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Date: April 30, 2024 Tue
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3 results foundAuthor: ORIMA Research Title: Cashless Debit Card Trial Evaluation. Wave 1 Interim Evaluation Report Summary: With support from the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C), and developed in close consultation with local community leaders, local and state government agencies and other Australian Government agencies, the Department of Social Services (DSS) is conducting a 12-month trial of a Cashless Debit Card for income support payments (ISPs) in two regional communities. The Cashless Debit Card Trial (CDCT) aims to reduce the levels of harm associated with alcohol consumption, illicit drug use and gambling by limiting Trial participants' access to cash and by preventing the purchase of alcohol or gambling products (other than lottery tickets). Between 50% and 80% of CDCT participants' ISPs are directed to a restricted bank account, accessed by the debit card, with the remainder of these payments accessible through a normal (unrestricted) bank account. Participation in the Trial is mandatory for all working age ISP recipients in the selected Trial sites. Wage earners, Age Pensioners and Veterans' Affairs Pensioners who live in the Trial sites can opt in to the CDCT . To support the implementation of the Trial, DSS worked with the South Australian and Western Australian state governments, community agencies and local Indigenous leadership to supplement the support services being provided in the Trial areas with significant further investment. The Trial commenced in Ceduna and Surrounds (South Australia, SA) on 15 March 2016; and in the East Kimberley (EK) region (Western Australia, WA) on 26 April 2016. Three evaluation reports are planned across the period of the Trial, with this being the second of these. It is based on data collected during the first six months of the Trial (up to 4 October 2016). This is the Wave 1 Interim Evaluation Report of the Cashless Debit Card Trial (CDCT) being conducted in Ceduna and Surrounds (South Australia; SA) and in the East Kimberley (EK) region (Western Australia, WA). This report consists of several layers of information and data, suited to different readers and purposes. As these layers build on top of each other, some content is repeated across multiple layers as relevant. Readers are suggested to utilise the layer(s) most suited to their needs, and to seek more detailed data from deeper layers as and when required. The layers are: 1. Executive Summary. A brief narrative summary of the CDCT and its objectives, and the key findings from the Wave 1 Interim Evaluation Report (Part I). 2. Overview of Performance against the KPIs. A summary of key survey results, qualitative observations and administrative data which specifically relate to the Evaluation Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) of the CDCT, including an overview table of KPIs (Part III). 3. Response to Evaluation Questions. A discussion of the broader Evaluation Questions, drawing together and considering evidence from all data sources as they relate to these questions (Part IV). 4. Conclusions. A succinct statement of the conclusions as at the Wave 1 Interim Evaluation (Part V). 5. Quantitative Survey Results. The detailed survey results in chart and table form, with minimal commentary. These results are presented in two sections – those relating to KPIs (Appendix A) and those relating to other facets of the CDCT (Appendix B). 6. Qualitative Research Summary Reports. Detailed descriptive results from the qualitative research with stakeholders and community leaders in each of the Trial sites (Appendix C). Information on the evaluation methodology can be seen in Part II, and in Appendix D: Organisations Interviewed and Contacted in Qualitative Research. Details: Canberra: Australian Department of Social Services, 2017. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 1, 2017 at: http://apo.org.au/files/Resource/cdc-wave1-interim-evaluation-report.pdf Year: 2017 Country: Australia URL: http://apo.org.au/files/Resource/cdc-wave1-interim-evaluation-report.pdf Shelf Number: 144679 Keywords: Alcohol AbuseAlcohol and CrimeCashless Debit CardsCrime PreventionGamblingGambling and CrimeIllegal Drug Use |
Author: ORIMA Research Title: Evaluation of the Cashless Debit Card Trial -- Initial Conditions Report Summary: The Australian Government is undertaking a Cashless Debit Card Trial (CDCT) to deliver and manage income support payments (ISPs), with the aim of reducing levels of community harm related to alcohol consumption, drug use and gambling. In the CDCT, a proportion of an individual's ISP is directed to a restricted bank account, accessed by a debit card (not allowing cash withdrawals). Participation in the CDCT is mandatory for all working age ISP recipients who live in the selected trial sites. In addition, wage earners, Age Pensioners and Veterans Affairs Pensioners who live in the trial sites can opt-in to the CDCT. To date, the CDCT is being implemented in Ceduna and Surrounds in South Australia and Kununurra / Wyndham (East Kimberley) in Western Australia. The Department of Social Services (DSS) commissioned ORIMA Research to conduct an independent evaluation of the CDCT. This report is focused on identifying initial conditions prevailing in the trial sites before the implementation of the CDCT. The report is primarily based on the findings of qualitative research (interviews and focus groups) with key stakeholders in each of the trial sites. It also includes some coverage of administrative data that was available at the time of report writing. A total of 37 stakeholders (members of regional leadership groups as well as government and non-government service providers) participated in the qualitative research, which was conducted between 21 April and 26 May 2016. Details: Canberra: Australian Department of Social Services, 2017. 85p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 1, 2017 at: https://www.dss.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/03_2017/3018_dss_evaluation_of_cdct_initial_conditions_report_baseline_admin_data_030317.pdf Year: 2017 Country: Australia URL: https://www.dss.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/03_2017/3018_dss_evaluation_of_cdct_initial_conditions_report_baseline_admin_data_030317.pdf Shelf Number: 114680 Keywords: Alcohol Abuse Alcohol and Crime Cashless Debit Cards Crime Prevention Gambling Gambling and Crime Illegal Drug Use |
Author: Crawford, Catherine Title: United Kingdom Drug Situation: Focal Point Annual Report 2016 Summary: Executive summary - Overall drug prevalence in the general population is lower now than ten years ago, with cannabis being the main driver of that reduction. However, there has been little change in recent years. - The order of drugs most commonly reported by respondents has not changed much over this time, with cannabis most prevalent (6.5%) followed by powder cocaine (2.2%) and ecstasy/MDMA (1.5%), according to the most recent Crime Survey for England and Wales. - Seizures data suggests that herbal cannabis has come to dominate the market. While resin was involved in around two-thirds of cannabis seizures in 2000, it was involved in only five per cent in 2015/16. - On 26 May 2016, the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 came into force in the UK, prohibiting the production, supply, import/export and possession on prison grounds of psychoactive substances, other than those exempted by the legislation. This act was brought in to tackle the trade in new psychoactive substances (NPS) which has steadily grown in recent years. Over 350 premises in the UK trading in NPS have either closed or stopped selling substances covered by the legislation. - In addition, synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists (SCRAs), a class of NPS whose use among the prison population and vulnerable people has caused concern, became controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 as Class B substances in December 2016. - Temporary class drug orders on methylphenidate-related compounds (including ethylphenidate) and methiopropamine have been remade for another 12 months. - Using the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) definition, which refers to deaths caused directly by the consumption of at least one illicit drug, the total number of drug-related deaths (DRDs) in the UK during 2014 was 2,655; a five per cent increase from 2013 and the highest number reported to date. - Due to substantial delays being typical between occurrence and registration of DRDs in England and Wales, UK-wide DRD figures are not yet available covering deaths occurring beyond 2014. However, published statistics for DRDs occurring in Scotland during 2015 showed a 15% increase on 2014. - Deaths registered in 2015 in England and Wales were notably higher than deaths registered in 2014. It is therefore likely that DRD figures for 2015 will set a new record. - Across the UK there were 2,304 deaths reported which featured an opioid (87% of UK cases). As in previous years, the substance with the largest number of associated deaths was heroin. In contrast to the UK as a whole, tramadol was the most commonly mentioned opioid drug in Northern Ireland. - The proportion of deaths involving cocaine has risen; however, many of these deaths are believed to be heroin users who also use crack cocaine. - The number of MDMA-associated deaths in England and Wales rose to 57 cases, returning to levels seen prior to the decrease in availability of MDMA in the late 2000s. - Over the last decade the average age of death has increased from 37.6 years in 2004 to 41.6 in 2014, with males being younger than females (40.3 years and 44.6 years respectively). The largest proportion of deaths in the UK in 2014 was in the 40-44 years age group. - There were 124,234 treatment presentations in the UK in 2015. This total includes for the first time, data from individuals presenting to treatment services in prisons in England. - Fifty per cent of all treatment presentations in the UK were for primary opioid use, with 26% of all service users presenting for treatment of cannabis use. However, among those who had never previously been in treatment, just under half (48%) of clients had a primary substance of cannabis, compared to 21% who presented for treatment of heroin. The proportions of users presenting for treatment of these substances appear to have stabilised over the past two years. - The primary drugs cited by those presenting to specialist substance misuse treatment services varied notably between each of the four countries of the UK. While almost half of treatment entrants cited heroin in England, Scotland and Wales, less than 10% did in Northern Ireland. - Benzodiazepines were cited as a primary problem substance in far greater proportion of cases in Scotland and Northern Ireland than in England or Wales, whereas Wales had a far higher proportion of clients citing amphetamines/methamphetamines than in any of the other countries. - Treatment data from prisons showed that 27,836 individuals presented to treatment services in English prisons in 2015, with 564 presenting in prison in Northern Ireland; approximately one-quarter of the treatment clients from each country. Heroin was the most common primary substance among clients in England, whereas cannabis was the most common substance in Northern Ireland. - The use of NPS, and SCRAs in particular, remains a growing concern in prisons in the UK. Surveys carried out in England, Wales and Scotland found that around 10% of prisoners reported use of SCRAs while in prison, behind cannabis with a prevalence at around 15%. - The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman has found 64 deaths that occurred in prisons in England and Wales between June 2013 and April 2016 that were associated with NPS. NPS use has also been associated with self-harm incidents, intimidation and violence. - National Take-Home Naloxone programmes continue to supply naloxone to those exiting prison in Scotland and Wales: there were 932 kits issued by NHS staff in prisons in Scotland, and 146 in Wales, in 2015/16. - Prevalence of HIV among people who inject drugs (PWID) participating in the Unlinked Anonymous Monitoring (UAM) survey in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in 2015 was one per cent (a similar level to recent years). HIV prevalence among 'recent initiates' to injecting substantially increased in 2015 to 2.6%, the highest level seen in the last ten years. However, this likely represents an increase in prevalence among men who have sex with men rather than among the wider population who inject drugs. - There were 50 new diagnoses of HIV among PWID reported from Scotland, compared with 17 in 2014. This increase was due to an outbreak of HIV in PWID in Glasgow. - Around 90% of the hepatitis C infections diagnosed in the UK are acquired through injecting drug use. The prevalence of hepatitis C among PWID has remained fairly stable over the last ten years, and was 50% in the UAM survey of PWID in 2015. - Hepatitis B prevalence rates have also remained stable for 2015 at 13%. This is half the level seen ten years ago, with the decrease likely to be due to the increased uptake of the hepatitis B vaccination among the PWID population. - The level of direct sharing of needles and syringes reported by participants in the UAM Survey of PWID has declined over the last decade from 28% in 2005 to 16% in 2015. However, levels of concern have increased around the harms associated with people who inject NPS such as mephedrone. One-third of participants in the UAM survey of PWID who were currently injecting mephedrone reported they had shared needles or syringes previously used by someone else. - An Independent review into the impact on employment outcomes of drug or alcohol addiction, and obesity was published in December 2016 and made a number of recommendations to promote employment of those with addictions, including that those making a claim should be required to attend a structured discussion with a healthcare professional on the impact of their health condition on their ability to work. - The Association for Young People's Health, in conjunction with Public Health England, published A public health approach to promoting young people's resilience, to aid policy makers and commissioners. Similarly, Mentor-ADEPIS published a briefing paper aimed at teachers and practitioners on how building resilience can prevent substance abuse. - The numbers of recorded incidents of possession and supply offences across the UK, and arrests for drug offences in England and Wales, have fallen in 2015/16, continuing the trends seen over the past five years. In 2015/16, 31,342 supply/trafficking offences and 157,271 possession offences were recorded in the UK. - Heroin purity has continued to rise since the low level seen in the early 2010s, and in 2015 was 44%, more than twice the purity seen in 2011 and 2012 when it reached its nadir. Similarly, cocaine purity, which was at its lowest in 2010, has risen since that time, and in 2015 was also 44%. - Street level price data from law enforcement agencies suggests that most recorded drug prices have remained stable in recent years. - The number of cannabis seizures in all forms in England and Wales in 2015/16 decreased, continuing the downwards trend seen in recent years. Cocaine, ecstasy and heroin seizure numbers all remained stable, while the number of crack seizures increased in 2015/16. Details: London: United Kingdom Focal Point at Public Health England, 2017. 180p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 17, 2017 at: http://www.nta.nhs.uk/uploads/2905931ukdrugsituation2016webaccessible.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.nta.nhs.uk/uploads/2905931ukdrugsituation2016webaccessible.pdf Shelf Number: 144988 Keywords: Drug Abuse and AddictionDrug Abuse and CrimeDrug EnforcementDrug OffendersDrug TreatmentIllegal Drug Use |