Some commonly used terms are:

Aftercare – Comprehensive support for those reaching the end of or leaving a treatment programme

Assertive Outreach (Drugs) – Part of the Drug Intervention Programme (DIP) which aims to deliver treatment services which proactively engage with drug misusing offenders

B.M.E. – Black and Minority Ethnic groups

BBV – Blood Borne Virus such as Hepatitis A/B or C or HIV which can be spread either by the sharing of infected needles, syringes and other injecting equipment or sexually via unprotected/risky sexual practices

Birmingham Arrest Referral Scheme (BARS) – A DIP initiative between the police, local drug services and the Drug Action Team that uses point of arrest as an opportunity to help problem drug users access treatment

Birmingham Community Safety Partnership (BCSP) – Local multi-agency partnerships in charge of community safety, close co-operation or merger with DAT’s is encouraged by Government

CARATS – Counselling, Assessment, Referral, Advice and Throughcare Services for adult problem drug using offenders going into prison. A CARAT team comprises of drug workers providing a range of Tier 2 services for prisoners with substance misuse issues

Care Coordination – A care management process for ensuring a seamless journey for clients within the drug treatment system

Care Pathway – Is the prescribed journey through a particular treatment modality

CBT – Cognitive Behavioural Treatment – CBT can help you to change how you think ("Cognitive") and what you do ("Behaviour")

CDT – Community Drug Team provides local Tier 2/3 services for problem drug users

Class A drugs – Heroin, methadone, cocaine, ecstasy, LSD, amphetamines (if prepared for injection) and magic mushrooms prepared for use are all Class A drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. Short-hand for ‘hard drugs’, often used mainly to refer to heroin and cocaine

Cocaine Anonymous (C.A.) – A 12-step self help group for cocaine users based on the Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) model

Crack – Smokable form of cocaine

DASS – Detoxification Assessment and Stabilisation Service

Detox – Short for detoxification, a process, usually a medical one, to help people stop their dependent use of drugs such as heroin or alcohol

Detox Unit – In-patient unit where people can be admitted to be detoxified from drugs and/or alcohol

DIP – Drug Intervention Programme – A partnership approach which aims to ensure that all drug misusing offenders receive treatment for their drug problems so as to reduce offending

DIP CPN – Community Psychiatric Nurse – A nurse who works with drug misusing offenders who have drugs and mental health problems

DIR – Drug Intervention Record – DIP information about the needs of drug misusing offenders is gathered using a form called the Drugs Intervention Record (DIR). The DIR, introduced in May 2005, is used by both community and prison drugs workers

Drug Action Teams (DAT) – are local authority based multi-agency coordinating groups working closely with Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships, which include the Health Service, Social Care and Health, Probation, Prisons, Police, Ambulance Service, Fire Brigade and the Voluntary Sector, to deliver the national drug strategy

Drug and alcohol national occupational standards (DANOS) - This outlines basic competencies required by professionals for different levels of screening and assessment within substance misuse

Drug Rehabilitation Requirement (DRR)– A court imposed order for problem drug users who are offending as a result of their drug dependence. The DRR order is delivered in partnership between the Probation Service and Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Trust and addresses both the drug misuse and the offending behaviour. This order replaced the DTTO for offences committed after 1st April 2005

DSB – Drug Solutions Birmingham, a Tier 2/3 service for problem drug users providing primary health shared care and criminal justice services

DTTO – Drug Treatment and Testing Order – A court imposed order for problem drug users who are offending as a result of their drug dependence which has now been replaced by the Drug Rehabilitation Requirement (DRR)

Dual Diagnosis – A term used to describe a condition where a person has both a drug problem and a serious mental illness

EESPro – Employment and Education Support project for problem drug user's

Forensic Mental Health Services – Mental Health Services for mentally disordered offenders

Harm reduction – A set of practical strategies that reduce the negative consequences of drug use, incorporating a spectrum of strategies from safer use, to managed use to abstinence

Models of Care Drug Misuse (MOC) – The national blueprint for drug treatment

N.A. Narcotics Anonymous – A 12-step self help group for heroin users based on the Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) model

National Drug Strategy (NDS) – The Government's 10-year strategy for tackling drug misuse launched in 1998

NDTMS – National Drug Treatment Monitoring System – A national organisation which provides information to DAT’s on numbers in treatment, waiting and retention in treatment figures

National Treatment Agency (NTA) – special health authority whose remit is to increase the availability, capacity and effectiveness of treatment for drug misuse in England. There is a West Midlands regional manager whose job is to performance manage DAT’s in respect of their work on drug treatment

Needle Exchange Services (N.E.S.) – Where injecting drug users can access free sterile injecting equipment/condoms or return used injecting equipment available via Tier 2 services and selected local Pharmacies

PCT’s – Primary Care Trusts – The main function of a primary care trust is to provide health services locally by integrating primary, secondary and community health services and social services

Peer Led – Harm Reduction/health promotion/outreach services which are provided by ex or current drug users

Poly-drug use – the use of more than one drug, reflects the fact that very many drug users use more than one substance regularly, including alcohol

Prolific or other Priority Offender (PPO)- a Prolific Offender is someone who commits a disproportionate amount of crime. Priority offenders are those whose offences have a particularly negative impact on the community and are therefore of concern to the police for example drug dealers

Residential Rehab – A therapeutic community where people can receive intensive counselling and group work to address their drug and alcohol related problems

Rough Sleeper – Someone who is either sleeping on the streets or is vulnerably housed in Hostels or Bed and Breakfasts etc

RRATS – Residential Rehabilitation Assessment and Treatment Service

RST – Rough Sleeper Team which provides outreach and treatment services for homeless drug users

Screening – “A system of checking for the presence or absence of a disease...” In MoC screening is used to identify a substance misuse problem or the possibility that one exists, and the ability to refer on to the right agency

Shared Care – A partnership between drug treatment services and primary health care services to provide treatment for problem dependent drug users

Single Point of Contact (S.P.o.C or SPC) – A key part of the Drug Interventions Programme, this acts as the central point for information about the programme, directing and speeding up referrals and keeping tabs on where drug misusing offenders are in the treatment system. As an extension of the SPC there is a 24 hour information line for DIP

SMART – Self Management and Recovery Training, a service user led self help programme for drug users in recovery

Tier 1 Services – These are general services to the public such as pharmacists, teachers, GP's, housing offices – who may come into contact with a substance misuser requiring screening

Tier 2 Services – “Open access drug misuse services”, specific substance related services offering a range of easy to access interventions. The aim to engage the service user in motivational work and reduce drug related harm. Users can be care managed at this level. Tier 2 services may also act as a gate-keeping service for referral on to Tier 3 services

Tier 3 Services – “Structured community based specialist drug services”, specific specialist treatment services, such as prescribing, counselling, day care etc offered only to problem drug users within a structured programme of care

Tier 4 Services – “Residential substance misuse specific services”, normally includes inpatient detoxification units and residential rehabilitation

Tier 4b Services – “Highly specialist non-substance misuse specific services”. These will usually be regional or national services such as specialist liver units, forensic services and specialist psychiatric units

Tolerance – This describes a condition when drug users need to use larger amounts of a drug, such as heroin or crack, to get the same effect

Triage – An initial assessment process to identify and prioritise the need (or not) for comprehensive assessment, onward referral and treatment