ADDICTION THREAT TO WELFARE

The State's front-line welfare agencies are struggling to cope with
growing numbers of clients with drug and alcohol problems, according
to a new report. But the agencies are not trained or funded to help
them.

The problem is particularly acute for agencies in regional and rural
areas. Most non-metropolitan agencies reported that one in five
clients had a drug or alcohol problem.

The Survey on Unmet Need for alcohol and other drug-related services
will be released by the NSW Council of Social Service (NCOSS) today.

The report highlights a chronic lack of detoxification and
rehabilitation services, especially outside the metropolitan area. It
shows services such as legal aid, community housing, family support,
youth and employment training services are encountering increased
numbers of people with complex addiction problems. But specialist
services to refer people onto were lacking.

It said the State's failure to address the growing problem of alcohol
and drug addiction was increasing the likelihood of child abuse, the
removal of children from parents, domestic violence and crime. It was
making the work of general welfare agencies harder.

Some agencies now refused to accept people with drug and alcohol
problems because they could not achieve results until the addiction
was dealt with. Many of the 175 agencies surveyed called for law
reform, saying current laws exacerbated their clients' problems.

"Both sides of politics won't be able to ignore the growing number of
people with drug and alcohol problems," said Mr Gary Moore, the
director of NCOSS. "In the lead-up to a State election they have to
start thinking of it as a health problem, not a criminal matter."

Mr Moore said the level and complexity of problems in rural areas had
grown significantly but service growth had not kept up.

In Cooma four young people had died, apparently of drug overdoses, in
five months, but the town lacked facilities.

Checked-by: Patrick Henry