BALLYMUN COMMUNITY
ALCOHOL STRATEGY
Hugh Greaves
Co-ordinator, Ballymun Local Drugs Task Force
January 16th, 2014
Background
• In community consultations the Ballymun Local Drugs Task
Force was repeatedly asked to address alcohol related
issues
• In 2009 BLDTF and the Safer Ballymun (community policing
forum) brought local statutory, community and voluntary
service providers together to discuss alcohol related harm
in the area at our first ‘Roundtable’ event.
• First Roundtable on alcohol related harm in Ballymun,
March 2009
Local Gardaí, Teachers, GPs, Hospital A&E Depts., Youth
Workers, Drugs Workers, Priests & Nuns, Public
representatives (Local and National, all party), Social
Workers, Local retailers/businesses, Dublin City Council,
HSE, BRL
Roundtable discussion on alcohol
related harm in Ballymun
Community Consultation
“when you see the sun shining in Ballymun you
know it’s going to be a bad evening”
(participant at community consultation event, June 2010)
“even if you’re skint you can get drunk for a
tenner”
(participant at youth consultation event, June 2010)
Agreement to collectively address
alcohol related harm in Ballymun
• At the first roundtable event, each of the
organisations present agreed to become part of a
collective response to address alcohol related
harm/issues (community mobilisation)
• It was agreed to do so in a ‘community-systemic
way’, learning from effective, evidence based
responses elsewhere.
• Series of roundtables (2010,2011,2012, 2013)
established strategy, reviewed/refined actions
and planned others.
Approach
• The Ballymun Community Alcohol Strategy takes
a public-health based (total consumption)
approach
• It is modelled on community mobilisation (Harold
Holder, 1998) principles where all local actors have
an important part to play and are equally
involved.
• Underpinned by a number of key principles
(evidence informed, community development,
multi-agency partnership approach)
Ballymun Plan launched in June 2010
So what are we trying to do?
We are trying to reduce alcohol related harm by
• Increasing awareness of alcohol as a community issue – by
local people, local public reps, statutory and voluntary
services/agencies and therefore alter its role in determining
the local alcohol environment (from passive to proactive)
• Influencing the attitudes and norms of the local population
towards a change in its behaviour around alcohol
• Changing the local environmental systems which foster and
promote a harmful drinking culture
The strategy seeks to address alcohol in
Ballymun through 41 actions across the
following pillars
Policy &
Research
Harm
Reduction
Supply
Reduction,
Availability &
Enforcement
Community
Awareness
Prevention Treatment &
&
Rehabilitation
Education
Supply, Availability & Enforcement
• Enforcement of existing Laws
• Monitoring of Off Licences
• Actions to address Home
Deliveries (e.g. DPP)
• Information Sessions
for Off Licences
• Responsible Trader Training
• Responsible Server Training
• Early identification
/interruption of public
drinking (e.g. St. Patrick’s
Day etc.)
• Influencing process re new
license applications
Community Awareness of Alcohol as an Issue
Using Local Media
Communicating Key Messages
Some Key
Messages
Community
Awareness/Engagement
Events
Family Skills
Street & centre based
education / interventions
“Tackling Alcohol Together
Weeks”
Treatment, Rehabilitation
& Harm Reduction
CRA Training
CommunityReinforcement
Approach
Treatment, Rehabilitation and Harm
Reduction (cont’d)
• Providing a community based integrated
alcohol care pathway project in partnership
with Finglas/Cabra and Dublin North Regional
DTFs which includes supported health
interventions, withdrawal and detox for those
with primary alcohol problems
• Ensuring existing BLDTF projects fully embrace
alcohol as part of their core remit
Conclusion
Local mobilisation across regions would change our
perceived powerlessness in the face of alcohol.
DTFs can play a key role in leading out local
mobilisations.
A National Strategy which provides a structure
supporting bottom-up, collective, community
action, would lead to a changed local (and national)
alcohol environment.