Alcohol and Other Drugs : Guidance and Activities [1 ed.] 9781907969799, 9781904787259

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Alcohol and other drugs Guidance and activities

Alcohol and other drugs Guidance and activities This handbook puts the spotlight on why it is important to involve young people in developing work on alcohol and other drugs. It provides practitioners with: • information about legislation and best practice • ideas for how young people can get involved in developing drug policy • activities for developing young people’s understanding of issues relating to alcohol and other drugs • sources of further information, including publications, websites and organisations.

Alcohol and other drugs Guidance and activities

This book accompanies Be aware, a leaflet written by young people that provides young people with information about: • issues around alcohol and drugs • young people’s rights • where they can go for help and advice • how they can get involved in developing drug policy. NCB’s Spotlight Series provides practitioners in education, health, care, youth and community settings with the information and guidance they need to imp rove the lives of the children and young people they work with.

National Children's Bureau 8 Wakley Street London EC1V 7QE tel: +44 (0)20 7843 6000 fax: +44 (0)20 7278 9512 Registered charity number 258825

Useful numbers Membership and general enquiries: 020 7843 6080 Conferences and Training: 020 7843 6441 Young NCB: 020 7843 6099 Book Sales: 020 7843 6029 Library and Information Service: 020 7843 6008 Visit our website at: www.ncb.org.uk

SERIES

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Alcohol and other drugs Guidance and activities

National Children’s Bureau NCB promotes the voices, interests and well-being of all children and young people across every aspect of their lives. NCB aims to: ■ challenge disadvantage in childhood ■ work with children and young people to ensure they are involved in all matters that affect their lives ■ promote multidisciplinary cross-agency partnerships and good practice ■ influence government through policy development and advocacy ■ undertake high quality research and work from an evidence-based perspective ■ disseminate information to all those working with children and young people, and to children and young people themselves. Drug Education Forum The Drug Education Forum brings together a range of national organisations from health, education, police and voluntary sectors that support the delivery of drug education. The Forum promotes the provision of effective drug education for all children and young people. The Drug Education Forum believes that the purpose of drug education is to increase children’s and young people’s knowledge and understanding of drugs and their usage, and help them develop skills and attitudes, so that they can make informed choices.

Published by the National Children’s Bureau, Registered Charity number 258825. 8 Wakley Street, London EC1V 7QE. Tel: 020 7843 6000. Website: www.ncb.org.uk © National Children’s Bureau, 2004 ISBN 1 904787 25 8 Ebook ISBN 978-1-907969-79-9 British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library All rights reserved. No part of this publication except for Section 3, which may be copied for educational purposes, may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any person without the written permission of the publisher.

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Contents

The Be Aware project team Acknowledgements

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Introduction

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1 Issues

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2 The context for work on alcohol and other drugs Why involve young people? Effective approaches to involving young people Effective learning approaches Assessing learning Review and evaluation Confidentiality

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3 Activities Trigger questions Development tasks

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Appendix 1: Information sources

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Appendix 2: Project activities

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References

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The Be Aware project team

The following young people were involved in the project and contributed to the Be aware leaflet: Anthony Conboy Kerry Fielden Aiysha Hanif James Hargreaves Matloob Khan Hannagh McDonagh Melissa Powell Liam Rooney Diane Sutcliffe Catherine Sykes Alice Watson Samantha Watson The following workers supported the young people: Rachel Ball, Hype Project Lyn Hays, Young People’s Health Project Lucy Howarth, Whinney Banks Youth and Community Centre Shakkela Latif, Children and Young People’s Participation Partnership Alison Storey, Making it Back

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Bill Tate, Make a Change Ann Toy, Young People’s Health Project Vicky White, Making it Back Simon Blake of NCB and Anne Shutt of the Centre for HIV and Sexual Health facilitated the Be Aware project and wrote this handbook and the briefing paper.

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Acknowledgements

Thank you to everyone who completed the mapping exercise and those who participated in the consultation process. Thank you to Nina Job, Jim Davis and Anne Shutt for facilitating the consultation groups, to the young people and the workers who took part in these from The Fruit Bowl Group, Wakefield, The Gorsehill Youth Arts Centre Group, Carhampton Youth Club, Slough Foyer and Francis Barber PRU for arranging the groups. Thank you to Sam Bishop, Andrew Brown, Monica Burchell, Joanne Butcher, Eric Carlin, Sarah Clein, Gill Frances and Damian McGrath for their help, comments and advice. Thank you to Tracey Anderson for organising the residential event, administrating the project and providing administrative support for the publications. The activity Exploring Risks is taken from Teaching and Learning about HIV: a resource for key stages 1 to 4 by S Blake and P Power (2003), published by the National Children’s Bureau with the Sex Education Forum. Particular thanks go to Anthony Conboy and Catherine Sykes who worked with Love Creative to develop the visual concept and design of the project logo and the leaflet Be aware.

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Introduction

This handbook has been produced for workers across different settings to support Be Aware, a leaflet developed and written by young people participating in a drugs policy project funded by the Department of Health. The term young people is used throughout this handbook to refer to those aged between 11 and 18 years old.

About the project Project aims Funded by the Department of Health, the project aimed to work with young people and professionals to: ■

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improve young people’s awareness of their rights and entitlements in relation to drug education, treatment and support promote young people’s involvement in local drug policy and practice.

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It aimed to do this by supporting young people to develop a leaflet for other young people that could help them engage with drug issues and to learn about the opportunities for ‘getting involved’. Young people told us that the leaflet would be most effective in achieving its aims if adults worked with them to explore the issues. Adults can do this as part of PSHE (Personal, Social and Health Education) and Citizenship, participation and health projects, community arts projects, the youth service and in oneto-one work with learning mentors, Connexions advisors, teaching assistants, social workers and school and community nurses. In addition, the project aimed to provide local policy makers with guidance and advice about involving young people.

Project outputs There are three outputs from the project: 1. Be Aware is a leaflet for young people that outlines: ■ some of the current issues and concerns ■ young people’s rights to education, support and treatment ■ some ideas for getting involved in drug policy in practice ■ information about the national helpline and website FRANK. 2. This handbook provides an overview of the project; background information about legislation; and best practice and a range of activities and ideas for working with young people to help them understand their rights, entitlements and key issues that relate to alcohol and other drugs.

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Introduction

3. A Spotlight briefing for Drug Action Teams (DATs), Drug and Alcohol Action Teams (DAATs) and Primary Care Trusts about involving children and young people in policy and strategic planning. Details of the project activities are set out in Appendix 2.

About this handbook This handbook is divided into three sections: ■

Section 1 provides an overview of the Be Aware team’s beliefs about drug issues and young people’s involvement in policy and practice.

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Section 2 offers background information about legislation and best practice in relation to work on alcohol and other drugs.

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Section 3 provides ideas and activities to build on the key messages in the Be aware leaflet and further develop young people’s understanding about their rights and entitlements in relation to drug education, treatment and support. Activities also explore why there are concerns about young people, alcohol and other drugs.

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1 Issues

This section provides an overview of the Be Aware team’s beliefs about drug issues and young people’s involvement in policy and practice.

Young people involved in the Be Aware project confirmed that they want good education, treatment and support on alcohol and other drugs. They also want support to be involved and participate, as is their right (Article 12, United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child 1989, DfES 2004a). They have lots of good ideas. They emphasised that if we do not listen to them and involve them in the work, we, as adults (because we think we know better), will continue to offer educational opportunities, treatment and services that are not as good as they could be. In England today, people smoke tobacco, drink alcohol and use illegal drugs more than people in most other countries in Europe. This causes a lot of concern for many young people and adults. Smoking, drinking alcohol regularly, binge drinking and using illegal drugs is not a good idea, it can be bad for your health and costly, not just in terms of money.

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As a team of young people and adults we agreed with the research and evidence summarised in Drugs: Guidance for Schools published by the DfES in 2003: ■

Smoking tobacco and cannabis is harmful to people’s health and young people need to know and understand the harm it does, be encouraged not to start and, if they do start be given support to give up.

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Drinking too much alcohol is often dangerous because people take risks such as walking home on their own late at night, having unsafe sex or sex they regret, and getting hurt through accidents and fights. Binge drinking is particularly bad and can cause coronary heart disease and certain types of cancers, as we get older.

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Volatile substance abuse (using solvents) is very dangerous. It causes more deaths among young people of school age than illegal drugs such as ecstasy and cocaine. It also causes harm through accidents or by contributing to emotional health problems. Using solvents can cause immediate death the first time they are used.

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Illegal drugs such as cocaine, crack, ecstasy and heroin are dangerous and young people need credible, realistic information, education and support so as to be aware of the risks and dangers of using drugs, have the confidence to use information and cope if they get into a situation with drugs.

Like the Government, the Be Aware project team want young people and their families to know about the risks and harm alcohol and other drugs can cause; and to have access to timely support and treatment if and when needed. We believe that education should begin early in the primary school and think even Year 6 is too late.

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2 The context for work on alcohol and other drugs

This section provides information about legislation and best practice in relation to work on alcohol and other drugs.

There is a wide range of strategies and initiatives aiming to improve the life chances of young people and prevent problematic substance use. We know that young people with negative life experiences are more vulnerable to early and problematic drug use (Castleton and Britton 2002). Underpinning many initiatives, therefore, is an increasing recognition of the centrality of issues of inclusion and inequalities, and the need for all interventions to support the emotional health and well-being of marginalised and vulnerable young people and their families. The Children’s Bill currently going through Parliament, the National Service Framework for Children, and the forthcoming Public Health White Paper address a number of these issues. Work on alcohol and other drugs always belong in a wider context and cannot be developed in isolation. In schools, it is

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part of PSHE, Citizenship and pastoral care. In other settings, it has a range of other names including promoting health and wellbeing and life skills. Here we use the term PSHE and Citizenship to describe the broad range of work that takes place in health, education, secure and care settings and the community. PSHE and Citizenship helps young people develop a secure sense of identity and to function well in the world. PSHE and Citizenship includes three elements: ■

■

■

the acquisition of accessible information that is relevant to children and young people’s lives and experiences, maturity and understanding exploration, clarification and development of attitudes and values that support self-esteem, are positive to health and well-being and enable young people to think ‘What do I think about this and what can I do about it?’ the development of personal and social skills to support emotional development and interaction with others as well as the making of positive health choices and active participation in society. (NCB 2003)

PSHE and Citizenship builds on what has already been learnt in the home environment and includes areas such as emotional health and well-being, sex and relationships education, drug education, citizenship and careers/vocational education, healthy eating, physical activity and safety. This planned provision is most effective when well linked to sources of confidential advice in the particular setting and in the wider community. Thistle (2003) states young people should learn: ■

details of where these services are

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■ ■ ■ ■

when they are open how to book an appointment what will happen during a visit that they are confidential and free.

Why involve young people? There are many reasons why schools and community organisations should work with young people to provide effective education, services and treatment.

Young people and their families want them to Time and again research and evidence from practice shows that young people and their families want good education, treatment and support and they want to be involved in its planning and delivery. This was emphasised again by the Be Aware project and the leaflet reflects young people’s desire to be involved. Many parents, carers and young people lack confidence in their knowledge and skills in talking about alcohol and other drugs. They rely on professionals for help to address these issues because they find it difficult to talk about them within the family.

It ensures the entitlement to education, support, treatment and participation in school and community settings is met Learning about alcohol and other drugs is one aspect of PSHE and Citizenship. Much of the work done in other aspects of PSHE and Citizenship such as managing risk, staying safe, peer

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influence and asking for help will provide the foundation for specific work around alcohol and other drugs including volatile substances and tobacco. Work on alcohol and other drugs is being developed in a wide range of community settings. There are many arts and health, peer education and community projects all with a focus on alcohol and other drugs. Some of this is facilitated by Connexions partnerships. The increasing recognition that marginalised and vulnerable young people are more likely to develop problematic drug use has led to a range of work being developed in public care. Healthy Care has developed a briefing for those working in public care (Blake and Butcher 2004). NCB and the Drug Education Forum has carried out a national development project Drug Education in Public Care and produced guidance for foster carers and residential social workers (Butcher 2004 forthcoming). The Youth Justice Board is developing a major programme of work on substance use in the secure estate, beginning with a review of existing practice and identifying any lessons from other settings that are relevant.

It supports young people’s development Through good education, support, and opportunities to participate, young people can build their self-esteem and learn to participate with confidence. These processes also enable young people to improve their health and emotional well-being, by equipping themselves with the skills and knowledge to recognise and manage feelings and relationships, and to make positive health decisions.

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Current education and health strategies and guidance and legislation expect schools and community settings to do so The National Drugs Strategy and related strategies including the National Service Framework for Children, Every Child Matters, the Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy for England, and the Public Health White Paper, Choosing Health? all set out the importance of effective education, treatment and support. In addition, there is a growing expectation that young people should participate in decisions affecting them (UNCRC 1989). The Government’s commitment is set out in Working Together: Giving children and young people a say (DfES 2004a). Schools are required to provide education about alcohol and other drugs under the National Curriculum. The National Curriculum also offers a Framework for PSHE and Citizenship. This is delivered through four strands at all Key Stages (QCA and DfEE 1999a and 1999b). These are: ■

■ ■ ■

developing confidence and responsibility and making the most of children and young people’s abilities preparing to play an active role as citizens developing a healthy, safer lifestyle developing good relationships and respecting the differences between people.

Citizenship as a subject has a statutory status at Key Stages 3 and 4 and is delivered through three further strands: ■

■ ■

knowledge and understanding about becoming informed citizens developing skills of enquiry and communication developing skills of participation and responsible action.

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Although the frameworks are specifically for schools, they provide a useful context and planning tool for developing this work in all settings.

It supports learning in schools Early findings emerging from school improvement initiatives are identifying how PSHE and Citizenship, developed within the context of a whole school approach as set out within the National Healthy School Standard, positively affects achievement across the curriculum, improves behaviour and reduces truancy.

Effective approaches to involving young people There are many ways to involve young people in the development of policy and practice. The ideas presented here are drawn from existing local and national practice.

Young people as participants in strategic planning meetings and board meetings Many Drug Action Teams (DATs), Drug and Alcohol Action Teams (DAATs) and young people’s services are involving young people in the strategic planning process through involvement in board and management meetings. Young people enjoy being part of them as long as the meetings are organised and facilitated in a way that enables them to present their views and ideas. This

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means preparing summary papers and removing jargon. Some colleagues have run small group-work sessions where young people can work either parallel to or as part of adult groups. A minimum of two young people should be involved at any one time to offer each other support, particularly when they are new to this type of work. Some young people have been involved in peer research and then presented their ideas to groups of adults. Whilst young people enjoy the opportunity to express their views, they are clear that they need to understand the boundaries and limitations of funding and policy frameworks, to be challenged carefully and sensitively and to have feedback about their ideas. Without good feedback they can become disillusioned and feel as if they have not been heard. We need to know what has happened to our ideas, it doesn’t matter if not everything is done that we say. We need to understand why decisions have been made. Young woman, aged 16 Young People involved in the Young People Participating in Policy Project say they want to be involved in local planning and delivery of services where they feel they can have the most impact. School council meetings and youth forums provide a useful opportunity for young people to have their say.

Young people as designers of leaflets and posters Many young people enjoy creative arts and having their skills and talents recognised through involvement in developing leaflets and posters about alcohol and other drugs, local services and opportunities to participate. Some DATS, DAATS

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and community projects and services have worked with young people to develop posters and leaflets. The text for the Be aware leaflet is available on NCB's website (www.ncb.org.uk) so that young people can become involved in making a new design for the leaflet, including providing information about local services and opportunities for participation. One local area held a competition with Art students from the local Further Education College. Students were asked to design a poster about a local helpline. The winning design was then developed into an information card and leaflet.

Young people as film-makers Film is a powerful medium through which young people can express their views and ideas. It has proven particularly useful for working with vulnerable young people, such as those in pupil referral units, who become engaged with and inspired by the process of making the film (Williams 2004). A group of primary school aged children worked with the Drug Education Forum to develop a video about alcohol and other drugs. One more thing crossed out of my worrying box explores young children’s views about drug education and support. This video has been used in working with Government, multidisciplinary training, School Governor meetings and DAT, DAAT meetings.

Young people as peer supporters Many young people are involved in peer support. Peer support is an umbrella term, which includes a range of activities where peers help each other through mentoring, listening and peer

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education (for further information see Hartley-Brewer 2002). Some members of the Be Aware project team were involved in peer listening and mentoring programmes where they help their peers by listening to their problems or issues, helping them to access help and support, and by supporting others involved in treatment programmes. Some young people are involved in drug education projects, which raise awareness of local services and increase awareness of alcohol and other drugs.

Young people as knowledge gatherers Increasingly, young people are being involved in survey work with their peers. Young people involved in the Be Aware project surveyed their peers’ ideas and understanding about alcohol and other drugs and sought their feedback on the draft leaflet. A group of young people in Coventry worked with Network VSA (see Useful organisations in Appendix 1) to carry out a survey with their peers to ascertain their understanding about volatile substance abuse (VSA) and to identify their ideas for improving education and support. They presented their ideas to a national working seminar about VSA and their ideas were used to inform the development of a national action plan for work on VSA. Another group of young people worked with the National Children’s Bureau, Sex Education Forum and Drug Education Forum to gain the ideas and views of their peers about the links between sex, alcohol and other drugs (Lynch and Blake 2004). Young people involved in the Young People Participating in Drug Policy project regularly seek their peers’ views on drug issues and feed them back to Government. For example, young people identified that cannabis is used heavily by some young people and is causing a lack of motivation and disengagement from their community. This knowledge has been used to inform local planning (for further information email [email protected]).

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The process of involvement benefits the policy makers and practitioners, through hearing the voice of young people; the young people surveyed who recognise the contribution they have made; and the peer researchers, who develop skills of participation, research, enquiry and analysis.

Young people as developers and reviewers of policy and practice Young people have been involved in local and national policy development. This has been achieved through youth parliaments; school or community based focus group consultations on drug issues generally, and on specific issues of service and project development; and involving young people in feedback and review through questionnaires and focus groups. Some areas have ongoing working groups or relationships with organisations such as their youth council, where young people’s ideas and views are continually sought. The Young People Participating in Policy Group has used a range of methods to explore the issues including developing a rap, writing poetry and drama. An example poem written by a young man is included below. He says ‘It’s easier to say what I mean on paper, no one has to look at me and I can say what I really feel.’ In the poem below, he writes powerfully about his own drug use and the feelings of regret it has left behind. Addict Ask me and I can’t tell – it hasn’t made the pain go away. Did it feel good, yea at the time, but it didn’t last long. Do I regret the pain it’s caused? What do you think! I don’t even know what I feel no more. Can tomorrow change the past? Tomorrow is a lifetime – I don’t care anyhow – do you?

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Effective learning approaches Group work has long been recognised as the most effective way of working on personal, social and health issues. Good group work relies on going through a developmental process and supporting young people to work as a group, not simply in a group. Effective group work is fundamental to learning. The climate should enable creativity and risk-taking either individually or as a group enterprise. The time taken to build the group effectively and to create a safe learning environment by developing working agreements will pay dividends in terms of the explicit learning about alcohol and other drugs, as well as learning about team working and leadership. Workers need to be able to reflect on and separate their own opinion and judgement from those of the young people and to work with sensitivity and understanding of young people’s lives and experiences. Training and support is crucial and can be accessed through the local Healthy Schools Programme, Local Education Authority, PSHE and Citizenship Advisory Service, PCTs, DATs and DAATs as well as local and national voluntary and statutory organisations and Institutes of Education. Active learning methods used within the context of a group enable young people to use their previous understanding and that of others in the group to maximise learning opportunities. The method used needs to be matched to the purpose of the work and the best fit found for the development of skills, understanding of values and community action. The learning process is described by Kolb (1984) as: ■ ■

Do – participate in learning activity Reflect – describe what happened including feelings, thoughts and actions

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Review – assess what was learnt and what more needs to be learnt Evaluate – decide how the learning will be used and what else they need to know.

Useful methods include brainstorming, trigger material, discussion, giving information inputs, listening exercises and role-play. It is important to choose methods and plan work appropriately to ensure that the different learning styles of learners are accommodated. Many of the same methodologies can be used in one-to-one work. Quizzes can trigger discussion or identify areas for discussion; visualisation can help develop aspirations and problem-solving skills.

Assessing learning Whether in one-to-one or group-work settings it is helpful to assess learning in order to identify what has already been learnt and any future learning needs. Help young people to assess and review their learning as part of the learning process by asking questions such as: ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

What new information did you learn? What new skills did you practise? What do you now understand? How can you use what you learnt today when ...? Do you now feel confident about …? How can prejudice affect other people? What else do you need to learn to feel confident about …?

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Review and evaluation Evaluation enables the worker to identify any professional development needs, identify future learning needs of the young people and to amend the programme accordingly for future work. This can happen through the learning process, questionnaires, surveys led by young people or enquiries. Questions that can be considered include: ■ ■

■ ■ ■ ■

What feedback did I get from the pupils? Did the aims and objectives of the lesson or programme meet the needs of the pupils? What did I do well? Did the methods facilitate learning? Did the resources facilitate learning? What would I do differently next time?

Confidentiality Confidentiality cannot be maintained in a group setting and people should know this. Young people should be informed where they can access confidential help and support in the setting you are working in and the wider community. In one-toone work, however, practitioners can and should keep confidence and work within an ethos that maintains the interests of the child as paramount. There are times, however, when confidences must be broken and young people will need for example to be notified and supported through the process of a child protection referral and/or breaking confidence and getting support. A confidentiality policy will explain the boundaries of

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your legal and professional roles and responsibilities and will provide clarity for young people, parents, carers and workers about the boundaries of confidentiality. All adults working with young people are responsible for child protection and must work within locally agreed child protection procedures.

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3 Activities

This section provides ideas and activities for developing young people’s understanding about their rights and entitlements in relation to drug education, treatment and support. The activities in this section are designed to support further learning about the key issues raised in the Be aware leaflet. The leaflet can be given to young people to read as preparation, to help them participate in activities or to follow up the work.

These activities are suitable for use with young people aged 11 or older. You can choose the activities to suit the aims, objectives of the work and the age, maturity and understanding of the young people you are working with. The activities can either be used as one-off tasks in individual or group contexts, or they can be used together so as to develop a sequential programme of work exploring issues relating alcohol and other drugs and encouraging young people’s active participation in education and services.

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Trigger questions The trigger questions (on the following pages) address a range of issues raised in the Be aware leaflet. They can be used as part of small or whole group discussions or as research tasks. They offer some ideas. Ask young people which issues they would like to explore; alternatively, you could think of some which relate to local circumstances and add them in. The statements and questions require that young people express ideas, views and opinions on a range of moral and social issues. They have been written in such a way that young people can think about the different views and perspectives without being forced to polarise opinion or disclose confidences or personal information. Polarised debates that end up with absolute answers of yes and no or right and wrong are generally unhelpful. They do not enable young people to explore the complexity of issues and often prevent effective learning, as it can feel threatening and unsafe. In using a trigger statement it is helpful to remind young people to think about gender and cultural differences and norms, and to explore the wide range of views, ideas and perspectives that exist on the issue within our diverse society. After carrying out the activities provide opportunities for reflecting on the learning to enable young people to recognise their learning and identify future learning needs.

Method The following trigger questions can be used in a variety of ways. They can be given to small groups to discuss before giving feedback to the group; to pairs to discuss the statement together; to the whole group as a triggers discussion. The questions can also be used as topics for research projects.

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Activities

Why is the Government worried about young people’s use of alcohol and other drug use including tobacco and volatile substances?

Why are some young people more vulnerable than others to misusing alcohol and other drugs?

Do you think binge drinking is becoming a big problem amongst young people?

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What are volatile substances and why is using them so dangerous?

Why do young people smoke tobacco, drink alcohol and use other drugs?

Do you think young people use more alcohol and other drugs than previous generations? If so, why?

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Activities

Why do some young people use alcohol and other drugs if they want to have sex?

Why might a person take more sexual risks if they have used alcohol or another drug?

Are there any benefits to using alcohol and other drugs?

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What are the problems associated with misusing alcohol and other drugs?

Why do some people get violent when they drink alcohol?

Why do some people develop drug habits? What are the potential consequences of this?

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Activities

Development tasks These tasks are designed to be used with small groups of young people. The tasks on pages 28 to 34 can be given to small groups to complete within a given period of time. The tasks on pages 35 to 37 should be facilitated by an adult. Depending on the concerns and interests of the group and the time available, each group can complete the same task simultaneously or be given different tasks and summarise their learning to the rest of the group.

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Getting involved

Find out what opportunities there are for getting involved in drug education, policy and practice in your local area and nationally. You can use a range of methods. Begin by finding out about the different projects, services and organisations in your area that work on alcohol and other drugs issues with young people. Where are they? What services do they provide? Who can use the service and how? Is a referral needed? Develop a plan for finding out where, when and how young people can get involved. It might involve using the website, interviewing staff at local agencies or inviting outside agencies into your school or project. Keep a log of your progress and decide how you will communicate to your peers about the opportunities to be involved, for example by running a school or class assembly; or how to get more opportunities if there are currently none available, for example by writing to your MP or raising the issue at your Youth Parliament.

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Activities

Developing a leaflet for parents and carers

There is a helpline for parents and carers in your area. They have noticed a lot of calls from worried parents who are not sure how to talk to their children about different drugs; including medicines, alcohol, tobacco, volatile substances and other drugs such as ecstasy and cocaine. They want to produce two leaflets for parents and carers, one for primary schools and one for secondary schools. They have asked for your help. Think about: ■

the content: ■ what should go into the leaflet ■ how you will get this information ■ how you will make sure it is correct

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the time and style, that is the way that the information is written

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the design of the leaflet

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whether it needs to be reproduced in different languages and, if so, what needs to be considered in translating the text.

When you have completed the task think about what you have learnt from the process.

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Reviewing services

The Primary Care Trust, Local Authority, Drug Action Team, Mental Health Services, Sexual Health Service Team and Youth Parliament have decided to review their services for young people. At the moment there are a number of different services that cover different issues such as alcohol and other drugs. Young people have said they would like one service that they can go to where they can talk about anything and which is open more often. The different service providers have decided they will put all their money into one pot and provide one service for young people. They have asked you to help advise them by giving ideas and preparing a briefing for them. They have specifically asked for advice on: ■ ■

■ ■

what to name the service and how they should describe it where it should be located, for example in the school, near the school grounds, at a youth club or youth project, or in a health centre and at what times it should be open how they should publicise it how young people can be involved in the ongoing planning, delivery and evaluation of the service.

Extension activities ■

Undertake an investigation of local services to identify what is available and when, and identify any recommendations for development in your area.

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Invite representatives from the DAT, DAAT, Director of Children’s Services or PCT to discuss your ideas and any possibilities for reviewing developments in your area.

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Send the briefing to your local MP, Youth Council, Primary Care Trust, Director of Children’s Services or the Chair of the Children’s Strategic Planning Group.

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Getting help and advice

Your school has decided to make sure young people know about different sources of help and advice. They have asked you how they should do it and which helplines and websites to tell people about. Follow this method: 1. Think about the six most important issues that worry young people. 2. Identify a helpline, website and a local service that addresses each of these issues. 3. Design a poster or leaflet to advertise the services. 4. Identify where posters and leaflets can be displayed and distributed.

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Exploring messages in the media

Exploring the messages about alcohol and other drug use in the media can help you to understand what information is factually correct and what is incorrect, what information is biased and unbiased. It will also help you to develop the skills to critically assess the messages that are offered. So much misinformation and prejudice is disseminated through the media, alongside accurate and helpful information. Choose a theme to look for in newspapers and magazines and make a collage. Once the collage is complete, analyse it and answer these questions: ■

Is the information correct and is it putting across factually correct and accurate, negative or positive messages about young people, alcohol and other drug use?

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If you were a magazine editor what messages, help and advice would you like to offer young people?

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Are there differences between newspapers and magazines or different types of newspapers or magazines? If so, why do you think this is?

Themes that can be explored include: ■

How young people’s alcohol use is reported in the media

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Young people and Class A drugs

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The reclassification of cannabis

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Violence and crime associated with drug misuse and drug dependency

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The relationship between sex, alcohol and other drugs

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Activities

Exploring risks

This activity provides young people with an opportunity to explore the different risks people take and the outcomes of these risks, and to explore how alcohol and other drugs can influence risk-taking. Follow this method: 1. Together brainstorm all the different types of risks that people take, for example skydiving, climbing mountains, going to new places alone, drink-driving, using solvents, having unsafe sex, sharing drug injecting equipment, and walking home alone at night. 2. Consider and discuss why people take risks and when there might be positive outcomes and when there might be negative outcomes. 3. In small groups, consider what planning needs to be in place if people are going to take risks. 4. Again in small groups, devise an advertising campaign that explains to people how using alcohol and other drugs can increase risk-taking behaviour. Risks may include driving unsafely, having sex they regret, walking home alone. 5. As a whole group, consider: What new information did you learn? What new skills did you use or learn? How will you use the information and the skills you have learnt? Where can you display your posters? Websites and helplines can be a major source of information.

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What would I do?

This activity provides an opportunity for young people to understand how decisions are made about local action and to explore their ideas and views about solutions to local issues. 1. Explain that there is a local teenage pregnancy strategy and a local drug strategy and clarify the role of the Drug Action Team and Teenage Pregnancy Coordinator. 2. Explain that you are going to role-play a meeting between the DAT/DAAT Coordinator and the Teenage Pregnancy Coordinator who have arranged a meeting with the school, PRU, Connexions Advisor to discuss the relationships between sex, alcohol and other drugs. 3. Ask one person to role-play the Teenage Pregnancy Coordinator and one to role-play the DAT/DAAT Coordinator, one to role-play the teacher, etc. The rest of the group watch the role-play of the meeting, where they are asked to decide the role of schools, public care and secure settings, parents, the youth service, and the media, in developing awareness of the issues among young people. 4. Observers can stop the 'meeting' and offer advice and support or ideas, or swap seats with one of the group. 5. Complete the exercise by asking young people to write a letter to teachers, parents, carers, Teenage Pregnancy and DAT/DAAT Coordinators offering them six points on how they should work with young people on sex, alcohol and other drugs.

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Activities

Extension activity The Teenage Pregnancy and DAT/DAAT Coordinators could be invited in to run this meeting ‘for real’.

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Appendix 1: Information sources

Resources Blake, S and Butcher, J (2004) Alcohol and other drugs: A Healthy Care briefing. National Children’s Bureau An overview of key legislation, good practice and resources for those responsible for looked after children's services and good practice in relation to alcohol and other substances. The issues are discussed within the context of an holistic Healthy Care framework and illustrated with case study examples. Blake, S and Butcher, J (2004) Spotlight Briefing: Teaching and Learning about VSA. National Children’s Bureau Outlines the key issues and offers advice on teaching and learning about VSA. Castleton, J and Britton, J (2002) Taking care with drugs: Responding to substance use among looked after children. DrugScope This guidance provides clarity and support, as well as practical advice, to local authorities developing their policies for substance misuse and education, assessment and interventions. It is targeted at all those working with and caring for looked after children and young people. It sets the scene and the rationale

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for drug and alcohol policies for young people looked after by local authorities and outlines the general principles. This includes an overview of national policy and strategy, local planning and development, drug and alcohol education, assessment and referral, consent and confidentiality, brief interventions, and managing premises and incidents. Chambers, H and others (2002) Healthy Care: Building an evidence base for promoting the health and well-being of looked after children and young people. National Children’s Bureau Healthy Care summarises key national and international research and existing best practice, and builds an evidence base for promoting the health and well-being of looked after children and young people. It sets out current standards and guidance in England and provides health promotion models for the development of future practice. Department for Education and Skills (2004) Drugs: Guidance for schools This guidance is based on the principles that underpin good practice in drug education and managing drug incidents. Department for Education and Skills (2004) Working Together: Giving children and young people a say This guidance is designed to provide a platform for encouraging best practice for pupil involvement. It reflects comments and suggestions received during the consultation in 2003. The guidance is intended for those involved in providing education services, within Local Education Authorities and schools, as they plan to open up opportunities for children and young people to become more active participants in their education, including involvement in planning and the evaluation of their own learning.

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Appendix 1 Information sources

Health Development Agency (2003) Drug Education (including tobacco) This material offers practical guidance to Local Healthy School Programme Coordinators on supporting schools in implementing the National Healthy School Standard minimum criteria and whole school approach to drug education. This guidance may also be relevant to other planners and practitioners. Health Development Agency (2004) Promoting participation through the National Healthy School Standard This briefing provides an accessible overview of the theory and practice of actively involving children and young people in school life. Lee, H (2003) Sex, drugs and alcohol. Tacade These materials are designed for young people aged 14 to 19 of all abilities, including those with poor literacy skills. Lynch, J and Blake, S (2004) Sex, alcohol and other drugs: Exploring the links in young people’s lives. National Children’s Bureau with the Drug Education Forum and the Sex Education Forum Drawing heavily on the perspectives of young people, professionals and research, this resource brings into the spotlight the links between sexual activity and the use of alcohol and other drugs in young people’s lives. It explores young people’s opinions about the support they want, and the implications for policy and practice. Case studies and practical ideas are used throughout to illustrate how practitioners can address the links between sex, alcohol and other drugs with young people.

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Robson, K (1999) Who Cares? about drugs. The Who Cares? Trust Guide for young people who are looked after in care, giving information about drugs, legal and illegal. Covers physical, psychological and emotional health issues and gives contact organisations for further information and help. The Who Cares? Trust (2000) Who Cares? About health: Getting healthy, staying healthy and keeping fit Health guide for young people who are looked after in care. It covers physical, psychological and emotional health issues and gives contact organisations for further information and help.

Websites for young people British Youth Council Britkid ChildLine Citizens Connection Children’s Express Pupiline R U Thinking? The Who Cares? Trust The Site (YouthNet UK) Time for Citizenship Trashed Wired for Health Wrecked Young Minds Young NCB Youth2Youth

www.byc.org.uk www.britkid.org www.childline.org.uk www.justdosomething.net www.childrens-express.org www.pupiline.net www.ruthinking.org.uk www.thewhocarestrust.org.uk www.thesite.org www.timeforcitizenship.com www.trashed.co.uk www.wiredforhealth.gov.uk www.wrecked.co.uk www.youngminds.org.uk www.youngncb.org.uk www.youth2youth.co.uk

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Appendix 1 Information sources

Useful organisations Alcohol Concern Alcohol Concern, Waterbridge House, 32–36 Loman Street, London SE1 0EE 020 7928 7377 www.alcoholconcern.org.uk Alcohol Concern is the national agency on alcohol misuse. They work to reduce the incidence and costs of alcohol-related harm and to increase the range and quality of services available to people with alcohol-related problems. Drug Education Forum C/o Mentor UK, 4th Floor, 74 Great Eastern Street, London EC2A 3JG 020 7739 8494 www.drugeducation.org.uk The Drug Education Forum believes that the purpose of drug education is to increase children’s and young people’s knowledge and understanding of drugs and their usage, and helps them develop skills and attitudes so that they can make informed choices. DrugScope Waterbridge House, 32–36 Loman Street, London SE1 0EE 020 7928 1211 www.drugscope.org.uk DrugScope is the UK’s leading independent centre of expertise on drugs. Their aim is to inform policy development and reduce drug-related risk. They provide quality drug information, promote

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effective responses to drug taking, undertake research at local, national and international levels, advise on policy-making, encourage informed debate and speak for its member organisations working on the ground. 24-hour drug helpline 0800 77 66 00 National Children’s Bureau 8 Wakley Street, London EC1V 7QE 020 7843 6000 www.ncb.org.uk The National Children’s Bureau (NCB) offers an information service and produces a range of resources including a (currently) free termly newsletter, Spotlight promoting emotional and social development (to order a copy email [email protected]) and offers training and consultancy on all aspects of PSHE and Citizenship. Young NCB is a free network, run by NCB, for children and young people. Through Young NCB, young people can be actively involved in issues that affect and interest them – such as safety, perceptions of young people, sex and relationships education, citizenship, bullying, drugs and media – or they can just stay in touch via Loudspeaker and the Young NCB website. Visit www.youngncb.org.uk for more information. Network VSA is based at the National Children’s Bureau. It is a network for people interested in volatile substance abuse issues. Email [email protected] for further information. National Healthy School Standard Holborn Gate, 330 High Holborn, London WC1V 7BA 020 7061 3072 www.wiredforhealth.gov.uk

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The National Healthy School Standard Team provides support and advice to local health and education partnerships. Tacade Old Exchange Building, 6 St Ann’s Passage, King Street, Manchester M2 6AD 0161 836 6859 Email: [email protected] www.tacade.com The Teachers’ Advisory Council on alcohol and Drugs Education (Tacade) is a charitable organisation that provides a range of publications, training and consultancy products and services for those working with young people.

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Appendix 2: Project activities

To achieve the aims of the project we held a residential event for 16 young people involved in drug education, treatment and support projects across England. At the residential event, the young people explored their ideas about why young people use alcohol and other drugs; identified why and how they should be involved in planning, delivering and evaluating services; gave their ideas for building on their experiences of being involved in policy and practice. They also explored the content of the leaflet Following the residential event, the leaflet was drafted and the young people invited comments from their peers and came back together to agree changes to the text. Two young people, Anthony Conboy from the Making it Back project in Stockport and Catherine Sykes from the Young People’s Health Project in Barnsley, worked with Love Creative in Manchester to design the leaflet. The core group of young people gave their feedback on the design concept and informed its further development.

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Additional focus groups were held with five groups of young people: ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

young young young young young

gay and lesbian people people from minority ethnic communities homeless people people excluded from school people living in a rural community

Their ideas and views, alongside those of a range of professionals, informed the final draft of the leaflet. A consultation day was held with professionals working in DATs, DAATs and the voluntary sector in order to provide feedback on the leaflet and explore the issues related to involving children and young people in drug education, treatment and support and policy and practice. This event, alongside the findings of a national mapping exercise, of existing participation work carried out by DATs/DAATs informed the briefing Involving young people in work on alcohol and drugs, which is part of this package of materials. The activities and ideas provided in these supporting notes are drawn from a range of practitioners working with young people in different settings. The project has also been informed by the learning derived from a parallel project run by the National Children’s Bureau and funded by different Government departments called Young People Participating in Policy (YPPP). A young people’s advisory group of eighteen young people from a range of backgrounds meet three times a year to give their ideas and views inform the further development and implementation of the National Drugs Strategy.

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References

Blake, S and Butcher, J (2004) Alcohol and other drugs: A Healthy Care briefing. National Children’s Bureau Butcher, J (2004) Drug education in public care: A guide for foster carers and residential social workers. National Children’s Bureau Castleton, J and Britton, J (2002) Taking care with drugs: Responding to substance use among looked after children. Drugscope Department for Education and Skills (2004a) Working Together: Giving children and young people a say Department for Education and Skills (2004b) Drugs: Guidance for Schools. Department of Heath/DrugScope (2002) Taking care with drugs: Responding to substance misuse amongst looked after children Hartley-Brewer, E (2002) Stepping Forward: working together through peer support. National Children’s Bureau with the Peer Support Forum

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Kolb, D A (1984) Experiential Learning: experience as the source of learning and development. Prentice-Hall Lynch, J and Blake, S (2004) Sex, alcohol and other drugs: Exploring the links in young people’s lives. National Children’s Bureau with the Sex Education Forum and Drug Education Forum National Children’s Bureau (2003) A whole school approach to PSHE and Citizenship Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (1999a) National Curriculum Handbook for Primary Schools Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (1999b) National Curriculum Handbook for Secondary Schools Thistle, S (2003) Secondary schools and sexual health services: Forging the links. Sex Education Forum United Nations (1989) The Convention on the Rights of the Child. Adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 20 November 1989. Geneva Defence for Children International and the United Nations Children’s Fund Williams, S (2004) Harnessing energy and inspiration: Filmmaking with young people in a PRU. Spotlight. Issue 3 June 2004 National Children’s Bureau

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June 2004

Involving young people in work on alcohol and other drugs To ensure that young people get the education and support that they are entitled to, they need to participate in the development and delivery of alcohol and other drugs service provision and education. This Spotlight briefing for Drug Action Teams (DATs), Drug and Alcohol Action Teams (DAATs) and Primary Care Trusts discusses what participation is, why it is important and how young people can be enabled to participate in education and services. It is one of three outputs from the project Be Aware, run by NCB and the Drug Education Forum. The project aimed to engage young people in discussions about national and local concerns about alcohol, tobacco, volatile substance abuse and other drugs. Young people worked with us to explore their understanding of the issues; to clarify what young people need to know about alcohol and other drugs; and to find out how young people can participate (and are participating) in strategic planning, policy and practice development and delivery. The Be Aware project reinforced the benefits for all of us of listening to the views of children and young people, using their views to inform policy and practice development, and offering them the opportunities to be part of finding solutions. Actively involving them in education and service development, delivery and evaluation can only be a positive force for change and for ensuring children and young people get the support they need and deserve on alcohol and other drugs.

and accessibility). It ends with active participation, where young people and adults work together to negotiate and share power. The DfES (2004) describes participation as: ‘Opening up opportunities for decision-making with children and young people as partners engaging in dialogue, conflict resolution, negotiation and compromise – all important life skills.’ This continuum has often been understood in a hierarchical way. If you are not currently developing activities where young people share power with adults, start from a point that is realistic, then develop the scope and range of activities as the confidence of the young people and workers increases. This has been described as the journey of participation. Adults and young people work together to create a culture in which young people share power and responsibility for decision-making and are encouraged to understand and exercise their right to be involved in all aspects of their life in the home, school and community (HDA 2004). The journey of participation is one of collaboration, mutuality, exploration, discovery, excitement and disappointments as well as successes. Experience shows there is a need to be flexible and willing to change and develop goals as confidence, enjoyment and a sense of achievement grow.

• Everyone works within the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, fulfilling the right set out in Article 12, which affords children and young people the right to participate in all decisions that affect them. How children and young people will participate is clearly laid out in all policies and a senior staff member is identified as having a role as champion. • An ethos is developed in which children and young people can participate. All professionals work towards developing a culture of participation in which children, families and the whole community recognise the importance of participation; the contribution it makes to emotional and social development; and all work in partnership to develop this culture of participation.

What is participation? Young people’s participation involves a range of activities that lie along a continuum. It starts with consulting with young people about the ideas, views or direction identified by adults (essentially a quality check for relevance

1

A number of organisations have clarified the principles of effective participation that are relevant across different agencies and settings. These are as follows:

Anti Bullying Alliance, National Children’s Bureau, NSCOPSE (the national PSE association) and the Peer Support Forum agreed the principles in their response to Working Together (DfES 2004b).

1

1

• A wide range of activities is established and all children and young people are encouraged, supported and enabled to access participation opportunities. These activities include identifying issues and areas of development as well as contributing to solutions. This will mean starting where children and young people are at, and will often require explicit and creative targeting of those who may not normally volunteer or be nominated to participate. Where needed, extra support is offered for children and young people to access opportunities.

participate is laid out in Articles 12, 13 and 17 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989). These articles state that children have a right to: • express an opinion and to have that opinion taken into account in any matter or procedure affecting them (Article 12) • obtain and make known information unless it violates the rights of others (Article 13) • access appropriate information and education especially if it promotes their social, spiritual or moral wellbeing and physical and mental health (Article 17).

• The contribution of participation to emotional and social development, reducing bullying, developing key skills, raising attainment and achievement is recognised and understood. Links to learning and development are made and, where possible, achievements are rewarded.

In schools, this is supported by Guidance from the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) (2004a and 2004b) and the National Healthy School Standard (2004). Healthy Care also emphasises the importance of involving young people in public care in decisions that affect them (Chambers and others 2002).

• Children, young people and staff receive training and support to develop their skills and confidence in organising, facilitating and participating in the full range of activities. Opportunities for reflection and evaluation are integral to the work. • Children and young people are given explicit feedback about how their views and ideas have been listened to, what action has been taken as result and what the next steps to be taken are. This is particularly important where decisions have been taken which go against the wishes and ideas of children and young people. • Start where you feel confident, build on and celebrate your successes, value mistakes, learn from and maintain creativity and motivation.

Why is participation important? Young people repeatedly tell us they want to be involved in all issues to do with their lives. They have good ideas as well as the motivation to help adults develop education, treatment and support that better meets their needs. There is a developing culture in England, across all policy and practice, of involving young people in decisions that affect them and recognising their skills, ideas and talents as a force for change. Their right to 2

In addition, involving young people in policy and practice development can: • contribute to the five national outcomes for children set out in Every Child Matters (2003), through developing the life skills, confidence and understanding necessary to keep young people safe and healthy and actively participating in their community • help identify particular needs and local issues • build a mandate for developing work which may be controversial • help adults to understand the range of influences and experiences of young people in a holistic context. For example the links between alcohol and violence • provide an opportunity to get feedback, and to review and evaluate current education and services • harness the positive nature of peer influence through peer support • be a drug-prevention and socialinclusion process in itself. Evidence suggests that participation is particularly beneficial for those who are vulnerable and marginalised and therefore more likely to misuse alcohol and other drugs (Madge and others 2003).

Involvement in policy and practice development There are many ways young people can participate in the planning, delivery and evaluation of education and services. The ideas presented below are drawn from existing practice. Strategic meetings Many DATs, DAATs, and young people’s services are involving young people in the strategic planning process through involvement in board and management meetings. Young people enjoy being part of these meetings as long as they are organised and facilitated in a way that enables them to present their views and ideas. Small group-work sessions enable young people to work in parallel to, or as part of, adult groups. A minimum of two young people should be involved at any one time to offer each other support. Some young people have been involved in peer research and then presented their ideas to groups of adults. While young people enjoy the opportunity to express their views, they are clear that they need to understand the boundaries and limitations of funding and policy frameworks; to be challenged carefully and sensitively; and to be given feedback on their ideas. Without good feedback they can feel disillusioned and as if they have not been heard. As a young woman aged 16 said, ‘We need to know what has happened to our ideas, it doesn’t matter if not everything is done that we say. We need to understand why decisions have been made.’

We need to know about different drugs and what they do to your body, not just your health but your brain and how you behave Young man, 15

Designing leaflets and posters Many young people enjoy creative arts and having their skills and talents recognised through involvement in developing leaflets and posters. Some DATs, DAATs, and community projects and services have worked with young people to develop posters and leaflets about alcohol and other drugs, local services and opportunities to participate. One local area held a competition with Art students from the local further education college. Students were asked to design a poster about a local helpline. The winning design was then developed into an information card and leaflet. The text for the Be aware leaflet is available on www.ncb.org.uk. Young people can use this text as a starting point for designing a leaflet that provides information about services in their area and opportunities for participation. Film-making Film is a powerful medium through which young people can express their views and ideas. It has proven particularly useful for working with vulnerable young people, who often become engaged with, and inspired by, the process of making the film (Williams 2004). A group of primary school children worked with the Drug Education Forum to develop a video about alcohol and other drugs. One more thing crossed out of my worrying box explores young children’s views about drug education and support. This video has been used in working with Government, multidisciplinary training, School Governor meetings and DAT/DAAT meetings. Peer support Many young people are involved in peer support. Peer Support is an umbrella term that includes a range of activities where peers help each other through mentoring, listening and peer education (for further information see Hartley-Brewer 2002). Members of the Be Aware project team were involved in peer listening and mentoring programmes, where they supported their peers by listening to their problems and helping them to access services. They also supported peers involved in treatment programmes. Some young people are involved in drug education projects, which raise awareness of local services and increase awareness of alcohol and other drugs.

Knowledge gatherers Increasingly young people are becoming involved in survey work with their peers. Young people involved in the Be Aware project surveyed their peers’ ideas and understanding about alcohol and other drugs and sought their feedback on the draft leaflet. A group of young people in Coventry worked with Network VSA to carry out a survey with their peers to ascertain their understanding of volatile substance abuse (VSA) and to identify their ideas for improving education and support. They presented their ideas to a national working seminar about VSA and their ideas were used to inform the development of a national action plan for work on VSA. Another group of young people worked with the National Children’s Bureau, Sex Education Forum and Drug Education Forum to gain the ideas and views of their peers about the links between sex, alcohol and other drugs. Young people involved in Young People Participating in Drug Policy project regularly seek their peers’ views on drug issues and feed them back to Government. For example, young people identified that cannabis is used heavily by some young people and is causing a lack of motivation and disengagement from their community. This knowledge has been used to inform local planning. The process of involvement benefits: • the policy makers and practitioners though hearing young people • the young people who recognise their contribution • the peer researchers who develop skills of participation. Developing and reviewing Young people have been involved in local and national policy development through: youth parliaments; school or community-based consultations on drug issues and specific issues of service and project development; feedback and review through questionnaires and focus groups. Some areas have ongoing relationships with organisations such as Youth Council, where young people’s ideas and views are continually sought. A national group of young people has been working with the National Children’s Bureau and the Government to inform the implementation of the

National Drug Strategy. The Government has identified topics that they would like young people’s ideas about and a range of methods have been used to explore the issues. Simon Blake and Anne Shutt June 2004

Useful resources Department for Education and Skills (2004a) Drugs: Guidance for Schools Department for Education and Skills (2004b) Working Together: Giving Pupils A Say Lynch, J and Blake, S (2004) Sex, Alcohol and Other Drugs: Exploring the Links in Young People’s Lives. NCB Health Development Agency (2004) Promoting Pupil Participation through the National Healthy School Standard National Children’s Bureau and others (2004) It’s More Than Just Listening: Children and young people talk about participation

Useful websites Drug Education Forum www.drugeducation.org.uk DrugScope www.drugscope.org.uk Alcohol Concern www.alcoholconcern.org.uk National Children’s Bureau www.ncb.org.uk National Treatment Agency www.nta.nhs.uk Frank www.talktofrank.com Tackling Drugs www.drugs.gov.uk 3

About the Be Aware Project Be Aware was a national participation project, funded by the Department of Health and carried out by the National Children’s Bureau and the Drug Education Forum. The project aimed to engage young people with current concerns about alcohol and other drug use and raise awareness of their rights to effective education, treatment and support and to participate in the planning, development and delivery of these interventions. There are three outputs from Be Aware: A leaflet for young people, written and designed by young people, which outlines their rights to education, treatment and support. It has space for local information to be inserted. The young people in the Be Aware project agreed it will be most effective when used as part of an education programme carried out in schools and community settings. A handbook for practitioners, Alcohol and other drugs, provides an overview of the Be Aware project; background information about legislation and best practice; and a range of activities and ideas for working with young people to help them understand their rights and key issues that relate to alcohol and other drugs.

This briefing, for Drug Action Teams (DATs), Drug and Alcohol Action Teams (DAATs) and Primary Care Trusts, about involving children and young people in policy and strategic planning. Phases of the Be Aware project: Phase one. Work with a core group of young people who attended a residential event. The young people contributed to the drafting of the leaflet; consulted peers on its content; attended a further development day to agree changes to the leaflet, the title of the package and to comment on the draft design. Two members of the group worked with a design agency to design the leaflet. Phase two. Consultation with a wide range of young people on the draft leaflet including young gay and lesbian people, young people from minority ethnic communities, young rural people, young homeless people and young people excluded from school. Phase three. Consultation with professionals to inform this briefing and to gather examples of practice.

References

HM Treasury (2003) Every Child Matters

Chambers, H and others (2002) Healthy Care: Building an evidence base for promoting the health and well-being of looked after children and young people. National Children’s Bureau

Madge, N and others (2003) Pupil Participation and the National Healthy School Standard Health Development Agency

Department for Education and Skills (2004a) Drugs: Guidance for Schools Department for Education and Skills (2004b) Working Together: Giving Pupils A Say Hartley-Brewer, E (2002) Stepping Forward: working together through peer support. National Children’s Bureau and Peer Support Forum

Health Development Agency (2004) Promoting Pupil Participation through the National Healthy School Standard United Nations (1989) The Convention on the Rights of the Child. Adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1989. Geneva Defence for Children International and the United Nations Children’s Fund

Designed by twoplus consultants

Published by the National Children’s Bureau 8 Wakley Street, London EC1V 7QE Telephone: +44 (0)20 7843 6000 Fax: +44 (0)20 7278 9512 Website: www.ncb.org.uk Registered Charity No: 258825 E-mail: [email protected] © National Children’s Bureau 2004

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Be aware Young people, alcohol and other drugs This pack provides practitioners and policy-makers with tools that they can use to improve young people’s understanding of issues relating to alcohol and other drugs, and to encourage young people’s involvement in policy and practice development. It includes: • three copies of Be aware, a leaflet written by young people that provides information about issues surrounding alcohol and drugs, and how they can get involved in developing drug policy • Alcohol and other drugs: Guidance and activities, a booklet to support practitioners in using the Be aware leaflet • a briefing for Drug Action Teams, Drug and Alcohol Action Teams and Primary Care Trusts about involving children and young people in policy and strategic planning. Pack: £15.00 (NCB members £12.00) Set of 5 leaflets: £10.00 (NCB members £8.00) Available from NCB Book Sales Tel: 020 7843 6029 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.ncb-books.org.uk

Williams, S (2004) Harnessing energy and inspiration: Film making with young people in a pupil referral unit Spotlight Issue 3 National Children’s Bureau

Acknowledgements Thanks to the Be Aware project team and everyone who attended the consultation day that informed this briefing.

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IN ENGLAND TODAY PEOPLE SMOKE, DRINK ALCOHOL AND USE ILLEGAL DRUGS MORE THAN IN MOST OTHER COUNTRIES IN EUROPE. THIS CAUSES A LOT OF CONCERN FOR MANY YOUNG PEOPLE AND ADULTS. SMOKING, DRINKING ALCOHOL REGULARLY, BINGE DRINKING AND USING ILLEGAL DRUGS IS NOT A GOOD IDEA. IT CAN BE BAD FOR YOUR HEALTH AND COSTLY NOT JUST IN TERMS OF MONEY.

Talk to Frank www.talktofrank.com 0800 77 66 00 24 - hour free confidential helpline

DESIGNED BY ANTHONY CONBOY AND CATHERINE SYKES WITH LOVE CREATIVE

This leaflet has been designed by a group of young people across England who worked on a project to give their ideas and produce this leaflet. It is to help you understand your rights to learn about alcohol and other drugs as well as the support, treatment and care services that are available if you get into difficulties or want help. This leaflet also tells you how you can get involved and influence education and services that are designed for you. It provides the details of Talk to Frank, a national helpline and website, which is free and confidential even if you are under 16.

There is also a page for local information. This leaflet gives information and ideas about how you can get involved in shaping drug education, support and services for young people. More people smoke, drink alcohol and use illegal drugs today in England than in most other countries in Europe. This causes a lot of concern for people of all ages as it seriously damages health. It could also damage your social life.

DEFINITIONS Alcohol (Booze) alcohol is a drug, which is sociably accepted. It can have the same side effects and is as harmful as most Class A drugs if it is misused. Using solvents / Volatile Substance Abuse this is the misuse of solvents like aerosols, lighter gas, petrol etc. Tobacco is an addictive drug that is found in cigarettes. Drugs there are different types of drugs, which have different effects. There are hard drugs such as heroin, cocaine, ecstasy, LSD. There are also lower class drugs such as cannabis, steroids, whizz. These drugs are illegal, but there are also harmful drugs that are legal such as alcohol and tobacco.

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WE BELIEVE Smoking is harmful to people’s health. We need to know and understand the harm it does, be encouraged not to start smoking and if we do start we must be given support to give up.

through accidents or contributing to emotional and mental health problems. Using solvents can cause immediate death the first time they are used.

Drinking too much alcohol, too often is dangerous because people take risks such as walking home on their own late at night, have unsafe sex or sex they regret and get hurt through accidents and fights. Binge drinking is where people drink far too much too often. It is a particular problem because it is a major cause of coronary heart disease and certain types of cancers as we get older.

Drugs such as cocaine, crack, ecstasy and heroin are dangerous. Young people need credible, realistic information, education and support to be aware of the risks and dangers of using drugs. They need the confidence to act on this information and cope if they get into situations with drugs. Research shows that some groups of young people are more at risk of developing drug problems. We believe support must be offered very early.

Using solvents is very dangerous. It causes more deaths among young people of schools age than illegal drugs such as ecstasy and cocaine. It also causes harm

We, like the Government want you and your families to know about the risks and harm it can cause and to have access to support and treatment if you need it.

The Government has given money to all local areas to set up a Drug and Alcohol Action Team (DAAT) or a Drug Action Team (DAT) to

make sure that young people and adults get good education, support and services about alcohol and other drugs.

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OUR RIGHTS The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) gives all young people the right to education and health services. It states that children and young people have the right to enjoy the highest attainable health, access to health facilities (Article 24), and access to information, which will allow them to make decisions about their health (Article 17). It also states that those professionals working with young people ‘shall take appropriate measures to develop preventative health care, guidance for parents, and family planning education and services’ (Article 24). Children and young people also have the right to be heard, express opinions and be involved in decision making (Article 12). They have the right to education which will help them learn, develop and reach their full potential

and prepare them to be understanding and tolerant to others (Article 29). Additionally, children have the right not to be discriminated against (Article 2). In terms of alcohol and other drugs these rights include: Good education at school and in the community. Some of us feel that drug education should begin early in primary school. We think that ‘even year 6 is too late’.

The National Drug Strategy requires all schools to provide education about alcohol and other drugs. This will normally be part of Personal Social and Health Education (PSHE) and Citizenship. It should include information about alcohol and other drugs including tobacco and volatile substances, and provide opportunities to explore real

life dilemmas like if and when to use alcohol and other drugs; what to do if your friends get really ‘drunk’ or ‘mashed’ and you are worried about them. It should also include opportunities to develop skills such as asking for help and advice and making decisions. This type of education is often available in the youth service or community groups.

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WHAT CAN YOU DO IF YOU ARE NOT GETTING GOOD DRUG EDUCATION? 1. Speak to your form tutor, youth worker, Connexions Personal Advisor or your school council representative about getting better drug education and your ideas for improving it. 2. Ask your parent/carer to talk to the school or youth club to see if they will improve the drug education they provide.

ONE 2 ONE ADVICE AND SUPPORT 3. Find someone you trust to get your questions answered. 4. Talk to your youth worker, learning mentor or Connexions Personal Advisor.

Every local area has a Connexions Partnership. Connexions Personal Advisers are based in some schools as well as in the community. They can provide advice and support and if necessary refer you on to specialist alcohol and drug agencies.

You can also get one-to-one advice and support from your:

You can find out where your Connexions Personal Advisor is based through your school or on the local information page at the back of this leaflet.

Young people’s information and counselling services

School Nurse Learning Mentor Peer Educators and Peer Supporters Community alcohol and drugs agencies

Local and National Websites and Help Lines Talk to Frank www.talktofrank.com 0800 77 66 00 24 – hour free confidential helpline Information about local helplines and websites is available by phoning ‘FRANK’ or may be on the back page of this leaflet.

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TREATMENT AND CARE If you have difficulties or problems with alcohol and other drug use you have an entitlement to treatment and care, which helps you sort out these difficulties. Available services are different in each area. You can find out about services by phoning your local doctor, speaking to a Connexions Personal Advisor or other adult you trust or by phoning: Talk to Frank www.talktofrank.com 0800 77 66 00 24 - hour free confidential helpline

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HAVE YOUR SAY Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child gives young people the right to have a say in decisions affecting them. It is really important young people express their views and get involved in drug projects and services. Fourteen young people worked together to develop this leaflet. Young people can get involved by:

Campaigning for better education and support in schools and youth clubs through the school council or undertaking a survey of young people’s views about education and support on drug issues. Becoming a peer educator for a local health project. There are many projects where young people go into schools and community settings to help teach other young people about alcohol and other drugs.

Talking to your local Drug Training to be a peer Action Team about how you supporter to support others can advise them on drug who have worries and concerns related issues for young people about alcohol and other drugs. Becoming involved in local councils, youth forum or youth parliament. Many local areas have a youth forum or parliament where young people meet to discuss their views on a range of issues including alcohol and other drugs.

Getting involved in Young NCB, which offers you the chance to express your views about the issues that are important to you. Through Young NCB you can get involved in projects. Visit www.youngncb.org.uk or telephone 020 7843 6067 to find out more.

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LOCAL SERVICES This page has been left blank so information about local projects and services can be included. If there is no information here, talk to someone you trust, look in the Yellow Pages or phone Talk to Frank 0800 77 66 00 24- hour free confidential help line or visit the Frank website www.talktofrank.com