Drugs action

Drug and Alcohol Action Team

The Medway Drug and Alcohol Action Team (DAAT) is the partnership responsible for the delivery of the government's ten-year strategy (787KB) and a three-year action plan (279KB). To use these files, you will need an Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you do not have this on your computer, please use our advice page to download it.

DAAT brings together representatives of all the local agencies involved in tackling the misuse of drugs, including the health authority, the council, police, probation, social services, education and youth services and the voluntary sector.

There are four strands of work within the National Drug Strategy:

• protecting communities through tackling drug supply, drug-related crime and anti-social behaviour;
• preventing harm to children, young people and families affected by drug misuse;
• delivering new approaches to drug treatment and social re-integration;
• public information campaigns, communications and community engagement.

Key policies in the strategy

• Embedding action to tackle drugs within the neighbourhood policing approach, to gather community intelligence and to increase community confidence.
• Targeting the drug-misusing offenders causing the highest level of crime by improving prison treatment programmes and increasing the use of community sentences with a drug rehabilitation requirement.
• Extending powers to seize the cash and assets of drug dealers to demonstrate to communities that dealing does not pay.
• Focusing on the families where parents misuse drugs, intervening early to prevent harm to children, prioritising parents' access to treatment where children are at risk, providing intensive parenting guidance and supporting family members, such as grandparents, who take on caring responsibilities.
• Developing a package of support to help people in drug treatment to complete treatment to re-establish their lives, including ensuring local arrangements are in place to refer people from Jobcentres to sources of housing advice and advocacy and appropriate treatment.
• Using opportunities presented by the benefits system to support people in re-integrating with society and gaining employment, with a commitment to examine further how claimants can be offered incentives to engage with treatment and other services.
• Piloting new approaches which allow a more flexible and effective use of resources, including individual budgets to meet treatment and wider support needs.

What does the DAAT do?

The DAAT ensures that the work of local agencies is brought together effectively and that cross-agency projects are co-ordinated successfully. It takes strategic decisions on expenditure and service delivery within the four strands of the National Drugs Strategy.

This work involves:

• commissioning services, including supporting structures;
• monitoring and reporting on performance;
• communicating plans, activities and performance to stakeholders.

Structure and accountability

The Team consists of a DAAT Chair and a DAAT Manager:

• the DAAT Chair is the most senior official within the DAAT, working on a part time basis with a senior position within one of the constituent agencies (including health authorities, the council's Children and Adult Services Directorate, housing providers, police, prisons and probation);
• the DAAT Manager is responsible for the day-to-day management of the DAAT, working alongside community safety managers in the Medway Community Safety Partnership (CSP) with a small group of staff.

DAATs are formally accountable to the Home Secretary. They are supported by Home Office teams in the nine Regional Government Offices and centrally by the Drugs Strategy Directorate.

For more information about the DAAT, please use the contact details below.

Local treatment services

Adult services

Services for people aged 18 years or more.

Alcohol

• Equinox
  
  The Victoria Centre
  23 Victoria Street
  Rochester
  Kent ME1 1XJ
  
  Phone: 01634 831999
  Email: admin@victoriactr.exquinoxcare.org.uk
  Website: www.equinoxcare.org.uk
  
  An alcohol counselling service offering one-to-one counselling to users and partners or family members of those whose drinking causes concern. Clients can self-refer by telephoning the service or be referred by another service (e.g. social services, probation) or a family doctor. Equinox holds a drop-in service each Monday between 12 noon and 1pm. A floating support service provides home visits for people unable to access the counselling service due to mobility difficulties or for other reasons.

Drugs and substance misuse

• KCA
  55 Green Street
  Gillingham
  Kent ME7 1AE
  
  Phone: 01634 830114
  Email: MedwayPrescribing@KCA.org.uk
  Website: www.kca.org.uk
  
  Care packages are designed to meet individual needs and goals and are reviewed every time the service user meets his or her keyworker. Treatment options include:
  
  
  • community short term prescribing;
  • community maintenance prescribing;
  • community detox;
  • referral to in patient detox.
• KCA
  Throwley House
  49 Maidstone Road
  Chatham
  Kent ME4 6DP
  
  Phone: 01634 845678
  Email: MedwayDayProgrammes@kca.org.uk
  Website: www.kca.org.uk
  
  Structured day programme and community rehabilitation.
• Turning Point
  Throwley House
  49 Maidstone Road
  Chatham
  Kent ME4 6DP
  
  Phone: 01634 845678
  Website: www.turning-point.co.uk
  
  This service offers:
  
  
  • needle exchange;
  • harm-reduction advice;
  • outreach services;
  • referral to other services;
  • telephone help line;
  • complementary therapies;
  • group work;
  • individual counselling;
  • support and advice for families, carers and significant others;
  • drop-in service.
    
    Turning Point also provides aftercare services for those leaving treatment or coming to the end of their treatment journey to support returning to or beginning education, training and employment.
• CRI
  Medway Drug Interventions Programme
  3^rd Floor GHL House
  12–14 Albion Place
  Maidstone
  Kent ME14 5DZ
  
  Phone: 01622 690864
  Fax: 01622 754646
  Email: medwaydip@crinet.co.uk
  Website: www.cri.org.uk
  
  The Drug Interventions Programme (DIP) is a service based within the criminal justice system. Working in police custody, it assesses those who have been arrested for drug-related offences or acquisitive crime and supports them into treatment to reduce criminality. The DIP worker will support those engaged in the service throughout their treatment journey.
• Medway Substance Misuse Team
  This team within Medway Council assesses clients with substance misuse problems and offers help to family and friends about substance misuse, as well as to people they know who may be misusing substances.

Services for young people

KCA Young Peoples' Services
Sunlight Centre
Richmond Road
Gillingham
Kent ME7 1LX

Phone: 01634 338640
Email: medway@kca.org.uk
Website: www.kca.org.uk

Age 11–19 years

Offering:

• advice and information;
• drop-in service;
• harm reduction;
• brief interventions;
• targeted activity;
• outreach services;
• advice and information for parents and carers including:
  
  
  • assessment;
  • keywork;
  • counselling;
  • groups;
  • family therapy;
  • harm-reduction;
  • health awareness;
  • parents' group;
  • drop-in;
  • joint agency liaison;
  • treatment services.

Drug Interventions Support Programme (DISP)
Grey Zebra
Kenward House
Yalding
Kent ME18 6AH

Phone: 01622 814187
Email: enquiries@kenwardtrust.org.uk
Website: www.kenwardtrust.org.uk

Age 10–16 years

Medway Council encourages schools to have an active drugs policy, part of which is to offer attendance on a drugs intervention and support programme as an alternative to possible exclusion or getting a criminal record. This is a free service with the short programme being informative, educational, interactive and enjoyable for the participants, with continuing support if necessary.

For further information on the Drug Strategy and substance misuse, visit:

• www.drugs.gov.uk

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