Alcohol and drugs: partnership delivery framework - 2026

4. Practices

4.1 Flow of Finance

This framework highlights the vital role of Alcohol and Drug Partnerships (ADPs) in coordinating local use of earmarked and additional resources. Scottish Government (SG) funding to support national alcohol and drugs strategic objectives is delegated in its entirety for disbursement per local ADP Strategic Plans. As ADPs are not incorporated legal entities, SG funding is provided, via NHS Boards, to Integration Authorities (IAs), to allow accountable local commissioning and distribution.

SG funding allocated via this route, which is additional, should not be subject to any efficiency or wider savings targets, or redirection, at the NHS or IA levels.

Responsibility for funding treatment medications, including medicines used in the treatment of alcohol and drug dependence, and for the supply and distribution of naloxone, sits with NHS Boards and Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) treatment budgets. ADP funding is intended to support strategic planning, prevention, improvement, and coordination, and should not be used as a substitute for core treatment responsibilities.

Further local resourcing specific to alcohol and drugs support services may be made available, or put at the disposal of the IA, via or from local authority (LA) budgets. Where possible, ADPs should account for the integration of this funding within their planning and reporting.

It is the expectation that the Chief Finance Officer (CFO) of the IA, or their representative, should be present on the ADP.

ADPs are responsible for coordinating how dedicated and supplementary alcohol and drugs resource is used. The funding supports a range of priorities under agreed ADP strategic plans.

ADP partners are expected to link spending to priorities outlined in strategic plans and IA CFOs (supported by ADP Support Teams), as accountable budget-holders for locally allocated national funding, are expected to maintain auditable records of financial decision making and disbursement, to improve monitoring and evaluation.

Self-Assessment Checklist: Flow of Finance

The Integration Authority (IA) has provided specialist corporate finance support or training to allow prudent commissioning and disbursement of funding per the Alcohol and Drug Partnership (ADP) Strategic Plan.

The ADP has received its full allocation of Scottish Government (SG) national strategic funding, as detailed in the associated allocation letter, without the application of any top-slicing or efficiency savings.

The ADP has not been asked or encouraged by any partner to divert SG national strategic funding towards services or initiatives that should otherwise be resourced through other baselined/mainstreamed allocations.

The ADP has received, or been provided control over, any additional funding from other sources beyond SG national strategic funding and this has been transparently accounted for in planning and reporting.

The ADP, in its planned commissioning and disbursement, has accounted for any decision to deviate from, or otherwise reallocate funds allocated to fulfil, specific national objectives, and there is robust needs assessment and evidence to justify this.

All partners on the ADP contribute transparently to the strategic direction of the ADP, disclosing accurate and timely financial and resource reporting, ensuring that decisions on resource allocation are informed by local needs assessments and evidence-based approaches.

4.2 Evidence in Policy Formulation

Evidence is a fundamental element in policy making and provides policymakers with reliable data and insights helping them make decisions based on facts. Policies grounded in evidence are more likely to achieve intended outcomes and makes the policy making process more transparent. This allows stakeholders to understand the rationale behind decisions, holding policymakers accountable. Evidence-based policy making should be supported by ongoing and timely data collection, monitoring, and evaluation which leads to better outcomes and more resilient policies.

4.2.1 Sources of Evidence

Alcohol and drugs insights and data reporting, that contribute to evidence, are obtained from various sources which include PHS and SG. Other contributors include National Records of Scotland (NRS), Office for National Statistics (ONS), and the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), as well as the voices of people with lived and living experience (LLE). Much of the data that these institutions collect and use is published and available online, for example via the Scottish Public Health Observatory (ScotPHO).

DAISy

A key data collection tool within PHS is the Drug and Alcohol Information System (DAISy). DAISy was introduced and rolled out across all health boards during 2021 to assist Alcohol and Drug policy makers with data to support an evidence-based approach when making decisions on resource allocation. DAISy is a data collection tool which gathers key demographic treatment and outcome data on people who engage in tier 3 and 4 specialist alcohol and drug treatment services across Scotland.

In response to changing requirements, a review of DAISy was undertaken during 2024/25 followed by implementation in 2025. The key purpose of the review was to ensure DAISy continues to meet current requirements and can be adapted to support any future changes in service design.

RADAR

Also within PHS, recognising the need to understand changes in the substances people are taking, alongside being able to identify potential threats, the Rapid Action Drug Alerts and Response (RADAR) is Scotland’s drugs early warning system. RADAR validates, assesses, and shares information to reduce the risk of drug-related harm by identifying new and emerging harms, recommending rapid and targeted interventions, and publishing accessible, up-to-date information on services, harms, and emerging drug trends.

SG Annual ADP Survey

SG undertake an Annual ADP Survey with the main aim to provide information on the activity undertaken by ADPs and the barriers experienced at a local level. It is crucial for local accountable entities to report to the SG on their monitoring and prudent application of public funds and progress made towards national outcomes.

To facilitate data collection and reporting, the survey is structured around the current priorities of national alcohol and drugs policy, and in collaboration with ADPs, with the survey reviewed annually to reflect evolving priorities while enabling year-on-year comparison. Findings from the survey have contributed to metrics in the current National Mission Annual Monitoring Report and are used to inform ongoing policy decision making. Findings also contribute to informing cross-government priorities in intersecting areas such as mental health, children and families, and justice.

Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT)

The Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) programme is multi-agency, co-ordinated and led jointly by PHS and the Drugs Policy Division. The PHS based MAT Implementation Support Team (MIST) supports the roll out of the MAT standards by ensuring local areas have systems, protocols, and procedures in place, and publishes an annual National Benchmarking Report each summer. This provides an update on ADP progress towards implementation of the MAT Standards. The report scores each ADP area on a RAGB (Red, Amber, Green, Blue) basis for all 10 standards, with Blue representing sustained implementation. This scoring is based on having continuous improvement processes in place for the support and treatment options services offer, based on evidence, including experiential evidence from people who use the services, in community and justice settings.

The Strategic Plan details plans for expanding on the principles and approach of the MAT standards, the new standards for young people, and the Health and Social Care Standards, by establishing standards of support for all drugs and alcohol treatment. These will ensure the same level of focus on access, choice and support for everyone, regardless of the substance impacting them.

There is a significant body of qualitative research available which covers areas such as lived experience of using alcohol and drug services, outputs from evaluations and collated evidence around the effectiveness of different interventions and deep dives in specific topic areas. This evidence includes interviews, focus groups, ethnographic studies and peer research with people who use substances, their families and service providers, as well as secondary analysis of national and international research.

4.2.2 Data Sharing

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) applies to ‘Controllers’ and ‘Processors’. A Controller determines the purposes and means of processing personal data and a Processor is responsible for processing personal data on behalf of a controller. PHS is the Scottish Government’s primary source of regular information and evidence regarding drug and alcohol use, service use, and harms. PHS processes personal data under the lawful basis of GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, which is not based on consent. Service users do not need to be asked to consent to this data collection and should be told how, and for what purposes, their data will be used.

It is imperative and expected that local areas input data into national systems and databases (e.g. DAISy) in accordance with deadlines and validation rules set by data partners, as these are an invaluable source of data for monitoring and evaluating drug and alcohol services across Scotland, informing policy development and funding at a local level. Data helps all partners understand the scope, scale, and nature of alcohol and drug use and their effects. It reveals trends, affected populations, and geographic hotspots.

We expect that ADPs (and associated local commissioning bodies) to work with service providers to ensure that input to national systems and databases is a condition of grant that is evaluated alongside delivery outcomes. Without robust data to inform our resource allocations, future funding decisions may not adequately reflect local needs, and it is therefore incumbent upon service providers to ensure they are accounting for their activity.

Self-Assessment Checklist: Data Sharing

The importance of data exchange is communicated to, and understood by, partners at all levels; and conditions of data compliance have been incorporated into commissioning agreements and contracts.

Contributing partners support the expectation that all commissioned services contribute to national systems for information exchange and statistical analysis (e.g. Rapid Action Drug Alerts and Response (RADAR) and Drug and Alcohol Information System (DAISy).

4.3 Lived and Living Experience (LLE)

The SG and COSLA are committed to meaningful participation as a fundamental component of a human rights‑based approach. Participation is one of the PANEL principles that underpin how rights‑respecting public services should be designed, delivered and reviewed. This means that people whose rights may be most directly affected should have genuine opportunities to shape the decisions, policies, and systems that impact their lives.

In the context of substance use, participation is particularly critical. As set out in the Charter of Rights, people with lived and living experience (LLE), along with their families and communities, are rights‑holders whose insights are essential to understanding need, tackling harms, and improving outcomes. Meaningful participation is central to shifting power imbalances and ensuring that local and national decision making reflects the realities of people affected by substance use.

The FAIR model, outlined in the Charter of Rights Toolkit, is a key tool to ensure that the voices and rights of people affected by substance use help to support the design and delivery of human rights-based support services. In addition, national participation guidance, including the Participation Handbook and Planning with People, is available to ADPs and partners to support meaningful engagement and co-production. This guidance covers early involvement in needs assessment and design as well as supported participation in delivery and review. Practical enablers such as fair reimbursement for time and expenses should also be considered.

Partners’ accountable officers should monitor, assess, and report on whether engagement has occurred and how effectively LLE has influenced decisions and improvement. Evidence should demonstrate transparent routes for involvement, proportionate support to participate, use of structured approaches such as FAIR, feedback loops showing impact, and learning from experience informing change.

Self-Assessment Checklist: Lived and Living Experience (LLE)

We recognise people with LLE as rights-holders and value their insights and perspectives.

LLE voices are involved early and throughout strategy, commissioning, service design, delivery and review.

We are clear about what can be influenced, what is fixed and how decisions are made.

We use structured, transparent approaches to engagement e.g. FAIR method.

Engagement methods are accessible, trauma-informed and responsive to people’s circumstances (time, location, digital access, and safety).

We support people with LLE to participate meaningfully (e.g. advocacy, peer support, preparation, and debriefing).

LLE engagement reflects diverse experiences.

We have clear routes for feedback, complaints and anonymous input.

We report back to people with LLE on what we heard, what can change and what could not change and why.

LLE involvement is embedded in governance, reporting and assurance and we regularly review our approach to ensure it remains rights-based and effective.