Community Drug Service Team to be set up - city-to-Yanchep corridor

NORTH METRO

31/10/97

The Minister Responsible for the Western Australian Drug Strategy, Rhonda Parker, today announced a major boost to counselling and support services in the north metropolitan area to assist families trying to deal with drug abuse.

Mrs Parker said 10 Community Drug Service Teams would shortly be established in country and metropolitan areas to:

·      provide general alcohol and drug counselling services;

·      help co-ordinate service delivery from Government and private sector groups; and -

·      support local community action to prevent alcohol and drug abuse.

The $2.3 million initiative includes a six-member team to work specifically in the city to Yanchep corridor.

Mrs Parker said St John of God community services had been awarded the $272,000 contract to establish the north metropolitan team.

St John of God is a major health service provider with hospital and outpatient services throughout the metropolitan area. Its health services include the recent establishment of the Joondalup Health Campus and its health prevention and learning centre. This focus and experience in preventation and early intervention specifically complements the responsibilities of the community drug service team.

It is anticipated that the north metropolitan team will have its main base at the Joondalup Health Campus, with team members also deployed in other local suburban centres.

Mrs Parker said the Alcohol and Drug Authority previously had two teams of six counsellors to provide a more limited counselling service across the entire metropolitan area. The new system would have six counsellors in the north metropolitan area alone.

As well as providing counselling for drug users and their families, Mrs Parker said the community drug service teams would have a particular focus on prevention.

"This will require that they work closely with local communities," she said.

"We now have 28 local drug action groups set up by concerned citizens in all parts of the State, including groups in Doubleview, Merriwa-Clarkson and the Western Suburbs group which meets in Claremont, and all have been effective in fostering greater drug awareness and local initiatives at a neighbourhood level.

"The new community drug service teams will be made up of experienced professionals, and an important part of their work will be to work with the mums and dads who make up these local action groups to help co-ordinate and support their initiatives."

Priorities for the teams include early intervention and family support, support for schools dealing with drug abuse incidents, outreach counselling for youth, and attention to specific local problems (such as solvent abuse).

Mrs Parker said co-ordination would be another important function.

"There are necessarily a number of Government departments and agencies as well as private sector groups which must implement alcohol and drug strategies and who have clients with specific care needs," she said.

"It is important that we have effective co-ordination of these service providers so that resources are used most effectively, people needing assistance receive the best care, and specific local issues can be addressed."

Media ontact: Mark Thompson 9481 7810