The new national drug strategy puts a focus on supporting drug users in overcoming dependency and become drug free. One of the main ways to support individuals to achieve this goal is to help them develop their skills, training and employment prospects.

To this end, the Department of Health have allocated £9m of new money (over the course of 2008/9 to 2010/11) to enable new Jobcentre Plus drugs coordinators to be based in every Jobcentre Plus District in England. A letter giving more details about the role of these new posts can be found here as well as a summary here of how many new staff each area will be receiving to be in post by April 2009. In addition, information produced by the University of Glasgow regarding estimates of the numbers of working age drug users claiming benefits in each partnership area can be accessed here.