Haringey Combating Drugs Partnership
Strategic context
Combating Drug Partnership (CDP) is a local partnership charged with the responsibility for delivering the National Drug Strategy (2022) at a local level. Haringey’s CDP includes alcohol in its remit.
In December 2021 HM Government released the new drug strategy, From Harm to Hope, as a 10-year plan to cut drug crime and save lives.
There are three core ambitions:
- break drug supply chains
- deliver a world-class treatment and recovery system
- achieve a shift in the demand for drugs
Underpinning the drugs strategy is the principle that combating drug use and harm is a priority for all of government departments working as a single team.
HM Government have provided Directors of Public Health with guidance for local delivery partners setting out how a new CDP should apply this approach at a local level. Directors of Public Health are expected to implement the guidelines and set up effective partnerships.
The principles that should be adopted by the partnership are shared responsibility, person-centred support, genuine co-production, equality of access and quality, joint planning, coordinated delivery, local visibility, flexibility, and long-term strategic view.
Scope
The aim of the CDP is to reduce the harm caused by drugs and alcohol in Haringey by creating a joint strategic approach to making decisions on delivery to ensure that the ambitions of the National Combating Drugs Outcome Framework are met.
Main functions
- Oversee the development of a local joint strategic needs assessment to understand the scale of local drug and alcohol problems.
- Make sure appropriate local plans and strategies are in place, which address the aims of the national drugs strategy locally and the local alcohol Strategy.
- Regularly reviewing progress against the agreed outcomes, reflecting on local delivery of the strategy and current issues and priorities
- To oversee the development of data recording and sharing at a local level
- To performance manage the partnership against the national Combating Drugs Outcome Framework and local targets
- To enable the intersections and dependencies between partners. For example, crime and access into treatment, visible drug use and treatment service outreach, physical and mental health and treatment, housing and employment and recovery
- To take corrective action where necessary to make sure targets are met
- To ensure that appropriate structures and resources are in place to deliver on local drug/alcohol strategies/plans
- To provide strategic direction to enable the Task Groups to effectively deliver the local strategy
- To provide strategic direction to the Public Health team in the planning and commissioning of local services and to pool resources where possible
- To report to the Combating Drugs Unit
Membership
The CDP is chaired by a Senior Responsible Officer – the Director of Public Health. It is serviced by the Public Health team, with representatives from other departments in the Council, NCL Integrated Care Board, Probation, Police, local co-producers and voluntary sector providers. The Public Health Senior Commissioner is responsible for ensuring that the cross-agency projects are co-ordinated successfully.
Representation on the partnership
Haringey Council
- Public Health
- Community Safety and Enforcement
- Early Help
- Housing Demand
- Regeneration and Economic Development
NHS
- Integrated Care Board
Criminal Justice Partners
- Metropolitan Police
- Probation Service
Treatment providers – adults and young people
Delivery plan
The delivery plan outlines the National Drug Strategy to address substance misuse and build more resilient communities to illegal drugs, focusing on breaking supply chains, shifting demand, and establishing a world-class treatment and recovery system.
Section 1: Communities
This section highlights the importance of community involvement in addressing substance misuse issues. It emphasises the need for collaborative efforts to create a supportive environment that fosters recovery and well-being. Additionally, the goal is to address Anti-Social Behaviour collaboratively by co-designing processes, fostering information sharing and joint working between the Substance Misuse Outreach Team and ASB Team, and improving joint working and capacity through Substance Misuse training for the Police.
Section 2: Breaking the supply chains
This section aims to strengthen the response to drug-related issues within the Borough Command Unit through various strategies, including bringing in additional corporate assets, implementing Operation Nightingale in targeted areas, establishing a drugs-focused desk for analytical support, and supporting prosecutions for possession of Class A and B drugs. The initiative also focuses on cannabis factory closures through partnership working, targeting high-harm offenders such as gangs, confiscating cash and assets, managing county lines support and investigation through Pan London resources, and addressing criminal exploitation, including child criminal exploitation, with a particular emphasis on public protection. Additionally, the aim involves tackling antisocial behaviour and street dealing.
Section 3: Achieving a generational shift in demand
Shifting demand away from substance misuse is crucial for sustainable change. The aim of this section is for treatment services to actively seek ways to disseminate harm reduction messaging to non-opiate users. Additionally, the initiative involves collaborative efforts with Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) teams, utilising both soft and hard measures such as community protection warnings and positive requirements. Furthermore, the goal includes reviewing and delivering school-based lesson materials with young people and teachers, as well as co-designing and delivering an awareness campaign with young people and parents.
Section 4: Delivering a world-class treatment and recovery system
This section outlines a multi-faceted approach to ensure access to effective treatment and support services for residents struggling with substance abuse.
4.1. Harm reduction
Prioritising harm reduction, this approach aims to minimise the negative consequences of substance misuse while providing a bridge to recovery. This section aims to implement a comprehensive harm reduction plan, including piloting nasal naloxone and needle exchange programs in hostels and outreach settings, developing harm reduction initiatives for non-opiate users, reviewing the distribution of pharmacy needle exchange, creating a marketing strategy for harm reduction, and advocating for police and prison provision of naloxone. Additionally, the initiative involves promoting testing and vaccination for Blood Borne Viruses.
4.2. World-class treatment for adults
Creating a comprehensive treatment system for adults, tailored to individual needs and circumstances, forms a cornerstone of the strategy.
4.3. World-class treatment for young people
Recognising the unique challenges faced by young people, this section outlines specialised treatment and support services targeted at youth. The aim is to enhance the response to youth drug issues by reviewing the exclusion process, co-producing a tool for communication with young people about drugs, employing a dedicated youth drugs worker, and improving the understanding of GPs on youth drug use and referral pathways. Additionally, the initiative aims to review information for parents and family members, as well as the location where young people are seen.
4.4. Skilled workforce with lived experience
The section aims to find and develop a new workforce for substance misuse services by collaborating with Haringey Learns on developing the next generation of resident drug workers, continuing to fund diploma courses through Inspirit, supporting BUBIC's Gateway Program for peer supporters, introducing a young person's apprentice in the Insight Platform, and facilitating clinical trainee placements in all Substance Misuse Services. Additionally, the initiative involves working with providers to establish competencies and ensure continuous development, while ensuring that the entire workforce undergoes comprehensive training programs covering co-production, motivational interviewing, LGBTQ awareness, and working with non-opiate users.
4.5. Supporting families
The aim is to maintain collaboration with children's services by utilising parental alcohol screening tools and joint working. Additionally, there is a focus on sustaining a family development work stream across adult treatment services led by the Insight platform, which involves reviewing parental screening tools and pathways to Insight.
4.6. Wellbeing
Promoting overall well-being and mental health is essential in sustaining recovery and preventing relapse. The aim is to improve holistic support for residents with substance misuse issues by reviewing and optimising pathways to mental health services, commissioning GP Federation work in substance misuse services to address physical health and engaging Connected Communities to provide welfare advice within treatment services. Additionally, the initiative involves commissioning time credits for social and emotional health support, as well as the Pavilion project to deliver social and emotional interventions and establish better links with voluntary and community sector services in Haringey.
4.7. Education, employment, and training
This section emphasises the importance of providing opportunities for education, employment, and training to individuals in recovery, facilitating their reintegration into society.
4.8. Housing
Stable housing plays a critical role in supporting residents in recovery. The effort aims to sustain integrated support for individuals with a history of rough sleeping requiring substance misuse treatment (RSDAG) and to foster collaboration amongst housing, substance misuse treatment, police, and Anti-Social Behaviour teams.
4.9. Diversion, exit, and support
Creating alternatives to criminal justice involvement for residents struggling with substance misuse can help divert them towards recovery-focused support systems. This initiative aims to enhance the accessibility and effectiveness of drug-related support by co-locating drug workers in Highbury Magistrate Court and Probation offices. Additionally, the goal is to utilise the OHID evidence base to establish comprehensive pathways from prisons to community treatment, including audits, referral tools, in-reach to top referral prisons, and collaboration through training and communication in NCL level meetings.
4.10. Addressing multiple disadvantages
Recognising that some residents face compounded challenges, this delivery plan focuses on providing targeted support to those experiencing severe disadvantages.
In conclusion, this transformative delivery plan seeks to build a resilient and inclusive recovery system that empowers communities to combat substance misuse effectively. By addressing both supply and demand aspects, and establishing comprehensive treatment and support services, the delivery plan aims to create lasting positive change for the Haringey community.