Feasiblity study on a drug rehabilitation service in Canal Communities.

This study was commissioned by the Partnership and Local Drugs Task Force of the Canal Communities, an area that includes the Dublin communities of Inchicore, Islandbridge, Kilmainham, Rialto and Bluebell. The aim of the report was to investigate the possibility of establishing a rehabilitation service in the area, in line with government policy, which would meet local needs, offer a therapeutically effective service and be financially viable in the long run. It was proposed that the rehabilitation service be set up and run as a community-based, community-owned social enterprise, which would offer placements to a range of statutory, and possibly voluntary, agencies, instead of using more traditional funding mechanisms. The report recommended that the service be part of a network of services and work closely with other agencies. It was proposed that a performance monitoring system be put in place to measure the effectiveness of the service in terms of its capacity to attract and retain drug users, and to produce beneficial outcomes. A high priority was placed in the report on employing a fully-qualified and highly-skilled staff to run the service, and it was recommended that a cohesive and determined management committee be set up as soon as possible to implement the proposals