Drug Education News

Mentor UK have released a report on the feedback that their Youth Involvement Project has given the DCSF about the new drug strategy.

In the press release that accompanies the report Susi Farnworth says:

Young people are those most affected by drug misuse. The government’s own survey of pupils tells that one in seven 12 to 15 year olds has taken an illegal drug and one in five (19%) said they have been drunk at least once in the past four weeks.

It is vital that we listen to young people to find out what they say will reduce the risks. The Department for Children Schools and Families appears to want to hear young people’s voices and we hope this will lead to a better drug strategy. However, they need to allocate a standing budget to continue to engage young people in drug prevention.

The report itself details young people’s responses to some of the questions that were put in the drug strategy consultation.

In response to the question about what is the best way to keep children off and away from drugs the young people’s top three ideas were:

1. Higher penalties
2. Undercover purchasing (of legal drugs)
3. Statutory drug education

However, the report makes clear that the young people are very aware of the limitations of these ideas.

This exercise revealed that the young people think control approaches would be effective in keeping young people off drugs. However, when they look further they recognise that these methods alone may not achieve their aims.

“Young people always find a way of getting alcohol regardless.” Young person aged 14.

The report identifies some of the elements the group thought would make an effective local system, including:

• targeting support to vulnerable young people;
• using active learning techniques in drug education;
• motivated teachers; and
• confidential services

There’s a section on drug education:

The young people have consistently said that they do want drug education – some said it has raised their awareness about drugs and made them think more about drinking and using drugs. However several of the young people said that they didn’t receive any drugs education at school, with one reporting that their head teacher didn’t believe in PSHE so the school had stopped providing it altogether. They felt that more school time should be spent on drug education and it should be a lesson on its own rather than incorporated into other subjects.

The group said they felt that teachers often give their own opinion, rather than working from the facts, and that they lack knowledge about drugs. They also didn’t like to feel they were being told what to do as this made them want to do the opposite and they felt that ultimately it would be their own decision.

Those that had received drug education in non-formal settings (such as through youth workers) were very positive about that.

They talk about the role of parents and give the following hints about “having the talk”:

• young people don’t want unnecessary intrusion into their lives;
• parents should not be overly anxious when talking to them about drugs or alcohol;
• they should try to make their child feel relaxed;
• should not accuse them (there needs to be trust between parents and young people);
• should negotiate boundaries;
• should not keep repeating the message over and over again; and
• parents should be offered training and made aware of where they could go for advice about broaching this subject with young people.

The report also looks at their views on public health campaigns, and reducing the prevalence of young people drinking.

(Full disclosure - I manage Susi’s work as part of my part time role at Mentor UK; for those readers that don’t know I’m employed 3 days a week for the Drug Education Forum and work for Mentor for the remainder.)