The Colchester Drug and Alcohol Reference Group

The Colchester & Tendring Drug and Alcohol Reference Group, or DARG, is responsible for delivering the Government’s anti-drug and alcohol strategies in Colchester and Tendring. The DARG meets every 3 months and is open to any person or agency who can help reduce the harm caused by drugs or alcohol. To find out when the group will next meet please phone 01206 717819. There are similar DARG groups that operate throughout the UK.

Members and partner agencies of the Colchester and Tendring DARG come from a wide range of local agencies with some of these listed below. They work together to reduce drug and alcohol misuse and the problems that they cause our local communities across North Essex.

This section below summarises the group’s background, membership and activities.

Background

In 1995 the Government published a white paper called ‘Tackling Drugs Together’. This led to the setting up of multi-agency groups at both strategic (often county) level, and at local level to implement the strategy. These are known as Drug & Alcohol Action Teams, or DAATs, and Drug & Alcohol Reference Groups, or DARG’s, respectively. The Colchester DARG was established in September 1996 and joined with its Tendring sister group in 2007 to develop an even more effective and joined up approach to combating drug and alcohol misuse in North Essex.

In April 1998 a new strategy, ‘Tackling Drugs to Build a Better Britain’ was published. (See www.drugs.gov.uk) This focuses on four key areas, which can be summarised as: -

• Young People - to help them resist drug misuse in order to achieve their full potential
• Communities - to protect them from drug and alcohol related crime
• Treatment - to help people with drug problems overcome them and live healthy lives
• Availability - to disrupt the supply of illegal drugs.

The Essex DAAT and DARG Action Plans must relate to this strategy and show how these aims are to be achieved at local level. To find out the latest Action Plans please phone the Colchester Crime & Disorder Reduction Partnership on 01206 717819.

Membership

The Colchester & Tendring DARG membership includes representatives from the following organisations and agencies:

• Alcoholics Anonymous www.alcoholics-anonymous.org
• Beacon House Health Centre (Colchester) for the Homeless
• Essex Chamber of Commerce www.essexchambers.co.uk
• Colchester Borough Council www.colchester.gov.uk
• Colchester Crime & Disorder Reduction Partnership www.colchester-community-safety.org.uk
• North East Essex Primary Care Trust www.northeastessexpct.nhs.uk
• Colchester United Community Sports Trust www.cucst.org.uk
• Essex Drug Action Team www.essexdrugaction.org
• Essex Rivers Healthcare Trust www.colchesterhospital.nhs.uk
• Essex Youth Service
• Local Magistrates
• Matrix – Colchester , support for homeless & socially excluded people
• North East Essex Drug and Alcohol Service (NEEDAS) www.nemhpt.nhs.uk
• Open Door, support for the homeless
• Open Road, support & treatment for people with substance misuse problems www.openroad.org.uk
• Pharmacists
• Colchester Police Essex Police www.essex.police.uk
• Probation Service
• Phoenix Group Homes, support for people with alcohol problems www.phoenixalcoholproject.org.uk
• Schools & colleges
• Social Services Essex County Council www.essexcc.gov.uk
• YMCA
  

Achievements and Activities

The Colchester & Tendring Drug and Alcohol Reference Group has led or supported a number of initiatives since it was formed. These have included:

• Young Person's Health Information Card
• • Colchester SOS & Community Bus that can deliver presentations, advice, information and help linked to drug & alcohol misuse. This project is now managed through Open Road Colchester
• Colchester United’s Football in the Community Health Awareness Programme
• Guidelines for prescribing to Substance Misusers
• Guidelines for primary health care staff on dealing with people with alcohol problems
• Drugs information & education projects with children and parents
• Drugs education seminars for local teachers
• Crucial Crew child safety project that includes advice and information about drug and alcohol misuse
• Drug and alcohol awareness training for local businesses Drug and alcohol awareness training for health and social care staff
• Drugs education resources and newsletters for schools
  
• Keep’ project that provides intensive support to 20 prolific offenders who misuse drugs
• Proof of Age Scheme
• Researching the views of service users Mercury Theatre & Youth Service drama project

Many of these initiatives are ongoing, and others are being planned in response to national strategy and/or local need.

Action Plans

The DARG produces an Action Plan every year. every year which is fed back to Essex DAAT, along with those of the other Essex DARGs, and forms part of a report of activity to Government. The plan must reflect the aims of the national strategy and, where possible, set out how these will be delivered at a local level. Its key priorities are:

• Implementation of the Communities Against Drugs initiative, including allocation of funding & monitoring of projects. More information on this initiative can be found at www.crimereduction.co.uk
• Increasing the profile of alcohol misuse
• Continuing to work with schools to develop a consistent approach to drug and alcohol education across the borough
  

The DARG Action Plan is consistent with, and complements, other local strategies, particularly the Colchester Health Improvement Programme (See www.colchester-pct.nhs.uk) and the Colchester Crime and Disorder Annual Strategic Assessment of Crime. (See www.colchester-community-safety.org.uk). For more information about Colchester & Tendring DARG please contact the Colchester Crime & Disorder Reduction Partnership on 01206 717819