The County of Flintshire is situated in the North East of Wales and it borders with the counties of Denbighshire, Wrexham and the English county of Cheshire. Its population is over 150,000, with the largest population group being between the ages of 35 to 44.
Flintshire’s Substance Misuse Action Team (SMAT) which is a group within the Community Safety Partnership meets regularly to discuss ways in which we are able to tackle substance misuse issues locally.
The main priority of the SMAT is to ensure the local implementation of the Welsh Assembly Governments’ 10 Year Substance Misuse Strategy for Wales 2008-2018 ‘Working Together to Reduce Harm’. Locally the priorities link into the four main action areas of the strategy, which include:
- Preventing harm.
- Support for substance misusers to improve their health and aid and maintain recovery.
- Supporting and protecting families.
- Tackling availability and protecting individuals and communities via enforcement activity.
The Flintshire Substance Misuse Action Team and its sub-groups are made up of the following partner agencies, representatives and organisations:
North Wales Police
Wales Probation
Welsh Assembly Government
Youth Service
Youth Justice
Community Drug and Alcohol Team
Young Peoples Drug and Alcohol Team
Education
Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board
Supporting People
Barnardo’s
ARCH Initiatives
Housing
Emergency Duty Team from Wrexham
Anti Social Behaviour Coordinator
Domestic Abuse Forum Representatives
Children’s Services
Licensing
Trading Standards
Lifelong Learning