SACC is a member-led organisation that brings together alcohol support charities from across Scotland. Our members are crucial in tackling alcohol-related harm nationally, providing alcohol counselling and other harm-reduction services within their local communities.
We exist to represent and strengthen this sector by:
Connecting organisations with the joint goal of reducing alcohol harm in Scotland
Providing specialist alcohol training
Advocating for alcohol counselling on a national stage
Representing our members in national policy discussions
SACC was established in 2014 in response to the withdrawal of funding and support for voluntary alcohol counsellor training and accreditation that had previously been provided by Alcohol Focus Scotland. Our membership consists largely of former Councils on Alcohol which started as a grassroots movement in 1965 and were once the most utilised non-statutory service in Scotland.
We are proud of carrying this legacy forward as SACC member organisations continue to cover some of the most disadvantaged areas of Scotland and provide significant contribution to alcohol harm reduction and recovery across Scotland.
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Alcohol harm is a public health emergency in Scotland.
Each week, 50 people in Scotland die because of alcohol-related harms and every 15 minutes someone is hospitalised as a result of alcohol. One in five people drink at levels that are harmful to their health and one in two people in Scotland are harmed by someone else’s alcohol use.
SACC members provide a vital response in the face of this unprecedented harm, supporting clients through the provision of alcohol counselling and other key support services.
SACC promotes client welfare and recovery by the sharing of best practice, ensuring a well-trained workforce of counsellors and other support staff through training delivery and advocating for the importance of local alcohol counselling services on a national level.
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SACC provides a national network through which our member organisations can share knowledge and good practice and work in partnership with one another.
We disseminate alcohol-specific information, share events and offer tailored guidance to organisations that work with volunteer counsellors, helping to promote good practice in recruitment, supervision, accreditation and ongoing development.
We also commission research to evidence and highlight the role, scale and impact of alcohol counselling in Scotland.
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SACC provides a wide range of specialist alcohol training to ensure high standards in alcohol counselling and other alcohol-specific support.
We have developed a COSCA-validated training pathway for people who wish to volunteer as alcohol counsellors which includes supervised practice within one of our member organisations.
We also coordinate Continuous Professional Development (CPD) programmes tailored to our members’ needs.
Find out more about our training offer here.
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SACC’s work aims to protect the interests and ensure sustainability of our member organisations as well as the voluntary alcohol support sector in Scotland as a whole.
We believe third sector organisations are uniquely positioned to address alcohol harm due to their connection to communities, established trust, and their person-centred, long-term support.
We play an active role in national forums, consultations and policy discussions. By contributing evidence and lived experience, we work to ensure that alcohol harm is given appropriate precedence within Scotland’s health and social care system.
Our policy work focuses on the following priorities:
The need for a dedicated national alcohol strategy
Investment in prevention and support services
Action to address health inequalities
Stronger regulation of alcohol availability and marketing
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SACC is an intermediary organisation led by our members.
Membership is open to charitable organisations only, registered in Scotland, whose activities include the provision of alcohol/addiction counselling and support in line with the SCIO’s mission and aims.
Member organisations must be recognised members of Counselling and Psychotherapy in Scotland (COSCA) and/or British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) Code of Ethics.
Through membership, organisations become part of a Scotland-wide network, gain access to training and shared resources, and contribute to shaping national policy and practice.
All members have a say in SACC’s direction and priorities, and our Board consists of representatives from the membership, elected every three years.
The Board is supported by a part-time Manager who oversees SACC’s day-to-day activity.
Find out more about SACC membership here.
The SACC network provides an important reminder that alcohol counselling remains a valued, and financially viable, solution for various public sector commissioners, and the collective voice of SACC member organisations keeps alcohol counselling on the national agenda.
Vital to have the option of free, high-quality training specific to the alcohol counselling field. Extremely useful for staff & volunteers to network with others from different SACC organisations.
In our experience being part of SACC provides us with the opportunity to work within the standards set by SACC and ensures we are working to provide best practice.
SACC has grown from a collaboration between five Councils on Alcohol into a national network representing the work of alcohol support organisations in 20 Scottish council areas.
Learn more about the people leading our work today or explore the history of how SACC was created to protect and develop alcohol counselling in Scotland.