Drug Action Teams
Strategy
Drug action teams (DATs) are the partnerships responsibie for delivering the drug strategy at a local level.
Drug action teams are partnerships combining representatives from local authorities (education, social services, housing) health, probation, the prison service and the voluntary sector.
What do DATs do?
The DATs ensure that the work of local agencies is brought together effectively and that cross-agency projects are co-ordinated successfully.
DATs take strategic decisions on expenditure and service delivery within four aims of the National Drugs Strategy; treatment, young people, communities and supply.
Their work involves:
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Commissioning services, including supporting structures
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Monitoring and reporting on performance
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Communicating plans, activities and performance to stakeholders
Structure and accountability
Each Drug Action Team consists of a DAT Chair and a DAT Co-ordinator:
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The DAT Chair is the most senior official within the DAT. They work on a part time basis and will also have a senior position within one of the constituent agencies (including health authorities, education, social services, housing, police, prisons and probation).
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The DAT Co-ordinator is responsible for the day-to-day management of the DAT. The DAT Co-ordinator works alongside community safety managers in the Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships (CDRPs) and usually has a small team working for them.
DATs are formally accountable to the Home Secretary. They are supported by the Home Office teams in the nine Regional Government Offices and centrally by the Drugs Strategy Directorate.
The 150 English DATs have been aligned with local authority boundaries since April 2001. A single DAT can cover a large area such as East Sussex or a smaller more densely populated area, for example a London Borough.
DAT Contact Details
Full list of Drug Action Team contact details is available on this website.
