Guidance for UK local authorities to support them in commissioning effective alcohol and drug treatment and recovery services in their areas. This commissioning quality standard (CQS) sets standards that will guide local partnerships to commission alcohol and drug services more effectively.

This guidance helps partnerships to:

• clarify the commissioning process they should follow
• plan and deliver harm reduction, treatment and recovery interventions
• understand local need for alcohol and drug services
• assess whether anyone affected by problem alcohol and drug use is able to access the right support at the right time
• provide high-quality support from a multi-disciplinary skilled workforce for children, young people and adults affected by problem alcohol and drug use

We have also published a self assessment tool (Excel) to help local partnerships to measure their progress to meet the standards. They can use this to:

• make notes about their progress
• score themselves to check how close they are to meeting the standards