About Us

Structure

The DLR Drug and Alcohol Task Force (DLR – DATF) was set up in 1997 and is one of 14 local task forces in the country.

The DLR – DATF has a two-pronged structure.

The first, referred to as the Task Force (TF) or DATF has an inter-agency membership of personnel involved with substance misuse issues from community, voluntary and statutory sectors and public representatives. It is a forum for assessing needs and leading out on debates, analysis and substance misuse issues in DLR, and more widely, as appropriate. It also formulates a 3-5 year Strategic Plan. The Task Force is currently developing a new Strategy Plan for the period 2022-25.

The second prong to the DLR - DATF is the incorporated entity, CLG, or Board, which provides governance and financial oversight to the Task Force's work, personnel and other resources. Some, but not all, members of the Task Force sit on the CLG.

You can find out more about the DLR – DATF by reading our Handbook (Revised 2022) as well as our current Strategic Plan 2022– 25

Our audited accounts for 2021 are available here.

View our submission to the Citizens' Assembly on Drugs Usehere.

Our Aims

We oversee and coordinate the local implementation of the National Drug Strategy in accordance with identified needs in Dun Laoghaire Rathdown.

Our primary focus is on supporting treatment interventions and targeted prevention activities. We also support inter-agency training, information sharing and generating local knowledge and awareness around substance misuse – both drugs and alcohol - as a public health issue for society.

For General Information about Drugs and Alcohol in Irerland (Services, Resources, etc) see Drugs.ie

For More specific information about drug types see Drug Types

HSE warning to young about Nitrous Oxide (Laughing Gas)

DATF Governance Members

The following is a list of Task Force members. Individuals who are also members of the CLG Board are marked with asterisk (*)

Chair: Audry Deane (Independent)*
David Bradshaw (Voluntary agencies, National Family Support Network) *
Sandra Kelly (DLR Co Council)
Vacant (Dublin and Dun Laoghaire ETB)*
Mary Doheny (Independent, former community worker, retired) *
Colette Farrington (Community - Ballyogan FRC)
Anthea Carry (Voluntary agencies, drug treatment)
Anna Gallagher (Probation and Welfare Service)
Stefani Howlett (Community - Loughlinstown)
Aoibhinn King (HSE)
Sandra King (Community - Southside Partnership)
Kathy McConn Walsh (Community - Parent)
Nora Moriarty (Voluntary agencies, Crosscare - Dundrum youth service)*
Peter O’ Brien (Public representative)
Una Power (Public representative)
Gda Robert O'Keefe (An Garda)
Kevin Webster (Túsla)
Helena O'Brien (CYPSC)
Alex White (Independent, former government minister, senior counsel) *

Funding

The DLR Drug and Alcohol Task Force has responsibility to recommend the assignment of annual budgets as per the following:

(1) €839,755 - HSE (assigned to DLR-CAT, Barnardos, MYP and DATF)

(2) €51,676 - Department of Health (assigned to DATF)

Publications

The DLR Drug and Alcohol Task Force has published a number of reports and publications over the past number of years, the most relevant ones are available on the Publications page.

Other Local Task Forces

In addition to the local task forces, there are also regional drug task forces.