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The DfES booklet "Drugs - Guidance for
Schools (2004)" contains clear direction on most issues relating
to drugs in school. The statutory and non-statutory guidance for
developing your school's response to drugs issues is clearly laid
out. It covers all drugs, including alcohol, tobacco and medicines.
It has sections to help you to plan your drug education, write a
policy, plan what to do if there is an incident and advice on best
practice.
It is important that staff have access to this guidance as well
as the local protocols and policies that interpret this and wider
guidance. Schools need to be aware of the guidance's relationship
to your drugs policy and practice.
It is a requirement that every school has a drug policy, which includes
the agreed response to drug related incidents. You can download
it on this page in the' useful downloads' section. |
| Drugs - What's the Score? |
We live in a drug using world. From our morning coffee, to the medication
we use or the glass of wine or beer we have in an evening. Drugs
may be our saviour or our downfall, recreational or vital for our
well-being - but all have the potential to harm if not used with
care.The most commonly used drug is alcohol. Whilst many people
use alcohol safely and responsibly we are seeing the age at which
young people experiment with alcohol falling. We are also seeing
an increase in the amount and frequency of alcohol consumed, with
female drinking on the rise. Alcohol and other drugs put young people
at risk in a number of ways. If alcohol is misused, young people's
health may be damaged, they may get involved in criminal activities,
they may be assaulted or become involved in unplanned sexual activity.
It is worth noting that the majority of young people still
do not use illegal drugs and despite what the media may
lead us to believe, illegal drug use has actually started falling
amongst young people over the past 3 years.
If young people are to grow up safe in this drug using
world it is important that they develop the knowledge, skills and
understanding that will enable them to make positive and confident
choices in relation to drugs of all kinds.
There will, however, be a minority of young people who will use
drugs in a way that puts them at social, physical and emotional
risk: they may use dependently or for a complex variety of reasons.
These young people may go on to develop problematic drug use and
it is here that support and early intervention can make the difference. |
Some young people live in homes where drug use is the norm, conservative
local estimates suggest that as many as 22% of the young people
in our schools may be affected by parental drug
and alcohol use or that of other family members. Young people may
be carers for other family members because of drug use. They may
live in environments where attitudes to drugs are permissive or
where familiarity and misinformation create a false sense of security
about the risks of drug misuse. However, even though some young
people live in challenging circumstances it is important to remember
that it does not automatically follow that they are using drugs,
or will go on to do so.
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| Being effective - a whole-school
approach |
In this fast-changing world, where young people
seem to face more adult choices at a younger age, it can seem a
daunting task to enable them to be protected from the risks of drug
misuse. In the face of increasing media and peer influence and social
'normalisation' of drug and alcohol misuse, significant numbers
of young people will experiment with legal and illegal drugs as
part of their maturing process, however, the lucky majority of these
come through such experimentation without suffering lasting harm.
When planning drug education and policy it is vital that we cater
for all the young people and adults within the school community,
acknowledging that they will have different needs and understandings
of drugs issues. All the evidence shows that a community that works
together to tackle drug use, with a common purpose, is an effective
community. Parent's concerns for their children, young people's
views and experiences, the stability of a positive school environment,
skilled teaching, appropriate support, and effective partnerships
are all resources that can be harnessed to make a positive difference
to drug use in communities.\
A 'whole-school approach', such as that achieved through meeting
the Healthy School Standard for PSHE to include Drug Education,
has been proven to reduce drug-use and smoking in schools.
More about the standard
for PSHE including drugs/SRE >> |
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Social & Economic Aspects of Change (SEAC)
The SEAC training is practical and interactive and gives participants the opportunity to explore the techniques and principles for delivering the SEAC materials and provides the starting point for professionals to take the resource away and to begin planning and delivering the material with young people.
The S.E.A.C. pack will be supplied on successful completion of the course. Please see training & events for more detail
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D-vibe Online Drug/Alcohol Survey
Getting a fuller picture of the young people you support
The key to effective policy and curriculum planning for drugs issues is a knowledge of the local issues that affect the young people you work with. The risks they face, their experiences and knowledge will vary greatly depending on a wide number of factors. Ideally policies should reflect the school community and drug education should have close relevance to the lives of young people so that they are safer in their world.
D-Vibe is a great starting point for any school considering how to develop their drug and alcohol policy and programme
The D-Vibe online survey allows you to collect anonymous baseline data on drug related knowledge, skills and attitudes for young people through the age range, including risk-taking behaviours. Although open to all via the web address www.d-vibe.co.uk, Secondary schools can also opt to become a cohort for the survey.
By pledging a minimum number of respondents in your school we will reciprocate by enabling you to view and compare your data in handy reports. This is achieved through a unique log-in for your school.
Drug and Alcohol Education Planning and Assessment tool
As a cohort school, once your baseline is established you can use the findings to direct policy and plan drug and alcohol education for the cohort. The survey also offers the facility to select the key PSHE curriculum related areas that you have decided to focus upon from the baseline and to create a follow up re-test survey to see if their knowledge, skills and attitudes have improved. Dvibe can truly transform your planning and assessment for drug education to respond to the needs of your students, reduce duplication and focus precious curriculum time.
Material and options are included to use the survey as part of lessons.
Take a look at www.d-vibe.com.
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Check out Drugs Current Affairs....
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