Communities That Care (CTC) is a place-based initiative that develops a prevention operating system in a community in order to prevent drug use and other harmful behaviours.1 It provides a method for communities to assess the needs of their young people, coordinate stakeholders to develop a response, select and implement suitable evidence-based programmes to meet these needs, and evaluate the outcomes achieved. CTC is being implemented in Ireland for the first time in 2025. It is being led by the South Western Regional Drug & Alcohol Task Force’s Substance Use Regional Forum (SURF), with support from the Department of Health, the Department of Justice, and Kildare County Council.