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Introduction to the Prevention Framework

 

The Dundee Alcohol and Drug Prevention Framework is designed as a complement to ADP-level strategy development and action-planning. The core of the content is a series of Evidence Briefings, each providing a summary of current evidence of effective practice, packaged with appropriate literature review material. The core research and evidence base has been taken from the Greater Glasgow and Clyde (GGC) Alcohol and Drug Prevention Framework evidence briefings. The group has worked with GGC Public Health colleagues who have offered a wealth of detail and allowed the group to utilise their learning to optimise the development of a prevention framework with a Dundee context.

The Prevention Framework, is designed to be a flexible, updatable resource that will be hosted online, to easily share on-going developments, evidence-based updates and good practice across Dundee, Tayside and beyond.


The key purposes of the framework can be summarised as follows:

  • To support the advancement of evidence-based, high-quality practice in prevention and harm reduction in the field of alcohol and drugs
  • To promote comprehensive planned approaches, including considering and acting on needs across the full life-course and considering differing groups and settings
  • To aid in identifying both strengths in current areas of multi-partner working and identify gaps in collective responses
  • To highlight the importance of identifying and addressing inequalities and equalities considerations in the alcohol and drugs agenda. This includes upstream thinking on root causes of alcohol and drug use
  • To further emphasise the need to develop and deliver effective harm reduction approaches as critical components of the overall alcohol and drugs public health response
  • To stimulate additional activity from partners in terms of monitoring, evaluation and research in order to further grow the evidence-base for prevention and harm-reduction approaches
  • To complement pre-existing activity and prevention planning by helping to identify good practice, highlighting additional evidence-based approaches and helping to identify gaps and development opportunities       

 

Key themes that underpin Alcohol & Drug Prevention

The Framework utilises a ‘public health approach’ to ensure a focus on primary prevention. The key factors underpinning this approach include: Evidence informed action Improving population health Addressing inequalities Promoting wellbeing across the lifespan Taking a human rights approach to health Addressing the needs of people with mental health and substance use problems Focusing on outcomes Whole Systems Approach Inclusive and Effective Partnerships

 

Prevention is...

“encouraging and developing ways to support and empower individuals, families and communities in gaining knowledge, attitudes and skills in which to avoid or reduce alcohol and drug issues and alcohol and drug related harm.”

 

National Context 

Prevention of harm from alcohol and drugs is a priority for Scotland, with actions required from all sectors of society. This is reflected in Scotland’s Public Health Strategy, where Public Health Priority 4 (PHP4) has the following aim: “A Scotland where we reduce the use of and harm from alcohol, tobacco and other drugs”. Similarly, prevention and harm reduction actions are prominent in Scottish Government strategies focused on substance use. These include Rights, Respect and Recovery, a refreshed national strategy for alcohol and drugs, released in 2018, followed in 2019 by the release of the associated action plan and the 2018 Alcohol Framework setting out national prevention aims on alcohol.


National Policy pushes for a ‘public health approach’ to address fundamental causes of substance use and associated harms.

 

Key themes that underpin Alcohol & Drug Prevention The following will provide detail on the eleven key themes which underpin the successful delivery of alcohol and drug preventative approaches described by the Evidence Briefings. These themes should be considered when developing, implementing and monitoring all alcohol and drug prevention initiatives and services. Reducing Stigma Asset-based and person-led approaches Workforce development Harm Reduction Whole-systems approach and person-centred Multiple risks and how they interact Trauma-informed practice Health Inequalities and deprivation Community empowerment Evidence Informed Gendered Approaches

 

Local Context  

In April 2018 the Dundee Partnership responded to the increasing number of people dying through accidental overdose by establishing The Independent Dundee Drugs Commission to:

  • Consider the nature, extent and impact of drug use and drug deaths in Dundee;
  • Identify and investigate the key causes and consequences of drug use and drug deaths for individuals and their families along with policy and practical measures to address these;
  • Seek the views and involvement of all relevant local stakeholders including individuals with lived experience;
  • Assess the effectiveness of the strategic planning and delivery of services co-ordinated by the Dundee ADP and across community planning partners;
  • Consider evidence of what has worked elsewhere, including approaches to achieve prevention and recovery;

The report of the Commission gave 16 recommendations focusing on issues relating to leadership, stigma, treatment and support, drug related deaths, the protection of children & young people and mental health and refocusing on prevention. This resulted in the creation of the Alcohol and Drug Partnership Prevention Working group that started the development of the Prevention Framework.