1
Lose - Lose to Win - Win Community Based
Partnership Working
2
Aquarius

• A charity established in 1977 as part of a
  research project at Birmingham University
• Views addiction in the context of Functional
  Model
• Maintains a commitment to innovation, evaluation,
  research and the development of evidence based
  effective practice
• Areas of work include alcohol, drugs and gambling

3
Range of Services

• Alcohol Arrest Referral
• Probation
• Primary Care
• Community Based
• Hospital Based
• Family Focused Work

• Affected Others
• Asian Services
• Outreach Work
• Drink Drive Rehabilitation
• Residential Rehabilitation

4
Why have a project?

• The annual cost of alcohol misuse is
  approximately 20bn per annum and includes
• 1.2m violent incidents (around half of all
  violent crimes)
• At peak times, up to 70 of all admissions to AE
  departments
• Cost of alcohol-related crime and disorder in
  England is 7.3bn
• 21,700 hospital admissions for alcoholic
  poisoning
• 360,000 incidents of domestic violence (1/3 of
  the total)
• 6p in the 1 on the basic rate of income tax
• Source Cabinet Office, Prime Ministers Strategy
  Unit
• Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy for England 2004

5
A Night on the Town
6
Who is affected by an assault?
7
Route 50 Model

• Based on the work carried out in 1990s by Prof.
  Harold Holder et. al.
• The key was to use several mutually reinforcing
  strategies
• Each was distinct but interlinked
• Moving from purely legalistic / enforcement
  approach to prevention and early intervention
• Holistic in its approach

8
Multi-component Working

• Based on the idea of systems
• The system is dynamic
• The entire system is used to deliver change
• Aims to change social norms and beliefs as well
  as the social, cultural and physical environment
  

9
Components Education, Support and Enforcement

• Community Involvement and Education
• Greater Enforcement and Support
• Test Purchasing
• Media
• Responsible Service of Alcohol Training
• Transport

10
Project Partners

• West Midlands Police
• Birmingham City Council
• Trading Standards
• Licensing Authority
• Technology Innovation Centre, U.C.E
• Community and Neighbourhood Forums
• Local Business / Licence Trade
• British Beer and Pub Association
• Local Radio and Print Media
• UnSuitable (PR Agency)
• Transport Police, West Midlands Travel, Taxi
  Association

11
Project Challenges

• Lack of funding and resources
• No pre-existing network dealing with alcohol
  harms
• Preconceptions of project
• Suburban community vs. city centre
• Sustainability

12
Overcoming Challenges

• Beg, borrow and charm
• Must be win / win for all
• Be optimistic yet pragmatic
• Develop relationships and demonstrate need
• Develop similar structure but understand local
  needs
• Be the honest broker
• Encourage solution focused mentality

13
Community Groups

• Residents wanted and asked
• To know about their rights under the new
  Licensing Act 2003 and how to use them
• To know more about alcohol
• To have a better relationship with the trade

14
Enforcement
15
Enforcement Success

• Now have a better relationship with trade
• More communication between different enforcement
  agencies
• Sharing of workload
• 21 reduction in PSA1 crimes
• 25.8 reduction in PPW

16
Test Purchasing

• Sites given advice visits
• Asked to sign code of conduct
• Given point of sales materials
• Given refusals books
• RBS training offered
• Informed that test purchased would happen
• Test purchases happened
• Careful consideration should be given to the
  scheduling of law enforcement operations

17
Media and PR

• Press releases
• Poster campaigns
• Radio campaigns
• Taxi campaigns
• Radio interviews
• TV

18
Underage Drinking Campaign

• text

19
Christmas Campaign
20
Server Training Successes

• Training was seen to be effective
• 100 of participants finding it useful or very
  useful
• Staff now more confident in carrying out legal
  obligations
• Less turnover of staff
• Less pressure on managers

21
Reality

• Owner, Jug of Ale pub
• Selling to underage people is something we
  have to always be careful about. Now my staff
  have been on the course they understand why and
  do their jobs with confidence without constant
  support from me. Therefore I have more peace of
  mind regarding staying with in the law. Being
  involved in the project has only been positive.

22
Project Successes

• Improved communication between licence premises
  and between publicans and statutory / enforcement
  agencies
• Higher retention of bar staff and increased
  ability to reduce conflict
• Direct communication between local community and
  trade avoiding crisis point and legal action

23
Further Successes

• 20 increase in self referrals to alcohol service
  (Aquarius)
• Further projects funded in Birmingham as a result
  of AERC research

24
Key Learning

• Adequate start up time required for needs
  assessment and identifying project champions
• An honest broker
• Matching incentives with enforcement
• Convincing licensees that participation is in
  their commercial interest
• Trust between partners
• Duration of project should be long enough for
  project to bed down

25
Contact Details

• Aquarius
• Annette Fleming
• Chief Executive
• 0121 622 8181
• headoffice_at_aquarius.org.uk
• Website www.aquarius.org.uk