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Welcome/Agenda

Welcome/Agenda. Brief overview of the guide Let’s Assess! An activity Discussion How Do I Begin? Discussion Final questions. The Guide: Development Process. Request to OSA from Substance Abuse Services Commission

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Welcome/Agenda

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  1. Welcome/Agenda • Brief overview of the guide • Let’s Assess! An activity • Discussion • How Do I Begin? • Discussion • Final questions

  2. The Guide: Development Process • Request to OSA from Substance Abuse Services Commission • OSA worked with Maine’s Environmental Substance Abuse Prevention Center (MESAP) • Recruited statewide stakeholders for workgroup • Drew upon many resources (see guide for listing)

  3. Development Process • Held four workgroup meetings to develop guide and provide feedback • Presented drafts to a variety of groups for feedback before finalizing the document: • Substance Abuse Services Commission • Legislative Youth Advisory Council • Representative from Maine School Board Association • Presented workshops at MAPSA’s Prevention Convention & the MAHPERD conference • Presented at the DOE Wellness Conference

  4. Intent of the guide • Not a “model policy” • Pulls together current research, while recognizing that there are still gaps • Process is as important as product: • Community support and ownership are critical • Policy must be communicated • Policy must be enforced

  5. Healthy Maine Partnerships • School Health Coordinators (SHCs) are required to implement a substance abuse policy that meets OSA guidelines • To find out who your school health coordinator is, go to: www.healthymainepartnerships.org

  6. Self-Assessment Tool • Use tool to determine which aspects of your policy may be missing or need to be strengthened • Rate components based on current effectiveness • Ensure policy is a “living document”—you don’t need to address every component all at once

  7. 10 Components of the Policy Guide • Philosophical Statement • Community Involvement • Communication • Prevention/Education • Prohibitions Enforcement Intervention Treatment Discipline Review/Revision

  8. Component Four:Prevention/Education • Choose prevention curricula and strategies that are evidence-based • For evidence-based programs approved by SAMHSA for classroom use: http://www.nrepp.samhsa.gov/ • Include strategies for creation and maintenance of a positive school climate

  9. Component Five:Prohibitions • The who, what, where, when and how of prohibited substances and actions • Clear rules and consequences at school serve as protective factors for substance use prevention* • In developing prohibitions: Ensure that there is buy-in from community to be successful *Schaps, E. et al, 2003

  10. Component Six: Enforcement • Substance abuse school policies need to be enforced to be effective* • Youth certainty of being caught is more important than the nature of punishment itself** • Include in policy: • What steps to take when policy violations occur • How school will support those expected to enforce rules *Griesbach, D. et al, 2002; Wakefield, M. et al, 2000 **Dent et al., 2005; Grosvenor et al., 1999

  11. Component Seven: Intervention • Enforcement should lead not only to consequences, but also to options for screening, assessment, and intervention or treatment* *Soteriades, E. et al, 2003; Hamilton, G. et al, 2003 • Offer evidence-based intervention for youth who are not in need of treatment, but who need help to get back on track. For example: • Brief intervention: One-on-one meeting with school counselor or nurse, using motivational interview techniques • PRIME for Life/ SIRP program (AdCare)

  12. Component Eight:Treatment • A substance abuse evaluation can be arranged by contacting a local substance abuse treatment agency • OSA maintains a directory of licensed treatment agencies online at: www.maineosa.org/help/directory.htm

  13. Component Nine: Discipline • What are “appropriate consequences”? • Reflective of community values—i.e., agreed upon by stakeholders • Based on research, when possible • Appropriate to level of offense and circumstances of incident • Consistent and predictable • Enforceable

  14. Component Nine: Discipline • Those enforcing the rules need to believe that the consequences are appropriate • Research with police officers found that they are more likely to enforce underage drinking laws if they believe that consequences will be consistent, predictable, not overly harsh, and appropriate to offense* * Schneider 1988; Wolfson et al, 1995

  15. Component Ten: Review/Revision • School policy as “living document” • School District’s Policy Committee: Convene at least every two years to evaluate policy • Include key stakeholders in review/revision • Evaluate how policy is/isn’t working • Examine new research advances since last review

  16. Frequently Asked Questions

  17. FAQ: How can I obtain a copy of the guide? • Posted on OSA website: Posted on OSA’s website: http://www.maineosa.org/prevention/schoolcollege/policyguide.htm • For hard copies, contact the Information and Resource Center by phone, 1-800-499-0027 or by email, osa.ircosa@maine.gov

  18. FAQ: How can we get the guide into our school & community? Ideas from local coalitions: • Coalitions send out copies of the Guide • Include cover letter to school administrators and School Board • Introduce them to the Guide and request a meeting to discuss • In your letter/meetings, stress process, rather than immediate product • Let the School Board take responsibility while involving outside community members

  19. FAQ: What do you mean by “not in need of treatment”? (Section 7, Intervention, Page 30) • A substance abuse screening or assessment (such as the JASAE) will suggest the appropriate level of intervention or treatment needed. • Students who may need treatment should be assessed and diagnosed by a licensed professional according to the DSM-IV guide

  20. FAQ: With school consolidation, does it make sense to revise/rewrite our policy at this time? • Yes—you can start now. Remember, this is a process. • You can begin to work with future consolidation partners and start building the important relationships in the community that will make your new/revised policy most effective.

  21. Questions?

  22. Activity: Let’s Assess… • Get into small groups. Read through the mock school policy. • Use the self-assessment tool to assess the components of the policy to which you’ve been assigned. • Discuss how you would rate these sections, and why. How effective do you think the policy would be? What’s missing? What needs to be modified? How would you rewrite it?

  23. Activity: Where Do I Begin? • Think about your own school/community policy • Use the handout to being planning how you will take the first steps to gathering your school and community members, getting the right people involved, and making progress on rewriting or revising the policy • If anyone else from your community is in the room, please work with them!

  24. Final Questions???

  25. Contact Maryann Harakall, MPPM Office of Substance Abuse (OSA) Department of Health and Human Services Maryann.Harakall@maine.gov 207-287-5713

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