The escalation plan for the field of drugs and addiction (2016-2020) was submitted to the Storting in November 2015 (Prop.15 S (2015-2016) and adopted in April 2016. In collaboration with Economics Norway and Ipsos, Fafo is undertaking a formative evaluation of the escalation plan. The evaluation of the escalation plan includes a summative evaluation of outcomes as well as processes. The evaluation assignment involves two general research questions:
Has the escalation plan for the field of drugs and addiction resulted in a better service for persons who are developing, or have developed, substance abuse problems, and for their next of kin?
Are the organisation of the work and follow-up of the escalation plan and the interventions that have been initiated appropriate for achieving the escalation plan’s goals and objectives?
Through the planning period we will present annual status reports with a final summative evaluation in 2021. The basis report – the first status report – was published in April 2018 (Hansen et al. 2018a), second status report in December 2018 (Hansen et.al. 2018b). This is the third status report from the evaluation.
The first status report (Hansen et al. 2018) presented a set of indicators that had been designed to enable us to assess the goal achievement of the escalation plan. Baseline for most indicators is 2016, although data for some of the indicators are available only from 2017 and then defined as baseline.
This third status report provides measurements for this set of indicators three years after the escalation plan came into effect. The indicators have been updated wherever data were available. For the updated set of indicators, values are provided for 2016, 2017 and 2018, as well as the change in the indicator over these three years.
To obtain a better impression of the trends in the field of drugs and addiction and an impression of any changes in the measurable magnitudes (the set of indicators) we have undertaken case studies in five municipalities, as well as participated at different gatherings with representatives from municipalities and other relevant agencies. The aim has been to collect assessment regarding prevailing trends in the field of drugs and addictions, in light of the escalation plan.
In preparation for this report, we have also undertaken several interviews with representatives of involved directorates, advisors in the field of drugs at the county governors’ offices and representatives for the regional drug and alcohol competence centres.
