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CityWide Home » Newsletters » July 2010
Drugs Advisory Group (DAG)
The primary function of The Drugs Advisory Group (DAG) is to advise the Minister with responsibility for the National Drugs Strategy (NDS) on operational and policy matters relating to the NDS. It aims to support the implementation of the NDS, ensure effective co-ordination between government Departments, statutory agencies and the Community & Voluntary sectors.
The role of the DAG Community Representative is to: - Attend all DAG meetings and liaise with LDTF/RDTF community reps networks and all groups/key constituencies on all relevant issues/documentation;
- Support LDTF/RDTF Community Task Force reps to carry out their roles and responsibilities at Task Force level;
- Feedback to the community reps network on all relevant national policy issues
- Meet with statutory agencies and other groups on policy and other related issues;
- Monitor the delivery of the NDS actions;
- Act as liaison between the assigned Drugs Task Forces and the DAG and the Office of the Minister for Drugs on issues arising in these Task Force areas
- Monitor the participation levels of the community representation on the Task Forces and address, as necessary.
Liaison
Daithi is the DAG Liaison Rep on two Local Drug Task Forces: Ballyfermot & the Canals Community in Dublin. Ger is the Liaison on Rep on the Western Regional Task Force. The DAG Liaison Reps ensure a direct link between Drug Task Forces and the DAG and Office of Minister for Drugs.
Issues
As Community Reps we have continued to raise the issues of concern to the community. We have also highlighted the important role that the community play on Task Forces in ensuring that the National Drugs Strategy is delivered successfully. We try to ensure that government Departments and statutory agencies communicate and consult with Drug Task Forces. This has proven to be very difficult and it appears that many decisions affecting services on the ground are taken without any engagement with Task Forces. An example of this has been the Department of Education's decision to withdraw its representatives from Task Force structures. This decision has been compounded by the decision of the Department of Education to withdraw funding for mainstreamed projects in December 2009. Citywide and the DAG community reps have actively opposed these decisions. We wrote to the Dept of Education expressing our concerns, have raised the issue with Minister Carey and are working with projects in an attempt to reverse the funding cut. Subgroups
1. Daithi is chairing a sub group that is responsible for recommending how actions 41, 42, 60, and 44 of The National Drugs Strategy 2009-2016 will be implemented. The group are recommending a series of Actions to ensure that identified at risk groups [Travellers, Service Users, New Communities, LGBT's, Homeless, Sex Workers] are included collaboratively in the national and local structures through which the NDS is delivered, and that their treatment and rehabilitation needs are being addressed through the projects/organisations funded through the NDS, that support is provided for families trying to cope with substance related problems and finally that Service Users Fora are established, strengthened and expanded. The report of this group is to be finalised at the DAG meeting in September.
2. Ger is a member of the DAG Sub-group looking at updating the Drug Task Force handbook. At present there is an LDTF handbook and a draft RDTF handbook - the subgroup is attempting to draft one document that will act as a blueprint for the operations of all drug task forces. Citywide will be consulting the community reps once this document has come to final draft format.
Contact us
While work at local level has been frustrated by government cuts and threats of further cuts in the forthcoming budget it is important that the community has its voice heard at as many levels as possible. If you have any specific issues or concerns that you want to raise please do not hesitate to contact either Daithi or Ger.
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