Programmes and Services

Reaching Out provides drugs and alcohol related education, training and support to Black and minority ethnic (BME) communities living in the city of Manchester. The initiative has been established in response to a number of recent studies, which identified that amongst BME communities there is:

• Poor basic knowledge about drugs, alcohol and their effects
• lack of awareness of services available to support people with substance misuse issues
• A need for culturally sensitive, appropriate drugs & alcohol information.

Aims and objectives of Reaching Out

• Increase knowledge of illicit drugs, and alcohol misuse, among the BME communities through provision of training, campaigns and culturally appropriate information.
• Improve awareness of drugs and alcohol services by providing information about support available to drug users, families and carer’s in the city.
• Support BME users, their families and carer’s to access drug and alcohol treatment through provision of culturally competent services.

Whilst we recognise that there is a need for work of this nature to be undertaken within all communities, the project will initially target those communities whose needs were indentified through our initial research (African-Caribbean, African, Arabic, Bangladeshi, Chinese, Kurdish, Pakistani, and Somali). We hope to be in a position to widen our target group and include other communities in the future.

The DRU have developed a number of tools to assist in the screening of people who present to services with drug or alcohol related issues. To date staff from 15 local organisations (Community Referral Point) across the city have completed training in screening and referral techniques. After what has in real terms only been a very short period of time, a number of people have already been referred to services and are receiving help with drug and alcohol related problems.
Are you a local community organisation and interested in finding out more about the Community Referrals Programme? Why not get in touch with us and we can talk to you about the benefits of involvement in the programme.
Are you concerned about your use of drugs or alcohol or that of someone you know? Why not get in touch and we can direct you to your nearest Community Referral Point, where you can get free and confidential advice and support.
Alternative confidential help and advice is available anywhere you see this sign.

The Community Providers Programme (CPP) aims to support the development and delivery of culturally sensitive drugs and alcohol interventions by developing partnerships between BME community organisations and drugs and alcohol providers in the city. Work is currently being undertaken with a number of local BME community organisations who we are assisting with the provision of infrastructure, capacity building and organisational development support.

One of the organisations we are working with is Refugee and Migrant Development Association (RAMDA); a small Somali based organisation based in the Moss Side area of the city. In 2004 RAMDA carried out a needs assessment which found serious issues in relation to the use of Khat within the Somali community. As a result we have established the Khat Users Support Project (KUSP), which aims to address some of the health and wider social implications of Khat use, including its impact on the user, family and the wider community.

Through the support provided by the CPP, RAMDA has been able to secure funding to enable it to recruit and train a number of local Somali people, who are now equipped with the skills needed to provide an outreach support service to the Khat users in the community. Support for the initiative has also been secured with local drug services, commissioners as well as a number of other specialist agencies such as mental health services. The project is currently putting the finishing touches to its publicity materials, with a view to launching KUSP in the next few months.

A series of consultation exercises were carried out in partnership with the African Francophone Integration Project (AFIP), a small local community run project located in East Manchester. The consultations looked into the drug and alcohol needs of the African Francophone community in Manchester and as a result, the organisation staff have been trained in screening and referral techniques and are acting as a referral agent as part of our Community Referral Programme. Through this work, effective protocols have now been established between AFIP and mainstream drug and alcohol services. The CPP has also supported the organisation in the development of a new Business Plan and in securing some much needed funds.

The CPP has also undertaken research into the drug and alcohol needs of South Asian communities in Manchester. The research has sought to determine the extent and impact of drug use in South Asian communities, with a view to making recommendations to local commissions and service providers about what support is need to address this issue. The research is nearing completion and we hope to have a report of the findings, together with recommendations for action available by end October 2008.

The Equality and Diversity Accreditation Programme (EDAP) is a brand new audit and accreditation framework developed by Manchester Drugs and Race Unit (MDRU). The EDAP is designed to guide and assist services through a process of development that is aimed at raising the performance and developing standards in relation to equality and diversity across drug and alcohol services within the city.
The EDAP has been designed for use alongside the Diversity Assessment Package (DAP) that has been recently developed by University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) on behalf of the National Treatment Agency (NTA).
Over the past six month MDRU have been working with drug services in the city on level one of the programme, which focuses on the corporate commitment to equality and diversity and their related policies and procedures. The process has proven useful in developing a picture of the strength and weaknesses of services in this area and had enabled the city to develop a plan of action that will ensure that standards are established and maintained.
Please keep checking the site for our regular future updates.
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Drugs and Race Resource library

Having access to the right guidance and information can sometimes be the difference between success and failure. However, in today’s busy world where people simply don’t have the time or patience to spend searching for information, if isn’t easily accessible then it won’t be put to good use.

Information about Black and minority ethnic (BME) drugs and alcohol related issues is limited and even when it does exist, finding it can be a difficult task for even the most skilled of us. Where such information is available, it is often spread across a number of mediums and agencies making it difficult to locate. It is therefore hardly surprising that busy professionals and practitioners, for whom time is a premium are simply not be making best use of what is available.

To address this problem Manchester Drugs and Race Unit have established the Drugs and Race Resource Library, this contains a range of guidance material, reports and resources relating to drug, alcohol and race equality issues. All information is available under one roof and the library collection now consists of well over 1000 items covering an array of topics and in a variety of formats including, written, audio and visual.

Access to the Drugs and Race Resource library is FREE and open to both professionals and members of the local community, who are able to view any of the materials for reference or in the case of our member organizations, can loan items.

How can we join?
Information about the library, including how to join and a full list of what is available by contacting MDRU. To use the library individuals or organisations will need to register by way of completion of a simple application form. Due to limited space, you will need to make an appointment to visit the library.
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Manchester Translation and Interpreting Programme

The Drugs and Race Unit recognise that in a city as diverse as Manchester, drugs and alcohol services need to be able to respond to non-English speaking people. As such we are currently undertaking a survey of drug and alcohol services in the city, in order to establish what is needed in order to ensure that services and their staff are equipped to meet such need.

The findings from the survey will inform the development of a comprehensive plan of action for the City of Manchester. We will keep you posted of future developments in this area.