The City of Casey has welcomed the news that it has received funding to develop a program aimed at preventing harms from alcohol and drugs in the Casey community.
Council was announced as one of the successful applicants for a $10,000 grant from the Alcohol and Drug Foundation to develop a Local Drug Action Team (LDAT) for the Casey area.
City of Casey Mayor Cr Geoff Ablett said Council looked forward to establishing the Casey LDAT and working closely with local organisations to prevent harms from alcohol and other drugs in the community.
“This funding will support Council to establish a LDAT which will draw on existing partnerships that are in place with organisations in Casey that are concerned with community safety and wellbeing,” Cr Ablett said.
“By working in partnership with other organisations, Council hopes to leverage from the different strengths and knowledge in Casey to respond to identified alcohol and drug related issues in our community.”
The LDAT program, an initiative of the Alcohol and Drug Foundation, gives Australian communities a framework to prevent and reduce the harmful effects of alcohol and other drugs at a local level.
Recognising that no two communities are the same, the program supports organisations to use local knowledge and build evidence-informed initiatives that respond to the particular needs of their local area.
“Some of the statistics for Casey are concerning. We know that one in five adults are at risk of short-term alcohol-related harm, that Casey has one of the highest number of family violence incidents in the state and alcohol is a large contributor, and that the use and possession of crystal methamphetamine (‘ice’) has increased over the past five years,” the Mayor added.
“Once established, the Casey LDAT will be responsible for developing a Community Action Plan, in consultation with the Casey community, that will focus on building alcohol and drug protective factors in our community and preventing drug and alcohol related harms.
“A key objective of our Council Plan is to create an inclusive, safe and connected community, and a priority of Council’s Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plan 2017-21 is reducing harm from alcohol, drug and tobacco use.
“With that in mind, Council looks forward to working with local organisations on developing an action plan to help address and prevent the issues in the Casey community.”
For more information on the LDAT program visit the Alcohol and Drug Foundation website.
Issued 31 May 2018