[Article] Report calls for improved access to substance treatment

[Colm Moore]

http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/0621/sub...behaviour.html

'Better City for All' report calls for improved access to substance treatment centres in Dublin
Updated: 11:24, Thursday, 21 June 2012

A report on substance abuse and anti-social behaviour has said a contributory problem is the clustering of treatment centres in Dublin city centre.

The 'Better City for All' report also highlighted the fact that the main centres close from 1pm-2pm.

It said there should be better access to treatment options nationally, with more local services close to home.

The report was produced by a strategic response group involving around 13 agencies.

It says that no new planning permissions should be given for off-licence sales in the Dublin city area.

Johnny Connolly, chairman of the group and research officer with the Health Research Board, said treatment centres should review their opening and closing times.

The report also recommends that more services be provided by GPs and says people should be treated and provided support services as close to their home as possible.

It calls for more community-based residential crisis stabilisation and detoxification units, and a reduced number of specialised treatment units.

The report says that gardaí need to be given powers to deal with street dealing of non-prescribed drugs so they can initiate prosecutions.

[Colm Moore]

http://www.dublincity.ie/YourCouncil...Behaviour.aspx

Lord Mayor's Commission on Anti-Social Behaviour

What is antisocial behaviour? The Oxford English dictionary describes it as behaviour that is “destructive of or hostile to other members of society”.

Antisocial behaviour is a problem in all areas of the city and is an issue I wanted to look at and highlight during my term as Lord Mayor. I focused on the types of low-level antisocial behaviour which can make the lives of many in a community a misery. I formed a Lord Mayor’s Commission and invited experts from various organisations and Government Departments to sit on the Commission to discuss the nature and causes of antisocial behaviour, share experiences of evidence-based initiatives which are working and find possible solutions.

The Commission met nine times between October 2011 and May 2012.

I also hosted a conference on 29th February 2012, at which Minister Roisín Shortall, Minister of State at the Department of Health with responsibility for Primary Care and for the National Drugs and Alcohol Strategy, delivered the keynote address. The theme of the conference was preventing and responding to antisocial behaviour. Over 300 people attended the conference and participated in the workshops and Question & Answer sessions.

This report presents my findings and conclusions following the nine meetings with the Commission, feedback from the conference, and one to one meetings with a variety of experts and people working on the issue of antisocial behaviour from around the city. In drafting this report, I have sought to put the emphasis on solutions that are supported by strong evidence; where necessary, I recommend carrying out more research to gain evidence on how we should most effectively tackle this difficult problem.

The most promising finding from this commission is the importance of parenting in reducing antisocial behaviour in the long-term. If we can help parents to improve the emotional well-being of their children, we can greatly improve quality of life for their children and at the same time reduce the likelihood of antisocial behaviour occurring in our communities.

Ultimately, I recommend an inter-agency response, drawing on the energies and ideas of community and statutory bodies. Inter-agency work is difficult and requires new ways of collaborating. However, there are examples from around the city that it can work. For example, the Ballymun Interagency Group involves 16 agencies who have signed up to a protocol to share information and work together on case management.

It is essential for Dublin that people feel safe in their homes and confident as they travel through their communities. Unfortunately this is not always the case, so we must change how we tackle these complex problems in order to improve the lives of all of us who live in, work in and visit Dublin. I believe that only by working together can we achieve this.

I would like to thank all those who sat on the Commission and gave of their time and expertise to assist me in this work. Special thanks are also due to the sub-group and authors of the chapters for their extensive work in drafting and editing this report.

Andrew Montague

Lord Mayor of Dublin



Links and Downloads

Lord Mayors Commission on Anti-Social Behaviour

Press Release

http://www.dublincity.ie/Press/Press...haviour.as px

Lord Mayor's Commission Report Suggests agencies need to work together effectively and with Community to reduce Antisocial Behaviour


“A directly elected Mayor should play a key role in coordinating multi-agency approach to the serious problem of antisocial behaviour in Dublin. It is very important that all agencies – national and local government, An Garda Síochána, Health Services, Education providers and communities –work together effectively to combat antisocial behavior in the city.” Lord Mayor of Dublin Andrew Montague told Mr. Alan Shatter, T.D., Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence, when he presented the Minister with the Report of the Lord Mayor’s Commission on antisocial behaviour, with recommendations from experts and people in the city, already working on the issue.

“Where multi-agency work can be done, it should be done and local communities must be involved”, the Lord Mayor said. “Antisocial behaviour is a problem across communities in Dublin and in our city centre and it negatively affects the experience of the city for its visitors and residents”. Among the Report’s key recommendations are to prioritise early intervention programmes with parents and babies/very young children; to tackle the open drug dealing of prescription drugs on city streets and to encourage the use of Restorative Justice in our probation and criminal systems and Restorative Practice in our schools.

Welcoming the Report, Minister Shatter acknowledged the Lord Mayor's personal initiative in steering the Commission's work and he also paid tribute to the members of the Commission and the many others who contributed to its endeavours. The Minister went on to say that “...the Report highlights a range of existing approaches which have had positive results at local level, and this shows that despite many challenges, progress can be made...." The Minister also noted that "... the Report will clearly be of interest and assistance to a number of Government Departments in their consideration of a range of important policies.”

The Report can be downloaded here

Lord Mayors Commission on Anti-Social Behaviour

Key recommendations include;


EARLY INTERVENTION WORKS

“The HSE’s Early Intervention Parenting programmes work and should be rolled out throughout the City, starting with the most marginalised communities”, Andrew Montague said. “These programmes strengthen the bond between parents and infants in the first two years of life. Research consistently shows that these parenting programmes offer the best value for money in giving a child the emotional skills to deal with life and diverting them from a later pattern of antisocial behaviour.”


STOP SALE OF PRESCRIPTION DRUGS ON CITY STREETS

“There is a serious problem with the sale and swapping of prescription drugs in Dublin city centre”, he went on. “Empower the Gardaí to prosecute in cases where offenders are found to be trading prescription drugs and introduce a national protocol on the prescription of benzodiazepines, as a matter of urgency to address problematic issues like repeat prescriptions. Care for drug users locally. Methadone treatment must be made promptly available, where the user lives. Implement local services for methadone treatment for local people in local areas, rather than forcing people to access services in the city centre.”


RESTORATIVE JUSTICE

“Restorative Justice forces offenders to face up to the real impact of their behaviour and recompense the victims. It offers an effective response to antisocial behaviour and offending generally. It can be used for a range of offences from antisocial behaviour to serious crime and can even be used in conjunction with prison sentences. It can be very effective either as an alternative or a complement to the existing range of responses. I believe the use of Restorative Justice should be extended in the Dublin Area”.

The impact on antisocial behaviour on local communities and businesses is destructive, de-stabilising and it erodes any feeling of community safety and well-being”, concluded the Lord Mayor.

ENDS

For further information, please contact:
Dublin City Council Press Office at Tel: (01) 2222170

Note to the Editor.

Commission Members

Lord Mayor Andrew Montague
Councillor Gerry Ashe
Councillor Tom Brabazon
Councillor Christy Burke
Councillor Anthony Connaghan
Councillor Pat Crimmins
Councillor Mannix Flynn
Councillor Cieran Perry
Councillor Ray McAdam
Councillor Criona Ní Dhalaigh
Councillor John Redmond
Councillor Steve Wrenn

Assistant Garda Commissioner Michael Feehan (to February 2012)
Assistant Garda Commissioner Sean Twomey (from February 2012)
Dick Brady, Assistant City Manager, Dublin City Council
Philip Maguire, Assistant City Manager, Dublin City Council
Dr. Graham Connon, Senior Clinical Psychologist, Health Service Executive Ballymun
Odran Reid, Northside Partnership
Hugh Greaves, Ballymun Drugs Task Force
Kieran O’Dwyer, Irish Prison Service
Vivian Geiran, Director of Operations, Probation Service
Gordon Jeyes, National Director for Children and Family Servies, Health Service Executive
Siobhan Mugan, Health Service Executive
Aidan Waterstone, Health Service Executive
Inspector Gerry Murphy, An Garda Síochána
Inspector Barry Moore, An Garda Síochána
Inspector Finbarr Murphy, An Garda Síochána
Inspector Patrick McMenamin, An Garda Síochána
Inspector Jo O’Leary, An Garda Síochána
Charlie Lowe, Area Manager, Dublin City Council
Ray Yeates, Dublin City Arts Officer, Dublin City Council
Sean Redmond, Irish Youth Justice System, Department of Justice
Ruairí Gogan, Irish Youth Justice System, Department of Justice
Tony Duffin, Ana Liffey Drug Project
Richard Guiney, CEO Dublin City Bids Limited
Shane Butler, Associate Professor, Department of Social Work & Social Policy, Trinity College Dublin.