Happy Parent Initiative
Cullen, B. (2012) Happy Parent Initiative: (HPI) A Review Report. Blue Drum and the Family Support Agency, Dublin.
Blue Drum was set up in 2001. It is a specialist community arts body funded by the Family Support Agency to nurture local arts and cultural work in Family Resource Centres. It is a not-for-profit company with a voluntary board, with 3 staff employed part-time and thirteen other practitioners contracted to a two year EU Culture Programme research study. The Blue Drum Happy Parent Initiative (HPI) is designed as a single experiential workshop for participating parents attending Family Resource Centres (FRC). Operationally HPI is delivered as an FRC-level support to FRCs, but it was also delivered, in some instances at regional, inter-FRCs level. HPI arose as an attempt to insert an arts-based intervention in support of existing programmes and actions undertaken by FRCs within the context of their own strategic plans and developments.
Review of drug free support initiative
Cullen, B., Manning, M. (2012) Needs analysis and review of drug free support initiative. Canal Communities Local Drugs Task Force, Dublin.
The aims of this review as set out by CCLDTF are to: Assess the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats of the current initiative; Identify additional or alternative support needs that may respond to the social, economic, environmental and intellectual needs of those a)who are drug free and those wishing to become drug free.
An embedded disease model of treatment
Cullen B. (2011) “Treating alcohol-related problems within the Irish healthcare system, 1986-2007: An embedded disease model of treatment?” Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy 18(4): 251-260, 2011.
This article assesses the implementation of the policy on the treatment of alcohol problems in Ireland during the period 1986-2007. At the commencement of this period, a major policy statement in relation to the treatment of alcohol within the mental health care system presaged radical change - in effect it proposed a shift from the then dominant disease model of alcoholism to one that was focused on public health principles. Towards the end of the period, a further statement made the rather sanguine claim that many of the intended changes had taken place. This article adopts a more critical approach. Using epidemiological data from annual reports on the activities of mental health centres and also drawing from the author's doctorate thesis - an action-research project that focused on addiction treatment within a regional health authority - the article highlights that change has been slow and that some of the main tenets of the disease model remain in place.
Report on Inclusions of Alcohol
Oireachtas Joint Committee on Arts, Sport, Tourism, Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Butler, S.(consultant), Cullen, B. (consultant) (2006) , Report on the Inclusion of Alcohol in a National Substance Misuse Strategy, 2006.
This report illustrates that while research has long recognised that alcohol is an issue which cuts across many different sectors of government, the different sectors do not necessarily operate from an agreed policy agenda and that although WHO has long recommended the need for an integrated national management strategy for alcohol, a recommendation supported by successive government reports, no permanent structures were ever established to give effect to these recommendations. In contrast the report highlights that problems relating to illicit drugs, which have a much shorter history than alcohol, are being managed through the National Drugs Strategy in a manner consistent with Irish strategic management reform for improving the management if cross-cutting issues. In particular it is argued that the National Drugs Strategy has brought consistency and coherence to the complex arena of Irish drug policy, On this basis the report recommends the integration of alcohol and illicit drugs under a single National Substance Misuse Strategy.
Report to HSE Regional Drug Coordinating Office
Cullen, B. (2006) Report to Health Services Executive Regional Drug Coordinating Office (Waterford) on recommendations for adolescent substance misuse treatment services, Addiction Research Centre, Trinity College, 2006
This report presents a review of the literature on adolescent needs, substance misuse pathways and treatment outcomes. In addition, it also explores the issues pertaining to prevention, early intervention and treatment for adolescents living in Ireland’s south east area. Alcohol and cannabis were considered the main problem drugs reported by adolescents living in the area, opiate use was reported by only a small number of these adolescents. The report emphasizes that the pattern of substance use needed to be reflected in the development of the treatment response. Two pathways into alcohol and drug use are described for adolescents. The first is the experimental or social use of alcohol or drugs (considered normal), and the second is the use of such substances as a coping mechanism to deal with stress and anxiety (considered problematic). The recommendations in the report were influenced by the Report of the working group on the treatment of under 18 year olds presenting to treatment services with serious drug problems. In general, the four-tier model of service delivery recommended by the national working group was accepted as the best model, but service providers recommended adaptations to reflect the situation in the HSE South Eastern Area. The adaptations to the model should reflect the types of substances used and a preference for the provision of day care instead of residential care.
Addiction services in south east
Cullen, B. (2005) Report on developing an operational plan for addiction services in the south east region, Dublin, Addiction Research Centre, Trinity College, 2005
This paper arose from a forum of personnel working in the drug and alcohol services in the Health Services Executive (South East), held in November 2003, and also from follow-up consultations, interviews and focus groups. It outlines conceptuals models for dealing with these problems, the policy context and also summarises the development of services and an assessment of policy implementation and change. The report also outlines recommendations for services integration in moving forward.
Aislinn adolescent residential rehabilitation centre
Cullen, B., Cox, G. (2003) Aislinn Adolescent Residential Rehabilitation Centre: Evaluation, Dublin: Addiction Research Centre, TCD.
This document reports on the evaluation of Aislinn Treatment Centre, which is a dedicated residential treatment centre for young people aged 15-21 with addiction problems. Aislinn is a subsidiary of the adult Aiseiri centre which operates a treatment programme based on the Minnesota Model and characterized by the 12-step philosophy. The Aislinn programme is modified for adolescents, although in general it adheres very closely to the parent model. The report provides a detailed profile of participants and programme outline. The report is in general positive about the participant’s experiences while in residential treatment, highlighting the programme’s role in providing focus, respite, structure and an opportunity for family engagement. However, the report raises some questions about young people’s preparedness for the model and also about the programme’s capacity to facilitate participants’ re-integration into the communities and families from which they came.
Tallaght Rehabilitation Project (TRP) - A review
Cullen, B., Cox, G. (2003) Tallaght Rehabilitation Project (TRP): A Review Report, Dublin, Addiction Research Centre, Trinity College.
The Tallaght Rehabilitation Project (TRP) is a community-based programme for recovering drug users. The project's background is described in this report. It is an independent legal entity set up to offer a therapeutic programme to assist drug users in dealing with their addiction and to become drug free. The aims of the review were: to examine the impact and effectiveness of the TRP with particular attention to how it meets its own stated aims and objectives; to analyse the perspectives of TRP participants with respect to their engagement and satisifaction with the programme; and, to examine TRP's wider policy and practice contexts with particular attention to assessing its integration with local developments.
Community and drugs
Cullen, B. (2003) Community and Drugs: A discussion of the contexts and consequences of community drug problems in Ireland, 1976-2001 , Dublin, Addiction Research Centre, Trinity College.
This paper considers the contexts and consequences of community drug problems in Ireland during the period 1976, when opiate use first emerged as a minor problem, to 2001, when a comprehensive government and community response was in place to deal with what had become a major, social problem. The focus on community drug problems arises because of the irrefutable evidence that serious drug problems over this 25 year period were spatially concentrated in certain urban areas characterized by poverty and deprivation. This concentration is reflected in the manner in which certain urban areas were also designated for a specialized, concentrated government response. The paper starts by assessing the changing nature and patterns of drug problems over the period, it reviews the prevalence and epidemiological literature and explores various individual, familial and community effects and considers the association between concentrated drug problems and concentrated poverty. The paper also discusses the responses to drug problems, looking at the emergence of community anti-drug groups, the development of networks for linking local responses and the experience of community drug teams and partnership structures, The paper concludes with a discussion of new changes and their potential implications for future policies.
Responding to community problems
Cullen, B. (2002) Responding to community problems in an urban neighbourhood: shifting the focus from drugs onto other issues!, paper prepared on behalf of the Mounttown Community Task Force. (paper had limited circulation – version here has some blocked-out notes)
This paper assesses challenges that arise in addressing drug and related problems in an urban neighbourhood, in the wake of improved public policies for dealing with these issues. The paper draws from interviews held with a cross section of persons living or working in the neighbourhood concerned, alongside group discussions held with a community task force, which had reached a hiatus in its progress and development. The context for preparing the paper was to provide the task force with an analysis and resource to help move it on to its next phase. The paper sets out a broader context of developments with respect to community drug problems and locates these within Mounttown’s particular experience. It then identifies new challenges in moving forward and suggests the need for a clearer, intense focus on more deeply-rooted issues, particularly in relation to education and support services for children and families. Although the issues arise within the narrow context of one particular community it is argued that these have wider relevance, especially within communities with similar experiences of drugs and other problems.