NCSA: Limited staff limiting ability to meet growing demand

The National Council on Substance Abuse (NCSA) says limited staffing continues to challenge its ability to meet the growing demand for prevention and education services in Barbados.

Deputy Manager of the NCSA, Troy Wickham explained that while the council has made a conscious push to increase public awareness, its small workforce restricts how far and how often it can reach communities across the island.

The NCSA currently operates with a staff complement of 19 people.

“Of those 19 persons, four of them are what we call substance abuse prevention officers, who are responsible for actually going into the community and delivering drug education across all groupings,” Wickham said.

He further explained that the NCSA’s technical capacity was also limited. 

Wickham noted that there are two research and information officers responsible for examining the local drug phenomenon, along with just two counsellors providing support services.

“That should give you an idea of the challenges we are experiencing in terms of obviously getting our message out,” he said.

To address those constraints, the organisation has turned to digital platforms to expand its reach.

“We also utilise what we call drug education through technology,” Wickham said, explaining that tools such as Zoom, Nearpod and Canva allow the NCSA to reach larger groups in a single session.

He added that these programmes are supported by a “database” of evidence-based drug prevention messages, ensuring information shared with the public is grounded in research.

As a result of the shortage, Wickham said the NCSA had increased its reliance on volunteers to help deliver services in communities, with volunteers now playing a critical role in supporting prevention work.

He said the organisation continues to reach wide cross-sections of the population through this support, combined with the use of technology-driven programmes.

Volunteers undergo training that covers the NCSA’s programmes, local drug research and the use of technology in delivering drug education. The training runs once a week on Saturdays and lasts between seven and 12 weeks, depending on facilitator availability.

As Drug Awareness Month continues throughout January in Barbados, Wickham called on members of the public to volunteer their services. 

Additionally, Wickham said one of the organisation’s major difficulties remains getting people to accept drug prevention messages, despite deliberate efforts to expand public outreach.

“For me, getting the message across… people accepting the message,” Wickham said. “That’s one of the major challenges we are experiencing.”