Healthcare professionals and partners

Ensuring that effective specialist treatment is in place for under-18s is a key aspect of the drug strategy. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse (NTA) sets out our commitment to work in partnership to achieve the common goal of ensuring that every young person has access to high quality specialist substance misuse treatment provision when they need it. 

The aim of the agreement is to ensure substantial improvements in the effectiveness, quality and accessibility of young people’s substance misuse treatment systems across England through partnership working with local authorities and other key stakeholders, and that these services are commissioned and delivered within an integrated children’s services framework.

The MoU covers the period 2007 to 2011 and is reviewed annually to reflect changes in government policy and the wider environment.

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Specialist misuse services for young people have expanded enormously during the past few years, as government investment increased from £15.3m in 2003/04 to £25.4m in 2009/10.

Consequently, specialist treatment services are more widespread and accessible than ever, with one in every local authority area.

In 2009, the allocation for each local authority was reviewed, using a comprehensive assessment of the risk factors linked to substance misuse, particularly family income and child poverty, educational attainment and housing problems. The overall effect of this reallocation was to narrow variations in funding from area to area by more closely linking funding to child well being. 

Detailed breakdown of children and young people's secure estate funding for 2011/12.

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Young people's specialist substance misuse needs assessment
The good practice guidance focuses on the process to identify the needs of young people requiring specialist substance misuse treatment.

• Young people’s specialist substance misuse treatment: Needs assessment good practice guidance

Young people's specialist substance misuse treatment planning
This guidance outlines the submission and assessment arrangements for young people’s commissioners to use in their planning processes in partnership with NTA regional teams and other local and regional partners. Example templates are provided for the three parts of the submission.

• Young people's specialist substance misuse treatment planning 2011/12: interim guidance notes for young people's strategic partnerships
• Young people's specialist substance misuse treatment planning 2011/12: planning framework
• Young people’s specialist substance misuse treatment planning 2010/11: Guidance notes on planning processes for strategic partnerships
• Young people’s specialist substance misuse treatment plan 2010/11: Part 1 Strategic Summary – example template
• Young people’s specialist substance misuse treatment plan 2010/11: Part 2 Planning Grids – example template
• Young people’s specialist substance misuse treatment plan 2010/11: Part 3 Pooled treatment budget, mainstream funding and expenditure – example template

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• Young people's specialist substance misuse treatment: commissioning guidance – The aim of the commissioning guidance is to support the effective commissioning of specialist substance misuse treatments services in line with current developments in children's commissioning.
• Young people's specialist substance misuse treatment: the role of CAMHS and addiction psychiatry in adolescent substance misuse services - The purpose of this document is to highlight the unrealised potential for recovery and rehabilitation of a large group of substance misusing and dependant young people.
• Young people’s specialist substance misuse treatment: exploring the evidence - This guidance is aimed at professionals working with young people under 18 years old who provide specialist substance misuse treatment services.
• Guidance for pharmacological management of substance misuse among young people
• Guidance for pharmacological management of substance misuse among young people in secure environments
• Young People's Substance Misuse Treatment Services – Essential Elements
• Integrating Youth Justice Provision and Substance Misuse Treatment
• Assessing Young People for Substance Misuse

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Questions have been submitted to the NTA and YJB on Youth Rehabilitation Order (YRO) Drug Treatment Requirement, Drug Testing Requirement and Intoxicating Substance Misuse Requirement. These have been collated into Frequently Asked Questions. 

These should be read in conjunction with practice guidance on The Youth Rehabilitation Order and other Youth Justice Provisions of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008. 

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