Social Development
(a) What has been the estimated cost of alcohol-related harm in the province from December 2017 to date, (b) how has the alcohol-harm-reduction strategy influenced the picture and (c) what are the plans to mitigate this problem?
[a] The Department of Social Development [DSD] budget for the Alcohol Harms Reduction Game Changer is covered by DSD’s existing operational budgets. The game changer is led by the Department of Community Safety, and DSD contributes to the third lever of the game changer through its existing Substance Abuse and social work services.
[b] The role of the DSD in the Alcohol Harms Reduction Game Changer involves receiving referrals from the Department of Health’s pilot trauma ward counselling sites for further case management at DSD local offices and DSD facilities for substance abuse where appropriate. This is currently being piloted in Metro East, Metro South and Cape Winelands. The Department of Health counsellors render assessments and counselling at the above-mentioned trauma wards using the Brief Motivational Intervention methodology, and refer cases deemed to be high risk to DSD services. In addition, a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for high risk alcohol users has been developed in order to standardise interventions in the three pilot regions. Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) were signed with all pilot schools in Metro East [Town Two Khayelitsha pilot site], Metro South [Gunya [Gugulethu and Nyanga] and Cape Winelands/Overberg [Drakenstein] cementing collaboration on preventative alcohol abuse strategies. DSD and these schools are currently implementing the agreed interventions in the three pilot sites.
[c] The current interventions are pilots only in the three sites noted above and whatever is proved to be assisting in reducing alcohol related harms will be replicated in other areas of the province.
