Person centred approaches

We published the Drug Deaths Taskforce response: cross government approach (January 2023) as a response to the Taskforce recommendations. This holistic approach considers how different systems and services can work better together and serve the needs of specific groups.

Prevention and early intervention

Our Population Health Framework (June 2025) outlines a vision for a Scotland where people live longer, healthier, and more fulfilling lives. Over the next decade, we will work to shape the social, economic, and physical environments in which people are born, grow, live, and work. This ensures that these settings promote better health and wellbeing.

We want to prevent problematic substance use developing among young people and intervene early to prevent escalation where this has already started. We continue to invest in Planet Youth, an evidence-based approach to preventing substance use.

We have invested in the expansion of the Routes model Support for young people affected by drugs, which supports young people affected by substance use within their families. This initiative helps them achieve their personal goals and disrupt intergenerational cycles of harm.

We published the standards for standards for young people accessing support or treatment for alcohol and drugs in December 2025. The Standards outline to young people what they should expect when accessing a service, and assist our local partners to provide consistent support.

Children and families

In 2020, Scotland made The Promise following the Independent Care Review, committing to a more flexible, whole-family approach to supporting children and young people living with parents affected by substance use dependency.

We continue to support the implementation of the families affected by drug and alcohol use framework (December 2021), which recognises that family members impacted by a loved one’s substance use should receive consistent and meaningful support in their own right.

We published a rapid review of the evidence on whole-family approaches to family support in Scotland (July 2023). This work complements the Drugs and Alcohol Workforce: Knowledge and Skills Framework, which includes delivering family-inclusive care. This is an important part of ensuring the consistent delivery of high-quality, family-centred services.

Women

As outlined in the Drug Deaths Taskforce women’s report (November 2021), women affected by substance use often have poor physical and mental health and face additional barriers and stigma when trying to access support. This can be particularly acute for women with children.

We are taking specific steps to implement a gendered approach across the work of the National Mission.

Our Supporting Women, Reducing Harm Short Life Working Group is developing a good practice guide for anyone working with women and infants affected by substance use during the perinatal period.

Justice system

We are strengthening pathways between prison, police custody and community services so that consistent care can be offered as people move between locations.

We reviewed Drug Treatment and Testing Orders and Community Payback Orders with drug treatment requirements, in community sentencing options for people with substance use problems (August 2023). The evidence suggests that court ordered treatment is generally less effective than voluntary treatment, but still likely to produce more positive outcomes for people than custody

The Scottish Government and consecutive Scottish Ministers have called on the UK Government for a review of the Misuse of Drugs Act (1971) and how it could be changed to enable a public health approach to the drugs emergency in Scotland.

The Prison to Rehab Protocol was updated in August 2025 to to make the application process clearer for the individual requesting residential rehabilitation straight from prison and for all the stakeholders involved in supporting the placement. We also support the Scottish Recovery Consortium in its work across the prison estate to promote recovery from alcohol and drug dependency.

Tackling drug supply and disrupting serious organised crime groups is a priority for the Scottish Government. Scotland’s Serious Organised Crime strategy (Feb 2022) identifies the need to make greater use of the Scottish Multi Agency Strategic Threat Assessment to ensure that the work to disrupt Serious Organised Crime (SOC) is targeted at the threats that cause the most harm.

The work to implement the strategy is supported by the Serious Organised Crime Taskforce and a wide range of organisations across the public, private and third sectors.

Housing

We are working to strengthen partnerships between health, homelessness and frontline services to improve outcomes. The Housing Bill includes new prevention duties on public bodies, including justice, health and social care. The new duties also seek to improve the use of case co-ordination where a person has multiple and complex needs, including drug dependency.

We published a review of international evidence on recovery housing (November 2023) relevant to a Scottish context.

We issue grant funding under the Dual Housing Support Fund. This provides immediate support to people in receipt of social security payments who want to keep their core tenancy when going into residential rehabilitation.

Mental health

We know that often people affected by substance use are also struggling with their mental health and wellbeing, and that accessing treatment for co-occurring conditions can sometimes be extremely difficult.

We commissioned a rapid review into mental health and substance use services ‘The Way Ahead’ which identified key recommendations to improve care for people with co-occurring mental health and substance use. The literature and evidence review and the results of a survey of people working in drug and alcohol services conducted as part of this review were published in November 2022.

Guidance for responding to substance use on mental health in-patient wards (March 2024). seeks to ensure both patient and staff safety, whilst also setting clear guidelines for the prevention and response to substance use on in-patient wards.

The mental health strategy (March 2017) has specific actions on how to take a person-centred approach to care. Heathcare Improvement Scotland published the National Mental Health and Substance Use Protocol (September 2024).

Digital

We have provided funding to Digital Lifelines Scotland for the provision of mobile phones, tablets, and training specifically for people at risk of drug harms. We believe digital connectivity through lifeline services is an essential part of modern life, and for people who need access to drug-related services it could be a life saver.

Human rights and culture change

Our strategic plan on alcohol and drugs is grounded in a human rights-based approach. As part of this, a Charter of Rights for People Affected by Substance Use was developed by a National Collaborative. The Charter sets out what people should expect when engaging with services - dignity, respect, choice, participation and accountability.

The National Collaborative was an independent, human rights-based participatory structure led by Human Rights expert, Professor Alan Miller. At the core of the National Collaborative was a Change Team of people with life experience of substance use who were supported by a wider network of organisations, groups and individuals. A panel of duty bearers composed of those responsible for the design, delivery and monitoring of services was established to test and further develop the Charter toolkit in a collaborative manner alongside the Change Team.

Overview of Charter

The Charter of Rights for People Affected by Substance Use was published in December 2024 and recognised by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights as the first of its kind globally. It aims to ensure people affected by substance use (rights-holders) know their human rights and the support they can expect to receive. It also supports service providers (duty bearers) to understand how to implement those rights in practice and apply a human rights-based approach.

The Charter describes seven key rights which were identified through consultation as being the most relevant for people affected by substance use. These come mostly from existing law - the Human Rights Act 1998 and international human rights law.

Implementation and tools

The Charter is accompanied by a comprehensive toolkit that provides guidance to both duty bearers and rights-holders, including how to apply the Scottish Human Rights Commission’s FAIR Approach in different contexts, as well as examples of emerging practice - both written and video examples.

Our priorities for promoting a human rights-based approach include: embedding the Charter of Rights for People Affected by Substance Use, empowering people and families with lived and living experience, tackling stigma and ensuring non-discrimination and promoting equality.

Resources

The Charter of Rights is available in three different versions – full, summary and easy-read. There is also a corresponding animation.

Access the Charter and toolkit.

Contact: NationalCollaborative@gov.scot

Information