Rialto Community Drug Team: policy discussion paper.

This review examined the development of the Rialto Community Drug Team (RCDT) in Dublin, a partnership between the Rialto Youth Project and the Eastern Health Board. The RCDT began operating in September 1992. The author was commissioned to look at its development in the broader policy context, to identify key issues in relation to community drug teams in terms of drug treatment and support policies, and to make appropriate recommendations. The author gathered data using semi-structured interviews, which he conducted with members of staff, the management board, policy makers, and local drugs activists. The author also studied internal RCDT documents, policy reports and relevant academic literature. The report presents an overview of the context within which the RCDT operated, the UK experience of community drug teams, a discussion of Irish public policy in the area, and a description of the RCDT. The author concluded that the RCDT provided a clear focus for health promotion, and helped to facilitate inclusive policy-making. He stated that the RCDT provided an excellent locus for including local communities in the management of, and policy formulation for, local drug services, and he suggested that this could also be extended to treatment and rehabilitation services