A new research report detailing the experiences of street drinkers in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham highlights the lack of published research on the subject, as well as the complexity of the issue and possible responses.
Download Street Drinking in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham: 2018 Research Report [pdf].
The report was commissioned by the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham and conducted by researchers at London South Bank University in partnership with local service provider WDP. The project used in-depth interviews and field observations alongside local outreach workers from April to October 2018 involving people in recovery, key workers, and local residents.
A key finding from the report states the needs of the identified group were not primarily alcohol or other substance related, but complex and requiring a multi-agency approach beyond what would be provided by a drug and alcohol service. In depth case studies highlight a range of experiences and challenges faced by street drinkers, including various levels of drug and alcohol use and reasons for the problems they face. The report makes specific recommendations to develop an effective outreach service as well as additional recommendations regarding strategies to reduce some of the visible impacts of street drinking in certain parts of the borough.
Specifically, a multi-disciplinary approach to assertive outreach, bringing expertise together from substance misuse, mental health, housing and other key services, was recommended. Given the vulnerability and challenges engaging with services faced by the group, developing relationships was also recommended as a key activity. The importance of bespoke training for outreach workers in performing their role effectively was also advised, particularly in the context of cuts to services and available resources.
Acknowledging the wider public's perception of street drinking was noted, although whilst some evidence of littering or public nuisance was observed, often such issues could not be attributed to the identified complex needs street drinkers in particular. As street drinking per se is not prohibited, although a Public Spaces Protection Order was put into effect in Barking and Dagenham from 19 March 2018 for a period of 36 months, recommendations are focused on environmental interventions such as larger bins and separate seating areas in identified hotspots.
Street drinking and complex need responses - the national picture?
The report no doubt provides a rare detailed insight into one London borough's street drinking issues from both the experiences of street drinkers themselves and other stakeholders. In 2016 'Tackling street drinking' guidance was released by a consortium of Police Crime Commissioners (PCCs), which aimed to help 'reduce the incidents of, and burden from, street drinking and to improve the interventions provided to street drinkers themselves.'
The extent of street drinking, however defined, is unknown at a national level, though appears to have become less of local priority in recent years, perhaps a reflection of cuts to services including outreach teams. This may also be behind little in the way of recent reporting of 'Reducing the Strength' (RtS) schemes, which seemed to growing in popularity around 2014. The schemes, which voluntarily encourage off-licenses to remove super strength lagers and white ciders, appeared to have some positive impacts according to a 2016 evaluation, although again it is largely unknown how many such schemes remain or whether any sustained changes were achieved.
Other approaches have also been adopted, but again limitations in terms of evaluation and the extent of implementation hinder understanding about their value. In 2015, the Blue Light Manual was released to support working with 'change resistant drinkers' and was followed by a number of local areas implementing various 'blue light' project models, some of which included evaluations suggesting positive returns on investment. Another model known as Assertive Outreach, generally targeting alcohol dependent service users with a history of unsuccessful alcohol treatment, may however appear to have gained more traction in recent years, despite some apparently mixed results. Political emphasis on alcohol care teams which often focus on 'high impact' users was also highlighted in the recent NHS Long Term plan, albeit without any financial commitment.
Overall, the decreasing resources available for alcohol and other complex needs appears to be impacting the number of local projects in general. An exception may be the second round of 'Local Alcohol Action Areas' (LAAA), taking place in thirty-three areas as announced in 2017. LAAA areas though do not receive additional funding rather than support, such as from the Home Office, PHE and government partners, to help areas carry out activities such as improving data sharing, developing partnerships, or designing out crime. Again, some have highlighted the importance of such local initiatives to be accompanied by robust and independent outcome evaluations, something the LAAA project appeared to acknowledge. For now though, the available evidence regarding local initiatives concerning complex needs and wider alcohol-related issues remains limited.
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