Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)

The working group on rehabilitation was established in September 2005 and includes representatives from a range of Departments and agencies involved in delivering rehabilitation services, as well as representatives from the national drugs strategy team, NDST, the national advisory committee on drugs, NACD, and the community and voluntary sectors. The terms of reference of the group include examining the current provision of rehabilitation services in Ireland and recommending actions to develop an integrated rehabilitation service for the future.

The development of comprehensive rehabilitation services is a complex process due in no small part to the fact that problem drug use is a chronic, often recurring, condition. As a result, rehabilitation necessarily involves the provision of services that support and encourage drug users at each stage of their drug use, from those whose problem is severe and chaotic to those who may have recovered, have been stabilised or, unfortunately, may have relapsed. At each stage the door must be kept open to enable those dealing with the problem of drug misuse to re-engage with treatment and rehabilitation services.

Services that may contribute to the rehabilitation of drug misusers of necessity may come from a wide variety of sources and agencies. The health services provide aspects of ongoing treatment, counselling and therapeutic services. Educational and training agencies focus on the provision of educational, training and job search needs and community and voluntary organisations provide services under the local and regional drugs task force programmes which provide a wide range of supports.

See this speech in context