Young Persons Substance Misuse Service (YPSMS)

The Young Persons Substance Misuse Service is a specialist substance misuse service for young people, up to 19 years of age, some with complex needs, offering a diverse range of interventions.

The Drug and Alcohol Treatment Fund (DATF) has provided over £¾m funding for the project which began in 1999 and has recently been extended for a further 2 years. The YPSMS is delivered in partnership by the North East Wales NHS Trust, the Conwy and Denbighshire NHS Trust, the North West Wales NHS Trust, and the voluntary organisation Cyngor Alcohol Information Services (CAIS).

Six WTE workers deliver the service, two per Trust area in North Wales. Primary health care workers are managed by the respective Trusts, and the Social Care and Youth Offending workers are managed by CAIS. CIAS workers allocate 1.5 days per week directly to Youth Offending Team work.

The Workers are currently based in the offices of the Community Drugs Teams in Bangor, Rhyl, Shotton and Wrexham. The service aims to meet the needs of young people experiencing complex problems with substance misuse, working in collaboration with agencies in order to provide a holistic service for young people.