Download Developing Substance Misuse Education in the Borders

Developing Substance
Misuse Education in the
Borders
Children and Young Peoples Health
Improvement Group Group 2011-Brief
Review
• There was a lack of knowledge about approaches taken to
Substance Misuse Education work in schools across the
Borders.
• There appeared to be a lack of continuity and consistency in
substance misuse education.
• Concerns were highlighted about possible duplication of effort
and inconsistency/ ineffectiveness of some of the messages
relayed to young people.
• Changing roles in schools with the establishment of full time
pastoral staff and identified leads for health and wellbeing
needed to be factored into plans for the development of SME
The Brief
• Recommend evidence based effective approaches to SME,
including peer education and peer support approaches
• Be supportive and consistent with Curriculum for Excellence health
and wellbeing outcomes and experiences
• Recommend physical resources that can be used in support of the
transmission of knowledge, skills and understanding relating to
substance misuse education
• Foster the active engagement of parents and young people in
addressing the issues associated with SME
• Map out roles and responsibilities of partners in delivering
information, education and support for young people
• Identify and develop links between those involved in the delivery of
SME to ensure that it is consistent, integrated and co-ordinated.
What we have looked at….
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The national situation and policy overview
The changing experience of young people
Transition years
Young people and substance use behaviour
Health outcomes and substance use
Substance misuse education key research
findings
Features of a positive evidence based
approach to substance misuse education
Substance Misuse Education-Key
findings
• Research to date has not identified a single
programme to be recommended over all others.
• We know that social influences approaches are
generally more effective
• Peer led education may be effective and seems
to be particularly acceptable to many young
people.
• The wider social context and environment is
important, especially relationships with peers
and parents or carers.
Features of a positive evidence based
approach to substance misuse
education
Stead and Angus (2004)
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Highly interactive
Not rely solely on information provision
Not rely solely on “affective” approaches
Include life skills elements including resistance skills
and normative education elements
Multi-component /‘environmental’ programmes likely
to be more effective than those delivered in isolation.
Peer involvement in drug education is associated with
increased effectiveness
Features of a positive evidence based
approach to substance misuse
education- cont
• Drug education programmes should be of a sufficient
length to achieve impact
• The role of parents and carers is critical in influencing
learning and shaping behaviours related to substance
use.
Draft Guidance for Substance Misuse
Education-Welsh Government- 2012
Recommended approaches;
• Skills based approaches
• Harm –reduction approaches
• Multi- component education
The Audit
• Eildon West Primary Schools
• SBC Secondary Schools
• Four key voluntary sector organisations
• Questions covering:
• the curriculum and materials used,
• key learning points
impact,
partnership working
• Plus:
• Substance misuse education responses from just under 2000 young
people in
• S1 and S3.
• SB Young Peoples Survey 2012
Highlights
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Curriculum and materials
Involving young people
Involving parents
Working with partners
Impact / outcomes / evidence
Teacher confidence / training needs
Youth agencies
Young peoples survey
Conclusions
1.
Patterns of substance use are changing and we need to be able
to respond speedily and flexibly to these.
2.
The ways we teach and learn are changing and substance
misuse education has to be able to respond to these changes.
3.
Although we cannot identify an ideal model of substance misuse
education we can identify a range of strategies and approaches
which at the present time make up our understanding of best
practice in this area.
4.
Substance misuse education should endeavour to respond to
local needs and concerns and these vary from community to
community across the borders.
5.
The role of parents and carers is critical in influencing
learning and shaping behaviours related to substance
use.
6.
Teachers understand the importance of substance
misuse education and want to do better in this area. At
the present time no mechanism exists to facilitate the
sharing and updating of resources for this work in
schools.
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Partnership working and expert contributions are an
important part of ensuring schools are able to deliver
the best possible substance misuse education.
Recommendations
1. Establish a protocol of partnership
working for substance misuse education
in learning community areas.
2. Schools and their partners should create
a resource bank of substance misuse
education materials.
Recommendations- cont
3. Establish an interagency substance
misuse education steering group
4. Include substance misuse education in a
regular programme of in-service activities
for both teachers and youth services
staff.
Currently
• Collating resources/materials currently used
• Ensure information is accurate and up to date
• From audit of schools/ youth work, identifying
training needs (including skills and
knowledge).
• Developing a protocol of partnership working
for substance misuse education in learning
community areas
Next steps
• Develop plans to engage young people to ensure their
views inform the approach.
• Map out roles and responsibilities of partners in
delivering SME information, education and support for
young people
• Develop plan for delivery of training to meet identified
needs including ongoing CPD
• Develop proposal for annual review of training needs
• Develop plans to engage with parents/carers re SME
including sharing key messages and test these using
existing structures.