Chamber and committees

The Individual Learning Account (ILA) programme is demand-led. As such, it is the level of demand which will dictate how many people receive ILA funding in current and future years.

In December 2011, the government announced it would support 1,000 of the most disadvantaged young people, including care leavers and young carers, to enter the labour market. The £1.5 million will be split over three years and will create around 330 opportunities per year. An Employer Recruitment Incentive of £1,500 is available.

Skills Development Scotland is currently working with appropriate partners to roll out and implement this scheme.

On 31 January 2012, Roseanna Cunningham MSP met with the Chairs of Aberdeen City, Dundee, East Ayrshire, East Renfrewshire, and Inverclyde to discuss the issues and challenges facing ADPs following the publication of drug prevalence figures.

Officials last met ADP Chairs on 11 June 2012 at an ADP Chairs networking event. Discussion centred on resourcing and commissioning of services, the development of the Drugs Logic Model, challenging stigma, an action learning set, along with an update on key national issues.

Between October 2011 and May 2012 officials undertook a series of individual meetings with the ADPs across Scotland to discuss progress in their local areas.

The Social Care (Self-directed Support) (Scotland) Bill places duties on local authorities around how care and support is planned and arranged following assessments under the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 and the relevant sections of the Children’s (Scotland) Act 1995. It is not expected to have a significant impact on either the operation or role of Alcohol and Drug partnerships (ADPs). However, many people who access services for issues related to problem drug or alcohol use will also be eligible for services provided through the 1968 Act and it is expected that local authorities will consider how their new duties and powers under the Bill can be used to best effect for those individuals. This may contribute to their strategic work as key partners in ADPs.

This information is currently not held centrally.

The ADP Planning and Reporting Guidance for 2012-15 asks Alcohol and Drug Partnerships to highlight any underspends and proposals for future use of such money in their ADP Reports, which will be shared with Scottish Government in July 2012.

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Health/health/Alcohol/TandS/ADPPlanningReporting2012-15.

Membership of alcohol and drug partnerships (ADPs) is for local areas to determine. The number of ADPs who reserve a place in their membership structures for a councillor is not held centrally.

On 20 April 2009, a new joint Framework for Alcohol and Drug Partnerships (ADPs) was launched, signed jointly by Scottish Government, the NHS and COSLA, for delivering action on alcohol and drugs at local level.

This framework highlights the key players in these partnerships as being NHS boards and local authorities, although engagement with other bodies and constituencies are also vital to their success.

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2009/03/04144703/0.

There was a requirement for ADPs to be established by October 2010.

ADPs are responsible for developing local strategies for tackling the problematic use of alcohol and drugs that are based on: a robust assessment of needs in their area; a transparent, evidence-based process for agreeing how funds should be deployed; and a clear focus on the outcomes that this investment is achieving within their communities.

The delivery framework for ADPs, jointly signed by the Scottish Government, NHS and COSLA in April 2009, outlined the responsibilities of NHS boards, local authorities and the Scottish Government. It clarified the lines of accountability which operate between government and community planning partnerships (CPPs) on delivery of outcomes for problem alcohol and drugs use, namely; through Single Outcome Agreements and NHS performance management arrangements. The framework placed the delivery of action on problem alcohol and drugs use in a clear outcomes context and was accompanied by an outcomes toolkit to help support partnerships in working with an outcomes approach. This reflected the recommendations of the Audit Scotland report on Alcohol and Drug Services, published in March 2009.

Since 2010, the Scottish Government has been working in partnership with ADPs to strengthen governance and accountability arrangements by developing and agreeing a set of core ADP outcomes and indicators. We have now agreed, in consultation with ADPs, that as of summer 2012 there will be a requirement for the annual submission of delivery plans and annual reports. It is expected that ADPs will already be providing this information to their local CPP.

The ADP Planning and Reporting Guidance for 2012-15 has been agreed by the Scottish Government, COSLA and NHS Scotland, following recommendations from a short life working group of key stakeholders, and consultation with ADPs and others. This guidance aims to support the embedding of outcomes based planning and reporting at local level, helping ADPs to self-assess their performance (including benchmarking against other ADPs) and to articulate their contribution to their local Single Outcome Agreement, as well as contributing to a national picture of our overall progress in supporting alcohol and drug prevention, support and treatment. Improved information flows and visibility of ADPs will also help inform national strategies and decision-making by Scottish Government and COSLA.

ADPs are expected to develop three-year local Delivery Plans covering the period April 2012 - March 2015, copies of which are currently being shared with the Scottish Government. These plans should be updated annually.

A copy of each ADP’s Annual Report (covering 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2012) should be provided to the Scottish Government by 30 June 2012.

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Health/health/Alcohol/TandS/ADPPlanningReporting2012-15.

The Scottish Government has no plans at present to review the role of alcohol and drug partnerships.