afternoon for the public to meet and speak with members of the Local Drug Action Team (LDAT) and staff from the Alcohol and Drug Foundation (ADF). Pictured are Liz Kenny (Foster Care Challenge Community Service), Ellen Panaretos (ADF), Riley Sohier (ADF), Narelle Kriz (Cobar Youth & Fitness Centre youth worker), Sylvia Tiet (ADF), Cassandra Ebsworth (Baabayn Aboriginal Corporation and Mt Druitt Local Alcohol & Drug Action Team) and Natalia Papierniak-Wojtowicz (Cobar Shire Library staff).
Staff from the Alcohol and Drug Foundation (ADF) joined Cobar kids and parents for a barbecue in Drummond Park last Wednesday.
The casual setting gave locals an opportunity to find out more about the impacts and effects of drugs and alcohol, the risks factors associated with drinking alcohol and taking drugs and the influences it can have on the lives of kids and adults.
Members of the Local Drug Action Team (LDAT) and Community Drug Action Team (CDAT) were also on hand along with a number of local service providers who work in the community with the ADF.
ADF Senior Community Development Officer Ellen Panaretos said LDATs and CDATs work with at-risk youth in the community
and also educate parents and the wider community to help curb the misuse of alcohol and drugs.
She said the teams are funded by the national Department of Health to run prevention programs to prevent harm and delay the uptake of drugs and alcohol.
Ms Panaretos said there are currently 70 LDATs working in communities across NSW.
She said parents who joined them for Wednesday’s barbecue were keen to find out more about the Alcohol and Other Drugs (AoD) Lifecycle, what were the issues in different age groups, who were the influencers and where they could go to get help.
“People also asked what health programs are available to help them,” she said.