Western Connections Service (Drugs and Alcohol Co-ordination Team)

Drug and Alcohol Coordination Teams (DACTs) are made up of statutory and community agencies with an interest in, or need to, address drug and alcohol issues in the Trust area. There is a DACT for each Health Trust area in Northern Ireland, and each has a Connections team.

Since 2015, the Public Health Agency (PHA) brings together the Connections teams to work collectively with their DACTs, preventing harm from drug and alcohol use by developing events, initiatives and resources.

We can deliver 1-2 hour awareness sessions on various drugs and alcohol related topics. If you then want to move to more in-depth information, we can signpost you. All of our sessions include details of local support services and how to access them.

We can support you, your family, or your community to navigate through the drugs and alcohol services and support available in your area.

We can help with campaign messages or initiatives to ensure they are accurate, current and relevant in terms of the information and advice they are giving to the general public/target audience.

We can support key members of your community to get involved in recognising and responding to the signs of drugs and alcohol misuse. Our two day, accredited Drug and Alcohol Responder course offers training and the opportunity to build confidence to be able to make a difference in your community. We provide ongoing support to trained Drug and Alcohol Responders.

If there is a specific drug or alcohol incident or issue locally, we can work with the local DACT to develop a multi-agency planned response. This can involve us raising awareness, developing events and initiatives and bringing in or signposting to relevant support services.

As well as being part of the local DACT, we can also attend community-based partnerships or forums who are interested in addressing drug and alcohol issues or learning more about services or current trends.