National
Tackling Drugs Week 2010
The Home Office is currently reviewing
National Tackling Drugs Week. It will not take place
this year in May or June. Further information on dates
will follow shortly. |
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Campaigns
Hertfordshire Young Peoples Substance
Misuse team have created a brief guide - to showcase
the various national alcohol campaigns currently being
publicised by the DCSF, Home Office and DH. This spells
out the differences between the campaigns; their aim
and intended audience. |
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Mephedrone
- NOW ILLEGAL
As from April 16th 2010, Mephedrone will be an illegal
Class B drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. A new
leaflet has been created to incorporate this fact a pdf
version is attached. Free copies of this leaflet will
be made available through Health Promotion Hertfordshire
in the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, if you
have copies of the previous leaflet I would be grateful
if you could discard them and re-order. Print leaflet
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Mephedrone
Briefing Paper written by Hertfordshire Drug Education
Forum
This briefing paper has been written by the DEF for teachers and other professionals
working with children, young people and their families in order to share information
and reduce harm. |
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Khat Leaflet
This leaflet has been produced by
Young Peoples Substance Misuse Team to inform practitioners
on Khat. The leaflet would be best for practitioners
to use the contents of the leaflet in a one to one
discussion, rather than handing out this as a leaflet
to young people. |
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Guidance
on the consumption of alcohol by children and young
people. A report by the Chief Medical Officer
Official guidance on alcohol consumption
by children and young people was published today on
the 17th December 2009.
This guidance was published initially in draft form as part of a consultation
on advice and information for children, young people and alcohol, being facilitated
in England by the Department for Children, Schools and Families. The findings
from this consultation, of which the DEF were part of, have been collated and
utilised in the development of this final version of the
Chief Medical Officer’s guidance.
The Young People and Alcohol campaign will be launched on 14th January 2010,
with the TV advert first airing on the 15th. It provides guidance based
on the recommendations of the Chief Medical Officer. The aim of the campaign
is to give parents the confidence to talk to their children about alcohol.
By providing them with relevant information and support from organisations
like yours, we will help them encourage their children to take more control.(Top)
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UPDATE on Legal Highs - December 2009
On the 23rd of December 2009, three so called ‘Legal
Highs’ will be controlled under the Misuse of Drugs
Act 1971.
• GBL (Gamma-Butyrolactone) is closely
related to the illegal substance GHB. It is currently sold
mainly on the internet as hub cap cleaner or rust remover.
It is a colourless, oily liquid and often comes in caplets
or small bottles with a pipette. GBL (and its like chemical
1,4-Butanediol) will become an illegal class C drug when
sold or possessed for human ingestion.
• BZP (Benzylpiperazine) is currently
being sold under a range of brand names under the banner
of ‘legal E’ or herbal highs’. Sold on
the internet and in sex and head shops, it has a similar
effect to amphetamine or ecstasy. In some cases BZP pills
are being sold either knowingly or unknowingly as ecstasy
pills. BZP (and related compounds such as MCPP and TFMPP)
will be controlled as a class C drug.
• Synthetic cannabinoids found
in ‘herbal’ smoking products like Spice, will
become a class B drug. Spice and similar products are currently
sold on the internet and in head shops and labelled ‘not
for human consumption’. Synthetic cannabinoids are
man made chemicals designed to mimic THC the active principle
in cannabis. They are sprayed onto inert plant ingredients,
packaged and sold as ‘burning incense’.
Recently in Hertfordshire concerns from
colleagues working with young people in formal and informal
education settings about the proliferance of herbal & legal
highs has been raised.
The Herts Drug Education Forum has discussed this issue and
now feels that the issue needs to be addressed. Young people
and professionals require accurate information, so a booklet
is currently in production. However, in the meantime the
DEF has issued a couple of brief statements to be disseminated
to relevant colleagues and young people. Please see (link
to legal high statements) (Top)
NEW
A-DASH RESOURCES NOW AVAILABLE
Service
Handbook for Professionals
A-DASH provides a specialist drug and alcohol treatment
for young people who are under 18 and a targeted service
with those with less complex needs.
The handbook explains to professionals who work with
young people how to access the service. Attached is the downloadable
version, hard copies are limited and are available
from Health Promotion Hertfordshire www.hpherts.nhs.uk or
A-DASH (01923 427288).
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A-DASH
Leaflet
The leaflet is suitable for professionals and young people.
It explains the purpose of the service, opening times,
and contact details.
A-DASH flag pens
Promotional resource to raise awareness of FRANK and
A-DASH service. Information and questions on Cocaine
use - Cocaine: more than a ‘bit of fun’.
They are available from Health Promotion Hertfordshire www.hpherts.nhs.uk A-DASH |
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CRAFFT
Tool
CRAFFT is a multi-agency tool that will enable staff
as part of any assessment process to identify young people's
drug and alcohol use early, the tool consists of CRAFFT
questions that have been validated in the USA. You do
not need specialist drug knowledge to use this 'tool'.
The idea is to ensure early drug and/or alcohol use is
identified and the appropriate services and responses
are provided. (Top) |
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Hertfordshire Health
Related Behaviour Survey - 2008
The Health Related Behaviour Survey
was carried out between Summer and Autumn 2008. The work
was commissioned and coordinated by the Joint Commissioning
Group for Young People's Substance Misuse and the Health
and Wellbeing Team. The data has been used to support
the Hertfordshire Healthy Schools Programme. Year 5 and
Year 6 pupils completed the Primary version of the questionnaire
and pupils in Years 8 and 10 completed the Secondary
version of the questionnaire. A total of over 10,500
pupils took part in 92 primary schools and 30 secondary
schools throughout Hertfordshire.
Full reports on the survey results for Hertfordshire and
for each of the ten district council areas are available
on the Hertfordshire Observatory Website www.hertfordshireobservatory.org/
.. (Top)
On 26th January
2009 - The government's reclassification of cannabis
On the 26th January, the government's
reclassification of cannabis takes effect and the drug
is now controlled under Class B of the Misuse of Drugs
Act.
The move has major implications for the penalties
issued for cannabis possession. As a Class B drug, the
maximum penalty for cannabis possession has increased from
two to five years imprisonment. A new escalation penalty
system for possession of the drug has also come into force.
For
more information click here or visit www.drugscope.org.uk (Top)
Shock
Tactics
In a response to continuing requests by colleagues wanting
speakers or resources to shock young people in order to
change their behaviour, the Herts DEF has issued a position
statement on the use of 'shock tactics'. For more information
click here..... (take this to the new shock tactics page
in 'drug education'. (Top)
Know Your Limits
- In support of a National Alcohol Campaign
A series of new resources have been
produced in Hertfordshire to support the national alcohol
campaign titled 'Know
Your Limits'. These resources will compliment current
national campaign activity which is running between October
and November in the build up to Christmas. (Click on the
above link to receive more information).(Top)
Youth
Alcohol Action Plan
The new Youth Alcohol Action
Plan was launched on 2nd June 2008.
Key points include:
- Encourage the wider use of Proof
of Age Standard Schemes (PASS)
- Legislate to give the police powers
to disperse under- 18s who are drinking and behaving
anti-socially from any location.
- Ensure Parenting Contracts are used
with parents of young people repeatedly caught drinking
in public.
- Advice and guidance issued to parents
re: young people and alcohol, which will include a
statement of what the guidelines are (based on the
work of the Chief Medical Officer and Expert Panel
as well as consultation findings).
- Launch a comprehensive communications
campaign about the risks of alcohol, aimed particularly
at the 11- 15-year-old age group.
- Conduct a review into drug and alcohol
education to include help for schools and colleges to
identify and support young people at risk of alcohol
harm arising from either their own use or that of parents.
(See
attached file: 7658-DCSF-Youth Alcohol Action Plan.pdf) (Top)
Visitor
Forms
The DEF continues to see a high demand from various youth
and education settings for external organisations to
deliver drug education and information to young people,
parents/carers and professionals.
Many of these requests come at very short notice and fail
to establish the following:
· Why the request was made
· What drug education and information has already been received
· Different educational needs and abilities
· Aims and learning outcomes for each session
In order to support host organisations and visitors in
delivery of drug education the DEF has produced three ‘Drug
Education Request’forms.
They are:
· Drug Education within Youth Settings
· Drug Education with Parents and Professionals
· Events
The forms will help to identify each organisation’s
roles and responsibilities and provide a stronger emphasis
on the importance of good planning.
(See
attached file: REQUEST FORM FOR A STAND AT A COLLEGE EVENT.doc)(See
attached file: REQUEST FOR PARENTS DRUG EDUCATION IN HERTFORDSHIRE.doc)(See
attached file: Request for drug education in youth settings.doc) (Top)
New national drug strategy launched
The ten-year drug strategy (2008-2018)
aims to restrict the supply of illegal drugs and reduce the
demand for them. It focuses on protecting families and strengthening
communities.
The four strands of work within the strategy
are:
- protecting communities through tackling
drug supply, drug-related crime and anti-social behaviour
- preventing harm to children, young
people and families affected by drug misuse
- delivering new approaches to drug
treatment and social re-integration
- public information campaigns, communications
and community engagement
For more information visit: www.drugs.gov.uk
In response to the new strategy, briefing papers have been
produced by the National
Children's Bureau and the National
Healthy Schools Programme. Both papers provide a useful
summary of the strategy and its links to young people, families
and drug education / prevention.
(Top)
Drug Testing in Schools
In response to plans by Government to trial
random drug testing in schools, the Hertfordshire DEF developed
a position statement which was supported by the Hertfordshire
Young Peoples Substance Misuse Joint Commissioning Group
on the 18th September 2007. Click
here to download document
(Top)
Change in law regarding
tobacco sales
From Monday, 1st October 2007 the law for selling tobacco
will change. It will be illegal to sell tobacco products
to anyone under the age of 18 (an increase from 16) in England
and Wales. Information is currently being sent to schools
in Hertfordshire. Click
here to download document
Download
Smokefree Poster
(Top)
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