Young People and Substance Misuse

Substance misuse is an issue for young people in the city whether it be their own misuse, risky behaviour caused by substances and young people who are effected by other people’s substance misuse. These pages and information is designed to help practitioners to work effectively and understand substance misuse.

The primary aim, of the City of York Substance Misuse Strategy, is to develop comprehensive and integrated substance misuse provision, across Children and Young Peoples Services. This is in order to meet the needs of young people, parents and carers by providing easy access to a range of effective interventions, including information, advice and services in order to prevent, reduce and address drug related issues/problems.

The Every Child Matters document emphasises that
“All people working with children have a key role to play addressing substance misuse among children and young people. All need to have basic substance misuse knowledge and understanding within their core competencies. Substance misuse training should be made available to young people practitioners in every area. Basic substance misuse training should be incorporated in to core professional training across the workforce.”

For you, as practitioners, to be able to support young people who present with substance misuse issues, a key element in the strategy is to provide you with training and access to expert knowledge and advice from specialist substance misuse services. This page provides access to local and national training courses and specialist services where you can seek guidance and consultation to inform and develop your practice in working with young people.

Key data

• 22 per cent of pupils aged between 11 and 15 had used drugs in 2009. This has remained stable from the previous year and is down from 29 per cent in 2001. Drug use also fell in the last year (14.8 per cent compared to 20.4 per cent in 2001) and in the last month (8 per cent compared to 12 per cent in 2001) (Smoking, Drinking and Drug use among young people in England 2009).

• Cannabis was the most widely used drug: 8.9 per cent of pupils reported taking it in the last year, a long-term decrease from 13.4 per cent in 2001. (Smoking, Drinking and Drug use among young people in England 2009).

• The prevalence of class A drug use in the last year has remained relatively stable since 2001: in 2009 3.6 per cent of pupils had used at least one class A drug. (Smoking, Drinking and Drug use among young people in England 2009).

• The key findings from the Drug Misuse Declared report (the findings from the British Crime Survey 2009-10) show that amongst young people (16- to 24) drug use had fallen last year from 29.7 per cent to 20 per cent. There was also a decrease in 16- to 24-year-old use of any illicit drug in the last year from 24.1 per cent to 21.3 per cent (British Crime Survey 2009/10).

• The FRANK helpline received 340,000 calls last year and 2.9 million people visit the website for information. 81 per cent of young people say they trust FRANK for reliable drugs information.

• The number of under-18s in specialist substance misuse services in England during 2009-10 was 23,582. This is a reduction of 525 compared to 2008-09. (Substance Misuse Among Young People: The Data for 2009/10, NTA).

• The number of under-18s completing treatment successfully has more than doubled in five years to 10,160, accounting for more than two out of every three young people leaving treatment (Substance Misuse Among Young People: The Data for 2009/10, NTA).

Useful Information

• Drug misuse amongst young people is different from adults. Few young people use heroin or crack and very few are addicted. The most common illicit drug for which young people seek support is cannabis.

• Family support plays a central part, including very early intervention with vulnerable families (particularly parents using drugs themselves). The Department is currently funding the charities AdFam and Addaction to develop a national network of family self-help groups and improve family treatment services.

• Drug Education and prevention work is delivered through schools and nationally through FRANK. Visit the FRANK website for more information.

• Drugs guidance for schools is currently being revised, following a consultation completed in February 2010.

• The Department will conduct an internal review to determine how it can support schools to improve the quality of all PSHE teaching, including giving teachers the flexibility to use their judgement about how best to deliver PSHE education.

• A system introducing a one-year temporary ban on new legal highs is currently under way. This will allow health issues to be considered by independent experts while greatly reducing their availability.

• From 1 September 2010, school staff have the power to search any students suspected of carrying banned drugs. This power allows school staff to search for substances they reasonably believe are illegal but which may, after testing, be found to be legal.

 

Data is from the DofE website.

 

 

Search the service directory for local and national services that support work with substance misuse.

Training

Download the risk and resilience strategy training dates for 2011-2012

 

Document Download

Developing the evidence base. Young people with substance misuse problems 2005.
Published by Addaction and Turning Point 2005

Every Child Matters Tackling Drugs, Changing Lives
Published by DfES 2005

Vulnerable young people and drugs
Published by Drugscope 2000

Assessment in drug education
Published by Drug and alcohol prevention team 2006

Drugs Guidance for Schools
Published by DfES 2004

Ritalin in Schools
Published by the drug and alcohol prevention team 2005