Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 14 June 2022

Joint Committee On Health

Addiction Services: Discussion

Ms Jackie McKenna:

We are rolling out a pilot project. There is an awful lot of fear out there about how to respond to drug-related intimidation. Organisations are not inclined to approach the subject or cannot speak to family members or the individuals who are being intimidated. A drug-related intimidation reporting programme gives people knowledge and information. It goes through the options available to people if they need to report intimidation, whether they want to report if formally or informally. It also provides policy around keeping the staff in the organisation safe as well as the family members. That is what it is all about. It is building up that resilience in the communities and is breaking down that fear in order to be able to work together.