Substance misuse can be defined as “the excessive use or misuse of any addictive substance for its narcotic or stimulant effects, which causes harm to the individual, their families and the wider community”.

Substance misuse can be ruinous to the individual and to the community. It is a complex problem, which can be linked to crime, poverty, homelessness, the break up of families and the deterioration in health or even death of the individual who engages in it.

Targeting substance misuse is one of the aims of the Safer Caerphilly Community Safety Partnership, as it can result in so many social ills and can cause a host of problems from domestic abuse and anti social behaviour to risk taking on the roads.

Subsequently, a Substance Misuse Action Team (SMAT) has been set up to work towards reducing substance misuse through:

• Education
• Prevention
• Treatment
• Rehabilitation.

Following a detailed strategic assessment of the Safer Caerphilly Community Safety Partnership’s work throughout the past three years, reducing the harm caused by alcohol was highlighted as a key strategic priority for the partnership to focus its work on for the next three years.

An Alcohol Harm Reduction Action Group has therefore also been established, in order to deliver a structured, coordinated approach to alcohol harm reduction in the county borough. The Action Plan for this group can be found below:

Download Action Plan here (PDF, 350Kb)

The group is responsible for delivering a structured, coordinated approach to alcohol harm reduction on behalf of the Substance Misuse Action Team (SMAT), the Safer Caerphilly Community Safety Partnership and the Health, Social Care and Well Being Partnership, within the wider context of the Caerphilly County Borough Community Strategy.

The Safer Caerphilly Community Safety Partnership’s Strategic Assessment 2008-2011 highlights alcohol harm reduction as one of the main priorities. The purpose of this group is therefore to coordinate services and resources to address this problem in Caerphilly county borough. The group will also consider the outcomes of the Strategic Assessment and its evidential links between, alcohol and crime and anti social behaviour.

The groups’ roles and responsibilities are outlined as follows:

• Ensure a cross cutting approach to Community Safety Partnership (CSP) partner organisations to reducing harm from alcohol.
• Promote safe and sensible drinking.
• Raise awareness of the positive and negative issues and the possible consequences of alcohol misuse, to enable people to make informed choices.
• Research and develop evidence-based interventions to tackle alcohol misuse.
• Develop initiatives and interventions, which aim to tackle alcohol related crime and anti social behaviour.
• Prioritise and implement the recommendations with regard to alcohol issues, of both the Welsh Assembly’s Substance Misuse Strategy and relevant local strategies and needs assessments.
• Coordinate and enhance the work of existing alcohol treatment service delivery.
• Reduce alcohol misuse amongst the population of the county borough in the long term.

The group has five key functions, which are as follows:

• Information sharing between key stakeholders
• Establishing sub-groups for specific tasks
• Securing and monitoring funding for specific projects
• Engaging people in a positive way
• Delivering effective education programmes and campaign enforcement

For further information, please contact the Safer Caerphilly Community Safety Partnership.