Young People and Substance Misuse

A Guide for Practitioners

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.

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

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