Where were we?

Where were we?

Committed to Family Values

Conform to Religious prcatices

Community Harmony Consistency in

lifestyle Cultured with

baggage

“Black people don’t use drugs”

“The few that do will never inject”

“It is a white western disease”

“Religion prohibits drug taking - therefore it is not a problem”

“If there are any Asian drug users they don’t use these services - anyway they look after themselves”

“Our strong religious and cultural values stop us from this behaviour”

Drug Use and Black and Minority Ethnic Communities

DENIAL

DENIAL

DENIAL

DENIAL

DENIAL

Southall Community Drugs Education Project - background

Over four years of work in Southall by the Centre for Ethnicity and Health, Faculty of Health University of Central Lancashire Research in West London to investigate Drug

education needs of Punjabi speaking mothers (for the Department of Health) (1998/99)

A drug education project developed and managed by the University for Ealing Council (1999-2001)

Southall Community Drugs Education Project - background

The production of a Punjabi drug education Video based in Southall for local and national use (launched by Charles Clarke, the then Minister of State for the Home Office)

Developing local people to set up and manage the Southall Community Drugs Education project

Funding the project (as part of the Department of Health Needs Analysis Project) to carry out an assessment of drug issues within the South Asian Communities in Southall

Some Findings

The Punjabi speaking women consulted all stated the need to have drug education information in Punjabi - Gurmukhi and Mirpuri Punjabi

Existing services were patchy and over-stretched and did not meet specific cultural and language needs of various communities

Communication difficulties between first, second and third generation Asians and professionals

Families wanted on going drug education and work on community cohesion

Some Findings

Contrary to the notion that Asian communities were immune to drug use, 80% of those asked stated that there was a drugs problem in the area with heroin being the drug of choice

Young people using drugs were often unemployed, living at home placing a tremendous financial and emotional strain on families

Some families paid for a private detox as a quick fix for family members addicted to heroin costing £ 3,000 to £ 5,000

Some Conclusions

Early interventive work Culturally appropriate Information and education

in local languages Culturally sensitive support and services Specific services for young people The need to bring together the diverse

communities

Some Responses

The University produced Gurmukhi and Mirpuri drug education videos (used nationally)

Raised awareness of drug issues locally and nationally ( project was featured on BBC television and many language channels)

Developed the community inter-actors model of drug education(being replicated in many parts of the country) by training and developing local people to disseminate drug education

Some Responses

Supported over 300 families and 200 young people; young people to develop a drugs strategy for Southall both on video and on paper

Developed a community development strategy to meet the training needs of local organisations

Organised a national drugs conference in Southall Developed the Southall Community Drugs

Education project as an independent organisation

Local and National Picture

Southall and West London reflects the national picture

B& ME communities are young and growing Many live in some of the most deprived areas

and are more likely than the rest of the population to be poor

Members of ethnic minority groups are 50% more likely to suffer from ill health than their white counterparts


Disproportionately represented amongst those in medium/high security psychiatric care

Four to six times more likely to be excluded from school than white pupils

Over-represented at every stage of the Criminal Justice Sysytem

Vulnerable to Homelessness At least twice as likely to be unemployed Five-fold increase in Muslim prison population


Increasing use of Heroin, Cocaine & Crack Cocaine as first drug of choice

Increasing use of alcohol among young Muslim men Use of steroids and injecting Increasing experimentation with hallucinogenic drugs Use of Private treatment Problematic use of Class A drugs among young Asian

girls – links to prostitution Khat use amongst Somali and Opium use by refuge

communities linked to use of Class A drugs Increasing drug issues within all communities


Poor access to services Service provision not appropriate Ad-hoc & short term funding for B & ME

organisations Absence of local and national needs assessments Poor monitoring especially ethnic monitoring Lack of strategic planning Needs of Parents and carers not catered for

Where does this lead to?

Community Response sharing and caring

Effective consultation with and research about the impact of policies on the needs and issues concerning Black and minority ethnic communities

Provision of culturally appropriate services and drug education

Monitoring and evaluation of policy implementation and service delivery

Robust and effective prevention initiatives

Community Response sharing and caring

Community must share responsibility Ownership shared by the ‘people’ Public private shared partnerships Sharing of information and expertise

So where are we now?

Drug and Alcohol Action Programme

DAAP has developed as a national programme building on the work initiated and developed by the Southall Community Drugs Education Project. It exists to eradicate alcohol and drug addiction primarily but not exclusively in the Black and minority ethnic communities by working in partnership with the voluntary, statutory, independent and corporate sector.


Provision of appropriate education Provision of culturally appropriate

Programmes and treatment services Conducting research on addictive

behaviour


The Programme in Southall and Acton which is funded by the New opportunities Fund as part of the Southall Healthy Living Centres initiative and by Ealing’s Joint Commissioning and Communities Against Drugs Teams will provide drug education to a number of communities.


SomaliAfrican-CaribbeanSouth Asian communities including

Muslim, Hindu and Sikh communities


Recruiting four officers to work with these communities

Training local people to become community drug educators

Reaching families, young people, users and ex-users

Referring to appropriate services


Setting up local advisory panels with knowledge and expertise of the appropriate communities and of West London to support this programme

Developing a database of advisers, consultants and ambassadors interested in developing and supporting projects in other areas


Community must share responsibility Ownership shared by the ‘people’ Public private shared partnerships Sharing of information and expertise


Please log your interest today What support can you offer What can DAAP offer

Welcome personal, organisational and financial support

Documents

Where were we?