Alcohol and Drug Partnerships (ADP) 2021/22 annual returns: summary report

Executive summary

• Responses were received from 29 of the 30 ADPs in Scotland^[1].
• All ADPs reported that drug-related death review boards were held in 2021/22.
• A majority of ADPs (69%) reported having established early warning systems for drugs.
• The vast majority of ADPs (97%) reported offering specific volunteering and employment opportunities for people with lived and living experience.
• All ADPs reported involvement of people with lived experience and family members affected by substance use within their services. ADPs tended to prioritise the involvement of people with lived experience with family members being involved to a lesser extent.
• The majority of ADPs (93%) reported having arrangements in place to involve people with lived experience in different areas of delivery. All ADPs reported taking steps to respond to the feedback received from people with lived and living experience and family members affected by substance use. However, some ADPs outlined a number of challenges associated with including people with lived and living experience.
• All ADPs reported having provided information on local treatment and support services to the general public. However, fewer than half of ADPs reported communicating this information in accessible formats.
• All ADPs reported carrying out some form of education and prevention campaign or activity. The most common type of campaign overall related to overdose awareness.
• ADPs reported carrying out a number of activities with regards to education and prevention. The majority of ADPs reported carrying out naloxone promotion activities (90%), peer-led interventions (79%), stigma reduction (69%) and providing teaching materials (69%). These activities were most commonly delivered via third sector or community partners (83%).
• Naloxone was reported as being available to the public across a range of settings. All ADPs reported that NHS drug services supplied naloxone. It was also reported as being most commonly offered through third sector drug services (93%) and mobile or outreach services (86%).
• ADPs reported a range of available pathways and protocols to address the treatment needs of people with problem substance use at various stages of their involvement with the criminal justice system.
• Of the 13 ADPs that reported having a prison in their area, the majority (85%) reported that people in prison had access to non-fatal overdose pathways upon release. Of the 13 ADPs with a prison in their area, the majority (85%) reported having arrangements in place with community justice partners to ensure people in prison identified as at risk are issued naloxone upon on release.
• Every ADP reported development of recovery communities in their area.
• The majority of the ADPs (83%) reported that they had specific treatment and support services for children and young people. These were most often aimed at children and young people aged between 16 and 25 across a range of settings. Over half of ADPs (57%) reported that their services for children and young people with substance use improved in 2021/22.
• The vast majority of ADPs (92%) reported that mental health support was routinely available for people who use drugs or alcohol but do not have diagnosed co-occurring mental health problems. The majority of ADPs reported that they did not have protocols in place to refer people with co-occurring problem drug use and mental health problems, or did not answer the question. Of those that didn’t have protocols in place, the majority reported that they were in the process of developing these.
• All ADPs reported having at least some services where a trauma informed approach to substance use has been adopted. Fewer than a third of ADPs (31%) said that a trauma-informed approach to substance use had been adopted across “all services”.
• The vast majority of ADPs (90%) reported having specific treatment and support services for children and young people affected by a parent or carer’s substance use.
• Every ADP reported contributing toward the integrated children’s service plan. A majority of ADPs (57%) reported that services for children and young people affected by a parent or carer’s substance use improved in 2021/22.
• The vast majority of ADPs (96%) also reported having specific support services in place for adult family members. ADPs offered a variety of services to adults with the aim of supporting family-inclusive practice. This involved people with family members both in and not in treatment.
• Over half of ADPs (52%) reported that they had not completed an audit of their service provision for families within the 2020/2021 reporting period. However, most of these ADPs reported that audit work was in progress.