Drug and Alcohol Strategy
Drug and alcohol use affect not just those who misuse drugs and alcohol but also their families, loved ones, carers, wider communities, services and businesses. We want Sandwell to be a place where everyone can have the best start in life, live well and age well, safe from the harms caused by drugs and alcohol. Preventing and reducing these harms is central to improving the safety, wellbeing and prosperity of Sandwell.
Sandwell’s Public Health team have spoken to local service providers and partners, people with lived experience, and the wider community to understand what needs to be done. This has led to a strategy and to a list of recommendations of how we are going to prevent and reduce drug and alcohol related harms.
Why do we need a Drugs and Alcohol strategy?
There is no single action that can be taken to prevent and reduce drug and alcohol harms, but there are many ways in which services, communities, individuals and society can work collectively to do so. The Sandwell Drug and Alcohol Partnership (SDAP) brings these people and groups together to develop and deliver better ways of working.
What does this strategy aim to achieve?
The overall aim of the new strategy is to reduce drug and alcohol-related harms and overall use in Sandwell. The strategy has been co-produced working in partnership with key stakeholders, including service providers, those with living and lived experience, and the wider community.
- Addressing Supply
- Delivering a World-Class Treatment and Recovery System
- Achieving a Generational Shift in the Demand for Alcohol and Drugs
- A review of recovery support and lived experience mechanisms for Sandwell
To find out more, access a full copy of our Drugs and Alcohol Strategy.
How was the strategy developed?
A Drug and Alcohol Needs Assessment was carried out in 2022 which reviewed local drug and alcohol needs and the current response to them. Interviews with partner and community organisations, and with individuals with lived experience, provided valuable insights into the perspectives of those directly and indirectly affected by drug and alcohol use. Access a full copy of the Drugs and Alcohol Needs Assessment.
Who will be responsible for delivering the Strategy and Action Plan?
The Sandwell Drug and Alcohol Partnership will be responsible for taking forward the agreed Strategy commitments and keeping these on track. There will be local oversight from both the Safer Sandwell Safer Partnership and the Sandwell Health and Wellbeing Board.
The Sandwell Drug and Alcohol Partnership also links into the West Midlands Combatting Drugs Partnership led by the Office of the Police Crime Commissioner – this allows for more joined up action at a regional level especially in relation to supply and criminal justice elements.
The Sandwell Drug and Alcohol Partnership also links in with various other boards via its members including Domestic Violence, Safeguarding and Reducing Reoffending groups amongst others.
How will we monitor delivery of the Strategy?
Annual delivery reports detailing progress against key identified outcomes such as drug and alcohol related deaths, hospital admissions and treatment completions will be uploaded onto this webpage in due course.
Further Resources and Support:
If you are a professional dealing directly or indirectly with people affected by drugs or alcohol you may find the following resources useful.
Drugs Screening Tool
Drugs Screening Tool
Substance Misuse
Alcohol Use
Gambling Needs Assessment
This needs assessment collects currently available local and national data to provide an estimate of the impact and extent of gambling harms in Sandwell.
It recognises that gambling harms are inherently complex and can be experienced for many years after the event, as well as by friends and family, and as such are not simple to record and quantify.
This needs assessment is intended to be used as a catalyst for supporting partnership work around capturing data and evidence, developing robust referral pathways into effective support services and creating an environment that reduces stigma and supports recovery in relation to gambling harms in Sandwell.
