East Ayrshire Alcohol and Drug Partnership gets ministerial visit

Feb 5 2010

THE newly-formed East Ayrshire Alcohol and Drug Partnership welcomed Minister for Community Safety Fergus Ewing to the Burns Monument Centre in Kilmarnock last week.

The minister heard how agencies here are working together in order to tackle the impact of alcohol and drug misuse on individuals, families and the wider community.

The Alcohol and Drug Partnership includes representatives from East Ayrshire Council, NHS Ayrshire and Arran, Strathclyde Police, HMP Bowhouse, Strathclyde Fire and Rescue, The Scottish Children’s Reporter’s Agency and the district Procurator Fiscal’s Office.

Councillor Drew Filson, chairman of the community health partnership committee, Councillor Douglas Reid, chairman of the community planning partnership, Councillor John MacKay, spokesman for community wellbeing and MSP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun, Willie Coffey were also present.

The minister was told that the East Ayrshire Alcohol and Drug Partnership has identified key outcomes relating to drugs and alcohol misuse. He also learned how a range of activities including advice and education being provided within schools and street activity programmes are being delivered in the community.

Discussions also centred on the issues faced by vulnerable children and adults living with substance mis-users or being targeted by them.

Mr Ewing later visited Turning Point, an independent sector organisation commissioned by East Ayrshire, South Ayrshire and NHS Ayrshire and Arran to provide community support services.

He said: “I was pleased to see at first hand the excellent progress East Ayrshire ADP have made in their first few months. “We now have the right drugs strategy, right framework and record levels of funding in place but we all need to work together to achieve the results to improve the lives of people affected by drug and alcohol misuse.

“Local people are best placed to understand the needs of their own community and I was interested to hear East Ayrshire ADP’s strategy for helping people on their road to recovery.

“Working in partnership with ADPs and Cosla, the Scottish government is determined to deliver real benefits for people suffering from drug and alcohol misuse.”

Said Councillor Filson: “Mr Ewing was keen to learn about how the Alcohol and Drugs Partnership is operating in East Ayrshire and was impressed with some of the activities taking place locally. We are all aware of the significant impact addiction has on individuals, their families and on our communities and we know that the way to address these challenges are together in partnership.”