Community-backed drug initiatives in the UK: a review and commentary on evaluations

This article presents a review of evaluations of community-backed initiatives for drug users in the UK. Community-backed responses have taken a number of approaches. Despite accessing over 250 publications relating to initiatives in the course of this study, a paucity of published evaluative evidence on 'what works?' and 'why does it work?' was apparent. The readily accessible literature is examined under five broad types of initiative: self-help groups, parents' groups, residents' groups, community development groups and diversionary activity groups. In a further commentary on evaluation issues for such drug initiatives, it is argued that they are under-evaluated, partly because they are on the margins of drug services and partly because of a lacuna of support in evaluation skills.