Question reference: S6W-21907
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: 29 September 2023
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Current status: Answered by Elena Whitham on 24 October 2023
Question
To ask the Scottish Government which local authority areas have appointed a women's champion or advocate, as recommended by the Drug Deaths Taskforce in its report, Women and Drug Related Deaths – Working Group Report and Recommendations.
Answer
The decision on whether to appoint a local women’s champion or advocate sits with local authority areas. As such, the government does not hold a list of champions or advocates. The government is, however, fully committed to working with local authority areas to ensure that we take, when appropriate, a gendered response to substance use. That is why we have committed more than £5.5 million to establish two houses, run by Aberlour, which are designed to support women and their children through recovery. In addition, we are providing more than £6 million to establish a training and social enterprise based residential rehabilitation programme at River Garden Auchincruive which will have a separate unit to support women through recovery.