Context and Key Developments 2012

2012 has been a significant year for the project at a number of different levels. The steering group on the National Substance Misuse Strategy published their report in 2012. This is the first time that drugs and alcohol were both dealt with in the same policy document at Governmental level. From our perspective this is a significant step forward. The Ballymun Youth Action Project has always recognised that alcohol is very much part of the reality that we work with. With the proposals in the new strategy we see the possibility of a much more coherent response to the whole issue of substance misuse as it affects individuals, families, and communities.

There are also changes being explored at the level of service delivery by the Addiction Services within the HSE, and it is hoped that these developments will create greater room for cooperation between the community/voluntary services and the statutory services.

Alongside the developments at the level of policy and strategy there is also the reality of a much tighter economic situation, and the impact of cuts that have been imposed on all Projects, including the Ballymun Youth Action Project. In 2012 there were two redundancies within BYAP, and ten staff members saw a reduction in their working hours as a direct result of cutbacks.