Events

Building ‘recovery capital’

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22 February 2010

Download the event recordings

Building ‘recovery capital’ part 1 (mp3)
Building ‘recovery capital’ part 2 (mp3)
Building ‘recovery capital’ part 3 (mp3)

The past decade has seen a rapid expansion in drug treatment in the UK with a wide range of programmes provided through the criminal justice system, public health programmes and in the community. But drug and alcohol misuse continues to exert huge pressure on public services with heavy social and economic costs. There are calls for a quantum shift in our understanding of what is possible in tackling drug and alcohol addiction, with a greater emphasis on ‘recovery’ in policy. Such an approach would see drug and alcohol treatment placed in the mainstream, more closely integrated with policy on housing, families and young people, social welfare and health.

Chaired by journalist and author Simon Jenkins, this seminar examined how new recovery-based models of drug and alcohol treatment could give greater power and resources to individuals with more involvement of family and community. In a period of deep public spending cuts, it asked how the current complex layers of administration and care management in drug and alcohol treatment can be rationalised to generate efficiencies and prevent reduced spending on frontline services. It also considered what a changed drug and alcohol policy might look like under a new administration.

A discussion panel of leading politicians including David Burrowes MP, Shadow Minister, Justice, joined experts including Dr. David Best, University of Western Scotland and Steve Rossell, CEO of Cranstoun Drug Services and Chair of EATA. Chaired by Simon Jenkins of the Guardian.

This event was held by ippr in partnership with the European Association for the Treatment of Addiction (EATA).