Drug Awareness Program

1. Drug Awareness Program

2. Bromley Youth Offending Team The Bromley Youth Offending Team (BYOT) is made up of representatives from the Police, Probation Services, Parenting, Social Services, Health, Housing and Education. BYOT works closely with the Community Safety partnership to ensure a multi-agency approach that tackles the reasons why young people offend. 

3. The Acquired Skill of Mentoring

4. Children Act 2004 • “To make arrangements to ensure that in discharging their functions they have regard to the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of children” • Child protection is a part of safeguarding and promoting welfare... to protect specific children who are suffering or are at risk of suffering significant harm.” • Section 11 Children's Act 2004 Statutory Guidance

5. Mentoring and Safeguarding • It might be difficult to accept, but every child can be hurt, put at risk of harm or abused, regardless of their age, gender, religion or ethnicity.  • Safeguarding legislation and government guidance says that safeguarding means: • protecting children from maltreatment • preventing impairment of children’s health or development • ensuring that children are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care. • “undertaking that role so as to enable those children to have optimum life chances and to enter adulthood successfully.” • Working together to safeguard children (1.18 HM Government 2010)

6. The Intervention Of Mentoring "Mentoring is to support and encourage people to manage their own learning in order that they may maximise their potential, develop their skills, improve their performance and become the person they want to be." - Eric Parsloe, The Oxford School of Coaching & Mentoring. Mentoring is a powerful personal development and empowerment tool. It is an effective way of helping people to progress in their careers and is becoming increasing popular as its potential is realised. A mentor is a guide who can help the mentee to find the right direction and who can help them to develop solutions to career issues.

7. The Intervention of Mentoring The Mentorship Scheme supports the view :- • To be free from exploitation, abuse, harassments, coercion or pressure. • To be taken seriously and treated with dignity, respect and sensitivity. • To be treated as an individual in a way that celebrates difference in gender, ethnicity, ability, sexuality, experiences and health. • To commit to a high level of safeguarding.

8. Is it my role to ask young people about substance misuse? • If you work with vulnerable young people • If a young person identifies substance use or misuse to you • If you have concerns about a young persons’ use of substances • If you notice changes in appearance, behaviour and persona YOU ARE IN THE BEST POSITION TO HELP – IF YOU DON’T ASK WILL ANYONE ELSE?

9. Cycle Of Change / Why is it important?

10. Cycle Of Change / Why is it important? • In pre-contemplation the person does not acknowledge a problem exists. They are ‘uninformed’ in the sense that no personally convincing reason for change has been presented as yet. • In contemplation the person is ambivalent - they are in two minds about what they want to do. Sometimes they feel the need to change but not always. • In action the person is preparing and planning for  change. When they are ready the decision to change is made and it becomes all consuming. • In maintenance the change has been integrated into the person's life. Some support may still be needed through this stage. In maintenance lasting change is learned, practised and becomes possible. When we are able to maintain what we have achieved we exit the cycle entirely. • Lapse is a temporary return to ‘old’ unhelpful thoughts, feelings or behaviours. • Relapse is a full return to the old behaviour. • Lapse and Relapse are viewed as intrinsic to the Cycle Of Change and do not infer failure. It does not mean that lapse or relapse is desirable or even invariably expected. It simply means that change is difficult, and it is unreasonable to expect anyone to be able to modify a habit perfectly without any slips. When relapse occurs, several trips through the stages may be necessary to make lasting changes. Each time the person is encouraged to review, reflect and learn from their slips.

11. The Four Tiers Of Substance Misuse • Tier 1 Universal drug education & information • Tier 2 Targeted drug related prevention & education, advice & general counselling services • Tier 3 Young people’s specialist drug services & other specialised services that work with complex needs • Tier 4 Very specialised and intensive form of treatment

12. Bromley Youth Offending Team Substance Misuse Service • The work carried out by the BYOT is governed by the Health Advisory (HAS) 4 Tier Frame Work for Substance Misuse Services for Young People. • Tier 1 – Generic and Primary services • Tier 2 - Universal and Targeted – first line of specialist services • Tier 3 - Specialist Services – provided by specialist teams • Tier 4 - Very Specialist Services

13. Teenage drug and alcohol use statistics • Alcohol related health issues where under 14 years old – a total of 2239 • Not all young people drink alcohol, but those who do are likely to drink significant amounts. • Cannabis is the most commonly-used drug by 11- to 15-year-olds • Very few are treated for Class A drugs such as heroin, cocaine or ecstasy, and the number has again reduced since last year from 770 (in 2010-11) to 631 in 2011-12. This compares to 1,979 five years ago. • Nearly two in ten teenagers said they had used illegal drugs other than cannabis. • In the UK more than 200,000 children aged 11- 15 start smoking each year

14. Why do young people use substances • Enjoyment - Despite all the concerns about illicit drug use and the attendant lifestyle by young people, it is probably still the case that the lives of most young people are centred on school, home and employment and that most drug use is restricted to the use of tobacco and alcohol. They may adopt the demeanour, fashion and slang of a particular subculture including the occasional or experimental use of illegal drugs without necessarily adopting the lifestyle. So probably the main reason why young people take drugs is that they enjoy them.

15. Why do young people use substances • Environment - Many young people live in communities which suffer from multiple deprivation, with high unemployment, low quality housing and where the surrounding infra-structure of local services is fractured and poorly resourced. In such communities drug supply and use often thrive as an alternative economy often controlled by powerful criminal groups. As well as any use that might be associated with the stress and boredom of living in such communities, young people with poor job prospects recognise the financial advantages and the status achievable through the business of small scale supply of drugs. However, drug use is certainly not restricted to areas of urban deprivation. As the press stories of expulsions from private schools and drug use in rural areas show, illicit drug use is an aspect of our society from top to bottom and in all regions.

16. Why do young people use substances? • The defence mechanism Some young people will use drugs specifically to ease the trauma and pain of unsatisfactory relationships and the physical and emotional abuse arising from unhappy home lives. Such young people will often come to the attention of the school. If these problems can be addressed, then if drugs are involved they can become less of a problem.

17. Why do young people use substances? Promotion and availability • There is considerable pressure to use legal substances. Alcohol and pain-relieving drugs are regularly advertised on television. The advertising of tobacco products is now banned on television, but recent research from Strathclyde University published by the Cancer Research Campaign concluded that cigarette advertising does encourage young people to start smoking and reinforces the habit among existing smokers. Despite legislation, children and teenagers have no problems obtaining alcohol and tobacco from any number of retail outlets. Breweries refurbish pubs with young people in mind, bringing in music, games, more sophisticated decor and so on while the general acceptance of these drugs is maintained through sports sponsorship, promotions and other marketing strategies. Obviously, the illicit market is more discreet, but those determined to experiment appear to have little trouble obtaining drugs.

18. Why do young people use substances? • Natural rebellion Whether or not part of any particular subset of youth culture, young people like to be exclusive, own something that is personal to themselves and consciously or unconsciously drug use may act as a means of defiance to provoke adults into a reaction.

19. Why do young people use Substances? • Curiosity Most young people are naturally curious and want to experiment with different experiences. For some, drugs are a good conversation point, they are interesting to talk about and fascinate everyone.

20. The Law And Drugs

21. The Law & Drugs • The Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 • This act is intended to prevent the non-medical use of certain drugs. For this reason it controls not just medicinal drugs (which will also be in the Medicines Act) but also drugs with no current medical uses. Offences under this Act overwhelmingly involve the general public, and even when the same drug and a similar offence are involved, penalties are far tougher. Drugs subject to this Act are known as 'controlled' drugs. The law defines a series of offences, including unlawful supply, intent to supply, import or export (all these are collectively known as 'trafficking' offences), and unlawful production.

22. The Law & Drugs • Class A Possession= 7 years imprisonment or a fine or both Supply= Life Imprisonment. • Class B Possession= 5 years imprisonment or a fine or both Supply= 14 Years Imprisonment. • Class C Possession= 2 years imprisonment or a fine or both Supply = 14 Years Imprisonment.

23. When Things Go Wrong! If someone overdoses, the steps to follow are: Place in the recovery position Call for assistance (if anyone is near by) Call for an ambulance Do not discard any sample found of the substance used by the overdosed person, as this may aid in identifying the most appropriate treatment and save a life. Recovery Position: Step by Step Guide

24. Advice and Help Tel: 0208 460 9952 free, confidential, 24 hours a day