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The following is issued on behalf of the Secretariat of the Beat Drugs Fund Association:
The Beat Drugs Fund is inviting grant applications for the 2013 Funding Exercise from today (August 5) until September 6.
The fund aims to promote worthwhile anti-drug projects that can help address the problem of drug abuse. For the 2013 Funding Exercise, the Association will accord priority to treatment and rehabilitation (T&R) projects that promote new measures/approaches to tackle the problem of hidden drug abuse, especially in identifying and/or rendering T&R service to hidden drug abusers; projects that target rehabilitated drug abusers to minimise relapse and help their reintegration into society, including but not limited to provision of aftercare services and counselling, education or vocational training and employment assistance; projects that facilitate inter-agency collaboration and referral with a view to providing a continuum of service across different stages including identification, engagement, treatment, rehabilitation and reintegration into society; projects that provide family support services for drug abusers at different life stages, with the ultimate objective of helping the T&R of drug abusers; projects that provide structured training for anti-drug workers and related personnel (e.g. social workers and peer workers) to improve the effectiveness of T&R services; and projects that address the needs of specific groups, such as female abusers, young working adults and drug abusers who have developed medical complications as a result of long-term abuse of psychotropic substances.
On the preventive education and publicity (PE&P) front, priority consideration will be given to projects that provide focused training to, or promote the awareness of, parents, especially those of high-risk youths, to prevent their children from abusing drugs; projects that provide training to front-line workers (e.g. youth workers, health-care professionals and teachers) on early identification of hidden drug abusers for rendering assistance; projects that provide preventive education for high-risk youths who may not be easily reached by help networks, e.g. non-engaged youths; and projects that seek to promote community acceptance of T&R services and facilities.
On the research front, priority consideration will be given to research that promotes the understanding of the harmful effects of and/or risk factors for psychotropic substance abuse and evidence-based understanding of different facets of anti-drug services and programmes, such as those aiming at assessing the effectiveness of different methods of prevention and treatment, and different models of intervention and treatment, studying the behavioural pattern of psychotropic substance abusers, or developing a qualitative module of a drug monitoring system to facilitate the design of appropriate anti-drug strategies.
Other priority areas include anti-drug projects addressing the needs of ethnic minorities.
The application form and Guide to Beat Drugs Fund 2013 Funding Exercise are available on the website of the Narcotics Division, Security Bureau (www.nd.gov.hk/en/beat.htm). They are also available for collection at the Secretariat of the Beat Drugs Fund Association (30/F, High Block) and the Hong Kong Jockey Club Drug InfoCentre (Roof Floor, Low Block) at Queensway Government Offices, 66 Queensway, Hong Kong, and at all Public Enquiry Service Centres of the Home Affairs Department.
Enquiries are welcome by telephone on 2867 2737 or 2867 2286; by fax on 2810 1790; or via e-mail to sbeon4@sb.gov.hk.
The results of applications are expected to be released in the first quarter of 2014. Application for the next round of funding exercise is tentatively planned to be invited in the third quarter of 2014.
Since the establishment of the Beat Drugs Fund in 1996, 654 projects have been supported involving some $515 million. Of the funds approved, about $90 million has been granted for 105 T&R projects, about $174 million for 386 PE&P projects, about $28 million for 28 research projects, and about $91 million for 91 mixed-type projects.
Ends/Monday, August 5, 2013
Issued at HKT 14:28
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