Manchester Drugs and Race Unit
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The Minister for Drugs, Alan Campbell, has just launched the publication "The 2008 Drug Strategy - One Year On" which is now available here .
Studies undertaken in recent years have highlighted an increase in drugs and alcohol misuse within Black and minority ethnic (BME) communities.
At the same time the number of BME people accessing substance misuse services remains relatively low. The reasons for this are complex and not entirely the fault of drug and alcohol treatment services, who in recent years have attempted to engage communities in the city who have traditionally been excluded.
In some BME communities, drugs and alcohol is a taboo subject. The stigma surrounding this subject means that often BME drug users are reluctant to access substance misuse services for fear of this becoming known to their family, friends or the wider community. This has meant that rather than getting help at an early stage, their dependency is allowed to increase and their health is allowed to exasperate.
About Manchester Drugs and Race Unit
Manchester Drugs and Race Unit is a partnership involving, Black Health Agency, University of Central Lancashire, and Wai Yin Chinese Women’s Society. The unit is funded by Manchester Drug and Alcohol Action Team and aims to ensure that drug users from Black and minority ethnic communities (BME) have access to culturally appropriate treatment, information and support.
The Unit operates in the following 3 key strategic areas:
• Policy - Influencing drug and alcohol policy and strategy
• Service Provision - Support service development and delivery
• Communities – Building capacity and increasing uptake of services
The Unit works with BME communities using a range of community development approaches designed to raise awareness, build capacity, increase uptake and encourage involvement in decision making. Whilst at the same time, our work with service providers and commissioners is raising awareness of drug and alcohol related issues faced by BME communities and informing the development of equitable services.
Our mission:‘To help people from Black and minority ethnic communities lead healthy and productive lives free from the misuse of drugs’
Read about our Programmes and services
Through a process of continuous learning we have developed the following programmes and service, each of which are designed to address a continuing need and inform policy, improve practice and increase engagement
• Reaching Out – Raising awareness of drugs and alcohol in BME communities
• Community Referrals Programme – Improving access to drugs and alcohol treatment
• Community Providers Programme – Developing culturally sensitive drugs and alcohol interventions
• Equality and Diversity Assessment Programme – Ensuring equality and diversity within drugs and alcohol services
• Drugs and Race Library – Providing relevant information and resources
• Manchester Translation and Interpreting Programme – Assisting communication between non-English speaking individuals and drugs and alcohol services
