tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8803410488510287958.post8070826065133691500..comments2024-01-03T08:33:41.214+00:00Comments on DrugScope Comment: Localism, health and rightsJackie Bucklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02256707536603867875noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8803410488510287958.post-27658551110167855262011-05-20T11:08:49.906+01:002011-05-20T11:08:49.906+01:00i agree with above mate sometimes proposed laws go...i agree with above mate sometimes proposed laws go too far, even for good causes.drug and alcohol coursehttp://www.florida-firsttimedriverscourse.com/drug-and-alcohol-course.htmlnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8803410488510287958.post-42576235055779990952011-04-06T10:44:00.412+01:002011-04-06T10:44:00.412+01:00(apologies for previous typo's - written on a ...(apologies for previous typo's - written on a phone)<br /><br /> "A strategic manager from a Drug Action Team observed that drug services had benefited from having a ‘big friend’ from central Government to look out for them in the Bear Pit of local politics, and were afraid that in the ‘new term’ they would ‘get duffed up by the big kids in the playground’"<br /><br />A good friend or a dominating and bullying parent, who never let drugs become a truly local issue? Who never suggested that really drugs should get into the playground and play with the other policy areas because that's the way it could become a proper grown up issue?<br /><br />When we produced the report Making it Local in 2009 we found that many DAT teams had been functioning not as the delivery arm of local partnerships, but as outposts of government - concerned solely with meeting central targets almost regardless of local need. This has left them ill equipped to make a case for this critical policy area as they don't know how, and they haven't any mates. Having relied on the NTA to fight their corner, few DATs seemed to have build the internal alliances or linkages they needed to push through a local agenda. Only a very few DATs had direct links to their local LSP. The level of officer representation on DATs had slipped - with fewer and fewer decision makers attending.<br /><br />We recommended that if government wanted to push through a localist agenda then they needed to make a significant investment in local infrastructure - in building the skills and status of DATs. Not to do this we said would result in drugs disappearing off the local agenda were there a further (inevitable) move to localism.Sara McGrailhttp://www.saramcgrail.co.uknoreply@blogger.com