Alcohol Focus Scotland

Alcohol Focus Scotland is Scotland’s national charity working to reduce the harm caused by alcohol. Our vision is to create a culture where low alcohol consumption is the norm and people who choose not to drink are supported in their choice.

Purpose and Aims
Alcohol Focus Scotland’s purpose is reducing the harm caused by alcohol and our long term aims are

A reduction in alcohol harm to individuals, families, communities and Scotland as a whole
A culture where low alcohol consumption is the norm and where people who choose not to drink are supported in their choice.

These aims cannot be achieved by any one organisation. Alcohol Focus Scotland works with a wide range of organisations to deliver the outcomes we have identified. These include the Scottish Government; NHS Health Scotland; Scottish Centre for Healthy Working Lives; Learning Teaching Scotland; Glasgow Centre for Population Health; Alcohol and Drug Partnerships; Local Councils on Alcohol; Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems; Licensing Boards and Forums and academic partners.

Core Functions
As Scotland’s national alcohol charity, Alcohol Focus Scotland advocates for evidence-based alcohol policy; disseminates research findings and supports frontline services to deliver best practice. Alcohol Focus Scotland aims to be the principal source of information on alcohol in Scotland to the general public, the media, politicians and others. Alcohol Focus Scotland’s core functions are:

Policy, research and advocacy
Training and development
Communication and information dissemination

Strategic Priorities 2011-2013
Alcohol Focus Scotland will develop programmes of work based on strategic priorities which run across the organisation’s three core functions. The strategic priorities for 2011 – 2013 are:

Affordability and availability of alcohol - advocating for evidence-based policies which will increase the price and reduce the availability of alcohol.
Public health and licensing - increased knowledge about the links between public health and licensing to improve licensing policy and practice.
Harm to others - raising awareness about the harm caused by alcohol to people other than the drinker.
Protecting young people from alcohol marketing - helping service-providers to deliver and evidence alcohol outcomes to reduce alcohol harm in local communities.
Supporting frontline services to deliver alcohol outcomes - reducing young people’s exposure to alcohol marketing.

Structure
Alcohol Focus Scotland is a membership organisation with over 700 members, governed by an Executive Committee comprising of experts from the alcohol field from a variety of backgrounds. The Chairperson is Professor Peter Brunt. The Executive Committee is supported in its decision making process by Dr Evelyn Gillan, Chief Executive and the Senior Management Team.

The Annual General Meeting of the organisation is held in November of each year. This year’s AGM will take place on Tuesday 15 November and will be followed by a guest lecture from Professor Thomas Babor. Head of Department, Community Medicine & Public Health, University of Connecticut - Problem Drinking in the UK: Public Health Implications of Defining a Drinking Epidemic as a “Corporate-born Disease”.

Articles and publications
Alcohol Focus Scotland publishes a wide range of information including corporate publications, reports, newsletters, briefing papers, fact sheets and leaflets. Copies of these can be found on its website www.alcohol-focus-scotland.org.uk./publications

Organised events
Throughout the year a number of events are organised including:

Alcohol’s harm to others conference – Beyond the drinker June 2011
Public Health Expert Seminar – June 2011
National Licensing Conference – September 2011
Minimum Pricing Parliamentary Briefing Event – September 2011

Other relevant information
Previously Alcohol Focus Scotland did accept a very small percentage of funding from the alcohol industry. However in September 2010 the Executive Committee took a decision to no longer accept funding from the alcohol industry.