RELIEF FOR PARENTS IN DRUG PLAN

A PERTH mother says a tough State Government move which could force
young drug addicts into treatment programs will be a relief for
desperate parents.

Paula said her 22-year-old daughter became hooked on heroin at the
age of 11 and had spent most of the past six years in detention and
jail.

Paula said their family had fallen apart because of her daughter's
drug use. She had been caring for her daughter's six-year-old son
since he was four months old.

It had been frustrating not being able to make a decision on her
daughter's welfare.

"Parents don't have a say in what they would like to see happen," she
said. "I believe if we had that choice, where I could have made that
decision to say this is where you are going, perhaps we would have
been a lot better off.

"Perhaps our family wouldn't still be going down this road at this time."

The Minister responsible for drug abuse strategy, Kevin Prince,
yesterday announced compulsory assistance order as part of an
intensive youth support strategy aimed at young serious drug users
living on Perth streets.

Mr Prince said the strategy was the Government's response to cries
for help from parents struggling with children with drug abuse
problems.

A compulsory assistance order would be the last resort.

The initiative was about getting to about 300 known high-risk
juveniles in Perth. "If that doesn't work, they will be taken to a
specially constituted children's court for a compulsory assistance
order," he said.

In most cases the intensive support service would achieve the aim of
getting them to accept help. Legislative change is needed to give
police the power to take young addicts before the special court. Mr
Prince said he was sure the system would work. "If you look at a
number of the treatment programs, eventually they succeed more often
than not and for that reason it's worth doing," he said.

Legislation is expected to be brought before Parliament next year.
The strategy will cost $1.5 to $2 million.