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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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No Smoking Day - Workshops for Year 7 and 8!
No Smoking Day, this year on the 12th March, is celebrating its 25th anniversary. As every year, the aims of No Smoking Day are to highlight the benefits of stopping smoking, help smokers who want to stop by creating supportive environments and highlighting the many sources of help and advice available. It also aims to put people off starting to smoke by outlining the dangers and health risks of smoking.
Every year throughout the City various events and promotions are run on No Smoking Day. This year, the Tobacco Control team, as part of the City Councils plans for No Smoking Day, will run interactive drama based workshops centred around young people from years 7 and 8 on the issues of smoking and tobacco.
The Smoke Free Nottinghamshire Alliance are inviting year 7 and 8 pupils from schools across Nottingham City to take part in and experience a one-off drama based interactive workshop on No Smoking Day, Wednesday 12th March 2008. The award winning Samanya Drama has developed a new and exciting drama and arts based workshop to highlight the effects of smoking on young people, the pressures surrounding them and the prevention strategies to stop young people starting smoking.
Engaging and interactive 1 hour long workshops will take place across the day and will include a drama based performance and interactive sessions, bringing to life the things that matter to young people. Young people will also receive a healthy snack pack and a certificate for their attendance on the day.
Workshop sessions:
Session 1 - 9.30am 10.30am
Session 2 - 11.00am 12.00pm
Session 3 - 1.30pm 2.30pm
Location:
The College Street Education Centre
College Street
Nottingham
NG1 5AQ
If you would like further information please contact the Tobacco Control Team on: (0115) 9156446.
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D-vibe is here
The new online drugs survey launches next week in Nottingham. The simple to use, anonymous survey will be used to find out more about young people's experiences and needs around drugs and alcohol. It is designed to be done by anyone and resources are supplied to support it's use as a curriculum activity in a range of subjects. Take a look at www.d-vibe.com.
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New Year - new challenge!
As we enter 2008 it's not all bad news, drug use amongst young people is falling, most of them got through the festivities in one piece and hopefully we're all feeling refreshed and ready to move forward. This year will see the publication of the new 10 year Drugs Strategy, the new Youth Alcohol Strategy and the start of the implementation of the new Children's Plan- promising a focus on tackling problematic alcohol and drug use, an updated review on drug education in schools and improved access to specialist services for young people. It's good to know that we are moving in the right direction and that we can keep building on the steady improvement of Nottingham City Schools in the delivery of drug education and early intervention for those most at risk of drug and alcohol use.
Training the workforce to meet the challenge
Healthy Schools and the Drug and Alcohol Team have a full range of drug and alcohol training opportunities for 2008 including Basic Drugs awareness, Classroom practice. Sensitive issues, Policy and programme development, risk assessment and safeguarding in relation to drugs and alcohol.
We have resources and tools to support you in delivering excellent practice and Nottingham City, as an Early Intervention Capital, is committed to continuing to make a real, positive difference in young people's and lives where substances are an issue.
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Recent Research Findings - Effective Teaching of Drug Education
THE PRIMARY REVIEW
The condition and future of primary education in England
This piece of research published last week by University of Cambridge and supported by Esme Fairbairn Foundation, raised some interesting findings in relation to what young people want from drug education.
Worthy of note is what the children identify as the qualities of a good teacher:
are firm but fair
are trustworthy
are available when you need them
are understanding we can talk to them about personal matters
understand how you feel, but dont intrude
understand our difficulties in learning
give encouragement
listen to all of us dont just choose the same children. and
we can ask them questions and talk to them without embarrassment.
Finally, teachers themselves came up with an interesting list when talking about the priorities for education:
Teachers overwhelmingly emphasised the importance of generic dispositions and skills:
social and communicative skills;
autonomous thinking, criticality and the capacity to make reasoned choices;
communal and civic awareness and disposition;
the development of a rounded personality;
mental health, a balanced outlook on life, and strong self-belief.
I am certain that there is much more in the report and there will be even more as the review continues its work.
[taken from www.drugscope.org.uk Oct 07]
Full report can be tracked at http://www.primaryreview.org.uk/
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The Law is Changing on Tobacco Sales!
From 1st October 2007 the law for selling tobacco will change.
It will be illegal for you to sell tobacco products to anyone under the age of 18 (an increase from 16) in England and Wales. It is expected that the change in law will also come into effect in Scotland from the same date.
Products affected will include cigarettes, cigars, loose rolling tobacco and rolling papers.
Visit the website for more information and resources
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New Parent and Family Support Worker for Drugs and Alcohol
Liz Ashby has recently joined The Regents House Project in her new role as Young People and Family Support Worker. She is available to support the parents/carers, partners or friends of those misusing drugs. This is how she describes the service she provides.
"We believe parents and carers are important to young people but realise how difficult it can be to help young people make the best choices in their lives.
At Regents House we can offer parents and carers information and advice, offer telephone, face to face and group support, accompany you to meetings and liaise with other agencies. We also run training for parents and carers of young people who may be using drugs or alcohol."
The service is free and confidential and Regents House staff are able to work with you for as long as you need. The helpline is open 9.00am 7.00pm 365 days year 0800 052 5959
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Children Affected by Parental Alcohol Use - Hidden Problem?
Following the Hidden Harm Report, in which the hidden impact of drug misuse on children was identified, Turning Point have been commissioned to produce a report on the effects of parental alcohol use on children and young people. The report is called 'Bottling it up' and it makes compelling reading for any health or education professional working with children or young people. In Nottingham it is estimated that as many as 20% of the pupils in our schools are affected by drug and alcohol misuse but the real extent of the impact is not known. What is known is that the effect on these children may range from neglect to lowered attainment to emotional and behavioural problems - things that may not always be linked to parental alcohol use because it remains hidden. You can download the full report and a local briefing paper under the 'useful downloads' section on the right of this page.
If you feel your school needs to be doing more to support young people affected by alcohol misuse please contact STARS on 9422974. More information of STARS is available under the agencies section of this site.
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New ACPO National Guidance for Police in Schools
The new ACPO guidance has now been launched, with briefing events happening for professionals throughout the remainder of the year. We will be running special briefings for Nottingham Schools alongside Schools Drug Incident Training in the Spring Term. This is open to all School Drug Coordinators, SMT and staff with responsibility around dealing with drugs incidents in school. Information about these days will be sent to schools and posted on this site. Remember to subscribe in the box on this page to get auto-updates sent to your e-mail.
You can download it from the useful downloads section or from the drugscope website
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Check out Drugs Current Affairs....
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