Have Drug Workers in England Received Appropriate Training?: 1995 baseline data from a national survey

Abstract

A one-day postal census was conducted in 1995 to gather data on the qualifications and training experience of workers from a sample of drug agencies in England. Information was obtained from 489 workers who comprised 95% of the workforce from 91 agencies (76% of the agencies contacted). The data from the 368 workers who described their work as mainly ‘casework’ are presented in this paper.

Three-quarters of the agencies had a specific budget for staff training. The current workforce has a wide range of qualifications and training, but with many having entered the drug field unqualified. A high percentage of workers have received some form of additional training since entering the drug field. Nurses were the group least likely to have had any additional training since entering the field and they were also less likely to hold higher qualifications in counselling and therapy (i.e. diploma level and above). The most common area of training was counselling/therapeutic interventions. However, the courses attended and qualifications gained varied widely. Implications for the development of national training strategies are discussed and areas for additional research suggested.