Tag: Alcohol and Drugs Strategic Plan

First Minister launches £36.9m fund to reduce drug and alcohol deaths

Three-year investment to support prevention, treatment and recovery across Scotland

First Minister John Swinney will today call for a new collective approach to reduce deaths and harms from drugs and alcohol, as he addresses a summit on drugs deaths in Edinburgh.

It comes as a new Alcohol and Drugs Fund, which will provide £36.9 million to frontline services and organisations working with people affected by alcohol and drugs, is launched. 

The summit, organised by Public Health Scotland, will bring together health board chief executives, local authority leaders, justice representatives and third-sector partners alongside people with experience of drug and alcohol use, including representatives from family organisations and recovery groups.

Speaking ahead of the event, the First Minister said: “This new fund will provide more than £36 million over the next three years, supporting prevention, harm reduction, treatment and recovery.

“It will reach organisations of all sizes – from grassroots groups to larger partnerships – with particular emphasis on improving support for children, young people, and families. I have heard from the third sector about the need for stability and longer-term support – this multi-year funding recognises that.

“We have increased residential rehab capacity, with funded placements now close to our 1,000 target, set new treatment standards, opened The Thistle – the UK’s first safer drug consumption facility – and improved surveillance of the most potent and dangerous drugs entering circulation.

“But it is clear we now require a different collective approach and we need to go further. I am determined we make the change and new ways of working needed – and I am focused on confronting the need for reform of how our public services deliver.

“I am clear there should be a ‘no wrong door’ approach. If someone needs help, our system should be easy and quick to navigate – wrapping around the person rather than making people fit into the system.”

The fund is open to third-sector organisations and public bodies working directly with people who use alcohol and drugs, people in recovery, and their children and families.

It supports delivery of the Alcohol and Drugs Strategic Plan 2026–35, a joint Scottish Government and COSLA initiative backed by more than £160 million in 2026–27, which sets out a 10-year approach to reducing deaths and harms caused by alcohol and drugs.

Corra Foundation Chief Executive Carolyn Sawers said: “It is a privilege for Corra to deliver this fund on behalf of the Scottish Government. High-quality support for people affected by drugs and alcohol is vital to collective efforts to reducing harms, realising rights and supporting recovery.

“Corra looks forward to working closely alongside people with lived and living experience of drugs and alcohol as we deliver this fund.”

Preventing Harm, Promoting Recovery: Scotland’s Alcohol & Drugs Strategic Plan 2026 – 2035

Grassroots drug support funding

28 projects share £1 million

People affected by drug use across Scotland will continue to receive vital support thanks to funding for 28 projects delivering frontline services.

This is the final funding from the Scottish Government’s five-year National Drug Mission Funds, administered by the Corra Foundation. It aims to provide grassroots organisations with financial certainty and continuing support for those dealing with substance use, ahead of the introduction of a new Alcohol and Drugs Strategic Plan.  

Speaking on a visit to Street Fit Scotland, one of the recipients, which works with people who use substances to help them build resilience and connect to supportive social networks through physical and social activities, Drugs and Alcohol Policy Minister Maree Todd said: “This funding, administered by the Corra Foundation, is a lifeline for the people these projects support, and the statistics speak for themselves.

“More than 51,000 interactions with support services in 2024-25, an increase of over 17,000 on the previous year, demonstrates the extraordinary reach and impact of these grassroots organisations.

“As the National Mission ends next month, we will shortly announce our new Alcohol and Drugs Strategic Plan and new support for the third sector.

“This funding provides a vital bridge to that – where we will again focus on sustained, need-based investment.”

Funded projects include recovery hubs in Kilmarnock and Forth Valley, residential rehab pathways in Ayrshire, treatment and health support in Edinburgh and West Dunbartonshire, family liaison in the Highlands, psychological therapy in Fife, and outreach services for homeless and vulnerable people in Aberdeen.

Projects in Glasgow and Dundee include recovery workshops, jewellery making, and a therapeutic programme for women in recovery with family support.

The continuation funding also supports the PanLanarkshire Drug Problem Solving Court, a peer harm reduction support worker project in Forth Valley, and organisations helping people manage health conditions and live independently at home.

Street Fit Scotland founder and CEO Michelle Reilly said: “We would like to express our sincere thanks for the funding and continued support provided over the years. We are truly grateful for this investment in our work.

“This support has enabled Street Fit Scotland to continue delivering a high-quality service, reach and engage more people, and strengthen what we describe as a growing ‘social wave of wellness’ across Edinburgh.

“Through this funding, we have supported community members to regain structure, purpose, and stability in their daily lives. Many individuals who come to us are rebuilding after significant challenges, and having consistent access to safe, supportive activity has been vital in helping them move forward.”