Louth’s FASN calls for community-led action in National Drugs Strategy

Louth's Family Addiction Support Network (FASN) has submitted its response to the public consultation on the draft National Drugs Strategy 2026–2029, warning that the strategy cannot succeed without the meaningful inclusion of the families and communities most affected by drug-related harms.

The draft strategy aims to deliver “a joined-up, equitable and evidence-based response” to drug and harmful alcohol use, but FASN states that this ambition “cannot be realised without the meaningful inclusion of the families and communities most affected by drug-related harms”.

The FASN NDS response is built on the 2019 FASN research, “Findings from a study on how families are affected by substance misuse in the North East Region of Ireland" alongside the more recent recommendations from the two-day national Trauma in the Community Conference in 2024, co-hosted by FASN and the national family support structure, Family Addiction Recovery Ireland (FARI). The conference report claims that trauma experienced by families is not solely a health issue, but a social justice issue rooted in poverty, inequality, exclusion and systemic failure. 

The organisation says that the strategy currently overlooks the essential role of Family Support & Community Drug Projects, which provide whole-person, whole-community, trauma-aware and crisis-responsive support long before individuals can engage with clinical services.

The submission identifies several critical gaps:

• Lack of meaningful community involvement in the design of the strategy, undermining its legitimacy and accuracy.
• Absence of national data on the experiences of families affected by a relative’s substance use, described as a “critical national data gap” in the draft response.
• Insufficient recognition of structural drivers such as poverty, intimidation, community violence and social exclusion.
• Underinvestment in community-based supports, despite their central role in stabilisation, safety and recovery.

FASN is calling for trauma-aware practice to be embedded “at the heart of the national response” and for Family Support & Community Drug Projects to be recognised as equal partners in planning, governance and implementation across all strategic pillars.

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The submission also urges Government to address child criminal exploitation, invest in community safety and youth supports, and ensure that diversion schemes and recovery pathways are accessible, resourced and linked to local community services.

FASN concludes that the strategy will only succeed if it is grounded in the lived reality of those most affected: “Without addressing structural disadvantage and ensuring meaningful collaboration with impacted communities, the strategy cannot deliver equitable or effective outcomes.”