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The role of the National Young People’s Substance Misuse Treatment Forum is:
To actively promote and support the provision of high quality, dedicated, comprehensive specialist treatment services to young people as a key part of the United Kingdom drugs strategy.

The aims of the Forum are:

• To identify, disseminate and promote good practice in the development and delivery of substance misuse treatment services for young people.
• To influence policy-makers and partner agencies, in order to ensure that the philosophy of treatment remains central to public health policy in the United Kingdom.
• To provide a voice for young peoples treatment service providers and those that use their services
• To raise awareness and promote understanding of the role and purpose of substance misuse treatment for young people.
• To establish and maintain a communication network for members of the Forum
• To initiate and facilitate open, informed discussion and debate.
• To provide expert advice on issues related to treatment, good practice and guidance related to substance misuse issues and young people.
• To promote and support links with relevant national and international organisations.

Membership
The annual cost for membership is £10 per individual or £50 per organisation. Full membership is open to:

1. Any individual whose work involves the provision or development of substance misuse treatment services for young people;
2. Representatives of young people’s treatment services user groups;
3. Non-commercial organisations which have a professional interest in substance misuse treatment services for young people, and which support the role and purpose of the Forum.

In addition, commercial organisations may apply for associate membership, which will be subject to the agreement of the Executive Committee. Associate members will be entitled to attend meetings of the Forum. They will not have the right to vote, and their representatives may not hold office in the Forum.

Members who neither attend, nor send apologies to, three consecutive meetings of the Forum will be assumed to have resigned, and will be removed from the mailing list.

> Membership application form

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Constitution
The Forum will meet at least twice a year. It is desirable that at least one of these meetings should be held outside of London. An Annual General Meeting will be held once every calendar year. This may be held as part of one of the regular meetings. Members will be given at least one calendar month’s notice of the Annual General Meeting.

These Terms of Reference shall be subject to a formal annual review by the Executive Committee. Any amendments to the Terms of Reference must be approved by an Annual General Meeting.

Membership Fees and other income
Membership fees and any other income generated or granted to the forum will be used solely for the purposes of promoting the forums aims and objectives and for meeting the costs associated with forum operations and activities.

All forum officers and Executive Committee positions are unremunerated positions and purely voluntary.

Commercial Organisations
The Forum welcomes the involvement of any individual or organisation that upholds the Forums aims and objectives and welcomes sponsorship of its activities by appropriate commercial organisations.

As described above, commercial organisations may apply for associate membership of the Forum.

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