October 2008

23 October 2008

PROPOSALS to cut the welfare benefits of drug users who refuse to declare their problem and enter treatment are punitive, discriminatory and will lead to greater damage and costs to users, their families and wider society, according to Scottish Drugs Forum.

SDF has declared it is "strongly opposed" to the Department of Work and Pension's Green Paper proposals on wide-ranging welfare reforms which include measures to make it compulsory for people with drug problems to attend treatment and move into employment. 

The Green Paper - "No-one written off: reforming welfare to reward responsibility" - wants to make the declaration of a drug problem and taking steps to address it as a condition of benefit in certain cases, saying this "would be consistent with the wider obligations on those in receipt of welfare help.

"It would send out a clear signal that we believe that drug misuse is a serious cause of worklessness and that individuals have a responsibility to declare it and take steps to overcome it."

                                       flawed

However, in its membership submission to the Green Paper consultation, SDF has described the proposals for problem drugs users as "unacceptable" and "fundamentally flawed."

The submission states that SDF applauds the Government’s mission to eradicate child poverty, which is strongly linked to the development and perpetuation of damaging drug use in young people and adults.

However, the proposed approach to people with drug problems:

• will increase - not reduce -  damaging drug use and the wide-ranging costs of drug-related harm to families and society
  
• will increase – not reduce – child, family and pensioner poverty
  
• will be unworkable, especially in light of the current UK and global economic crisis
  
• disregards the nature of, and highly individualised processes crucial to, sustainable recovery from problematic drug use.

Other key points are:

• The Green Paper proposal unfairly targets people with drug problems for this kind of punitive approach, in contrast to the gentler encouragement for the wider “disabled” to take up work
• the approach is "grossly offensive" to thousands of drug users who want help but have little or no access to support necessary to help them prepare for sustainable re-integration with society
• more resources are needed to offer the kind of specialist help drug users need to overcome their problems and move away from drug use, such as specialist pre-employment programmes.

Fears exist that people with co-occurring mental and physical health problems - who make up a significant number of problem drug users - could lose out if the proposed reforms fail to take account of people's ability to enter, remain in or complete, drugs treatment.

The new system also must recognise paid sustainable work may not be possible ever for some people with drug problems who have other debilitating conditions– such as those with deep-rooted mental health issues or who are suffering the effects of liver damage arising from contracting Hepatitis C.

Consideration should be given to the creation of Minimum Income Guarantee for such people, who could contribute to society through volunteer work as and when their condition/s allow, according to the submission.

Meanwhile, devolution in Scotland means that some areas of what is proposed cannot be initiated north of the border without the co-operation of the Scottish Government, the document points out. 

Benefit applicants in Scotland will have to be protected to ensure that their allowances are not affected because of any tensions between the two Governments.

You can view Scottish Drugs Forum's submission to the DWP Green Paper on Welfare Reform 2008 here Word 374Kb).