include alcohol in our deliberations and recommendations regarding service developments, given that it is by far the most commonly used substance in the region.

No one agency can tackle all drug-related problems on its own, but working together we can employ joint planning and forward thinking to achieve shared solutions and integrated service planning that will address the drug and alcohol problem early and hopefully reduce the harmful impact of drug and alcohol misuse. For this approach to work, a number of guiding principles must be adopted.

For the Task Force to operate successfully a dedicated core team of people is required to drive the development of projects, to monitor and evaluate initiatives, and to provide administrative support.

Task Force members, and the agencies they represent, need to agree on shared values, commit to common principles and agree a joint work programme that complements the plans of individual agencies. It would be beneficial for Task Force members to sign up to a Memorandum of Understanding, or Interagency Agreement, that agrees common targets and goals.

1.3.3 Interagency co-operation

The multi-agency process is essential for successful joint development of projects. The Task Force programme should complement and support the work of the existing agencies and services. It is not meant as a replacement or an alternative. Ideally the finance made available could be best used to match or joint fund prioritised developments. True inter-agency co-operation will require, at minimum, an open policy of sharing information and working together to identify new solutions and new initiatives.