DS Daily - 21st June 2012

MEAM newsletter

Includes: Evaluation of the MEAM pilots here - Progress on multiple needs and exclusions here - Cambridgeshire MEAM pilot featured on DWP Social Justice website here | Making Every Adult Matter (MEAM), UK

Cambridgeshire MEAM Pilot on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

A pilot scheme running in Cambs means more care for vulnerable adults - at a lower cost ... Director, Oliver Hilbery speak about the successes of the Cambridgeshire MEAM Pilot on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire. The segment begins at 2h 07m | BBC, UK

Active injecting drug users must be provided with adherence support when they start HIV therapy

Chances of achieving an undetectable viral load are equally poor for patients who inject heroin, cocaine, or a combination of these two drugs, Canadian researchers report in Drug and Alcohol Dependence | Aidsmap, UK

Progress on multiple needs and exclusions

An update on Turning the Tide: A vision paper for multiple needs and exclusions following the launch of the government’s Social Justice Strategy | Making Every Adult Matter (MEAM), UK

Club Drug Clinic

Claudia visits Europe’s largest Club Drug Clinic, a year after it opened to find out about a growing use of so called legal highs and the problems associated with legal and illegal club drug use - direct link to item | BBC Radio, UK

Les Iverson's prosecution advice shows our drugs laws have gone to pot

Over the years, the Advisory Committee has operated less as a dispassionate evaluator of scientific evidence and more as a Trojan horse for drug legalisation at the heart of government - Melanie Phillips | Daily Mail, UK

Drugs: let’s be softer on our youngsters

The best way to stop our children damaging themselves with skunk and Ecstasy is to remove the need for them to deal with criminals – and to talk honestly with them | Telegraph, UK

Community Alcohol Networks: A Practitioners Toolkit

Lancashire partnerhsip approach to young people's drinking | Alcohol Policy UK

Two million trips to A&E every year blamed on alcohol-related illness and injury

At least one in three patients seen in emergency departments because of drink then have to be admitted to hospital for further treatment | Daily Mail, UK

Test, Learn, Adapt: Developing Public Policy with Randomised Controlled Trials

This paper argues that Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs), which are now widely used in medicine, international development, and internet-based businesses, should be used much more extensively in public policy | Cabinet Office, UK

Cabinet Office paper on randomised trials of government policies

Here’s our Cabinet Office paper on randomised trials of government policies. It’s readable. Read it - Ben Goldacre et al. | Bad Science

Measures required to prevent homelessness among young people

The Equal Opportunities Committee was taking evidence for its inquiry into measures required to prevent homelessness among young people on 19 June 2012 | Scottish Parliament - via BBC, UK

Homelessness, January to March 2012

The latest revised National Statistics on homelessness produced by the | Welsh Government , UK

Mental Illness

Call You& Yours asks how can we change attitudes towards mental illness? | BBC Radio, UK

Disability and universal credit

The Children’s Society, Citizens Advice and Disability Rights UK are working together in supporting Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson to produce a review on the impact of the new “Universal Credit” benefit on disabled children and adults. To do this we need your help | Citizens Advice, UK

Mental health of benefit claimants is put at risk by welfare reform

Work capability assessments, which identify those fit for work, are singled out for criticism by health professionals, campaigners and claimants | Guardian, UK

Sustain private rented sector research project

The study is exploring the long-term outcomes for vulnerable households who have recently entered the private rented sector (PRS). It will develop a robust evidence base for future policy and practice in this area. Download | Shelter, UK

One in 11 children living in families with parental alcohol problems

“Hidden Harm” Action Plan needed for children in families with parental alcohol and drug problems: denial no longer an option | Alcohol Action Ireland

Increasing HIV Testing, Including Rapid Testing, in Substance Abuse Treatment Programs

Although the U.S. has made progress in reducing the number of new HIV infections among injection drug users and their sexual partners, CDC estimates that injection drug users represented 9% of new HIV infections in 2009 and 17% of those living with HIV in 2008 | AIDS.gov, USA