Top drugs worker calls for recognition for 'Unsung Heroes'

A drug worker named the best in the North West is urging people to nominate other 'unsung heroes' who are going the extra mile in the fight against drug abuse.

Laura Brown, who collected the Home Office's Tackling Drugs Changing Lives award for the region's top drug worker in 2006, wants service users, friends, relatives, managers and other specialists to nominate those helping to break the misery of addiction.

Laura says that winning the award has helped raise the profile of her work at the Maden's children's centre in Bacup, Lancashire, where she helps around 120 families and 350 children deal with alcohol and drug misuse.

Laura said:

"Dealing with people with alcohol and drug problems is very important. We work with some of the most vulnerable people in society and can help them break a miserable cycle of substance misuse before they pass it onto their children. The job is very demanding but also very rewarding.

"I was thrilled to hear that I had won the regional award last year and very proud. It will mean an awful lot to this year's winner, too. Nobody becomes a drug worker to win awards, but it really means a lot to have your hard work recognised. I'd urge anyone who knows a drug worker who is doing a good job to take the time to make a nomination."

Michaela Francioli manages the team at Bacup sure Start that nominated Laura. Michaela said:

"It doesn't take long at all to fill out the nomination form and it is a very simple way of showing some of the hardest working professionals in our community that the very difficult work they do is appreciated. The award has helped emphasise the importance of the work Laura does in our organisation, to our partners and to our community. We're very proud of her."

Anyone can nominate a drug worker or drug team - colleagues, friends, family members or service users past and present for the 2007 Tackling Drugs Changing Lives Award. But nominations have to be in by 17 August 2007.

NOTES TO EDITORS

1 There are four main strands to the current Drug Strategy:

i. Prevention - reduce the use of Class A drugs and the frequent use of any illicit drug by all young people under the age of 25, especially the most vulnerable.

ii. Treatment - increase the numbers of problematic drug users in treatment by 100% by 2008, and increase year on year the proportion of users successfully sustaining or completing treatment.

iii. Tackling supply - generate a sustained impact on the supply of Class A drugs into the UK, while working to tackle local dealers and the availability of drugs in local communities.

iv. Reducing drug-related crime - substantially increase the number of drug-misusing offenders entering treatment through the Criminal Justice System.

2 There are 149 local Drug Action Teams/Crime & Disorder Reduction Partnerships responsible for delivering the Drug Strategy. Their work aims to tackle supply, target young people to prevent them becoming tomorrow's drug users, get more people into treatment and reduce the fear of crime that drug misuse can cause.

3 The current 10-year drug strategy ends in March 2008. The new strategy, which will be launched at the end of this year, will re-focus on the strategies and interventions that have had the greatest positive impact, maintaining a firm focus on drugs as a Government priority, while building on opportunities to develop and deliver the strategy as part of the wider policy framework. A substantive discussion document and details of the consultation process are being developed, and will shortly be posted on http://www.drugs.gov.uk. For more information about what the Government is doing to tackle drugs visit: http://www.drugs.gov.uk.

4. The Home Office launched the national 'Changing Lives Making Communities Safer campaign' January 2007. Working with over 65 drugs and crime agencies the aim is to communicate the work local agencies are doing to tackle crime, drugs, anti-social behaviour and alcohol misuse in their areas, and the impact this is having. The campaign aims to improve people's awareness of the action being taken, with the aim of helping them to feel safe in their community.

5. Full information on the Tackling Drugs Changing Lives Awards 2007 and details of how to nominate can be found on http://www.drugs.gov.uk/awards2007

6. Last year's Tackling Drugs Changing Lives Award individual winner was David Gordon, of the Swaythling Clinic in Southampton. He gained his award for running a mobile needle exchange and for his work with over 400 people in promoting safer injecting and sexual practices and advising on harm reduction. He also worked with Southampton Working Women's Project and set up a needle exchange with the custody suites in Southampton's police stations.

7. The team award was won by Cyswllt Ceredigion Contact of Aberystwyth. The team provided one-to-one and group counselling, after care support, three-stage treatment and help with housing, job-related training, employment, child care and travel for clients. They worked in partnership with statutory and voluntary organisations including housing agencies, women's refuges and regional and local NHS trusts and by giving presentations to GPs surgeries across the region. The team also ran drug awareness programmes for the families of clients and for schools.

Client ref HO/NW/45/2007