Among the speakers:
Julie Rogers, Southwark User Council & Peer Mentor Manager
Iain Gray, Southwark’s Drug and Alcohol Action Team
EammonEgerton, St Mungo’s
Minutes:
Ian Gray, Drug and Alcohol Abuse Team (DAAT) explained that every local authority in the country had a DAAT and it was a partnership between local authorities, health trusts, the probation service and the Police. DAATs were funded by central government and tasked with implementing the national drug strategy. There were various treatment surgeries available in the area that helped and supported people to achieve healthier lifestyles. Some of the services were walk-in, and assistance for the homeless and those with mental health issues was provided. There were also case workers to assist drug offenders where referrals were appropriate. Much of the national strategy was aimed at recovery and DAAT sat within community safety.
Callie Martinez, Insight Southwark, explained that the group had been operating for two years following its commission by DAAT and was a young person’s service based at the Elephant & Castle. Insight was a tier 2 and tier 3 service offering information, treatment and intervention. It was a voluntary service operating six days a week. Insight worked mainly with 11 to 24-year-olds and had links with other service providers along with schools.
Steve of Alcoholics Anonymous said AA’s primary purpose was to help members stay sober and help other members achieve sobriety. It was a group of people wanting to get well and stay well. Throughout London there were about 700 AA meetings every week. Alcoholism affected people from all walks of life. AA supports itself, there were no fees or funding from members or other bodies. There were no chiefs in AA and all members were treated equally. There were many open meetings that people could attend if they wanted to find out more. If people phone the helpline, someone would accompany them to their first meeting to simplify that part of the process. See www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk or Tel 0845 769 7555
Eammon Egerton, St Mungo’s street population outreach manager, explained that the group was funded by Southwark to reduce rough sleeping in the borough. St Mungo’s worked with rough sleepers and had advice centres. Some of the street sleepers had deep and complex problems which made it difficult for them to leave the streets. The group believed that no one should sleep rough and that people could change. There was a team that worked late at night and early in the mornings that made offers to street sleepers to improve their situation. St Mungo’s relied on local information and hoped to tackle problems early. Often the solution would be to attempt to reconnect them with their home towns but some were resistant to offers. There were lots of street sleepers from Eastern Europe and St Mungo’s worked with agencies in Poland and elsewhere.
The four speakers then took part as a panel and took questions.
In response to questions, the panel explained that the services available were broad and flexible to the needs of those who needed help. The range of services available in Southwark would give one assessment and then the person would be referred to the most appropriate programme. There was a success rate of about 40% which compared well with other areas.
In terms of licensing and saturation policies for premises selling alcohol, councillors said Neighbourhood plans would increase the powers of councils to limit the number of shops selling alcohol and also betting shops.