The Health Advisory Service (HAS) reports (1996, 2001) detailed
recommendations about the design and delivery for drug and
alcohol services for young people. This included the description
of a four tiered model.
Central to the success of the model is the ability of staff
to carry out specific roles. Appropriate training is fundamental
to ensuring that staff understand where they fit within the
model and have the skills to be able to respond appropriately
to the needs of young people. The HAS approach has been adopted
to good effect in Hertfordshire and many professionals have
been trained and are able to respond to young people’s
drug and alcohol needs and know how and when to refer onto
specialist services.
Best practice
and the ‘TIPS’
approach
The HAS report 2001 provides guidance about how training
should be organised and delivered. This formed the basis of
training strategy in Hertfordshire and led to the development
of ‘TIPS’. ‘TIPS’
provides a consistent model of training and resources and
tools to support training delivery.
‘TIPS’
incorporates the HAS principles that include:
• Substance use and misuse screening needs to be
integrated into all services for young people
• Improve early recognition of substance use in all
children
and young people
• All practitioners working with young people should
have
at least a basic level of training in substance
issues, be
aware of vulnerability and child protection
• Substance use should be integral and embedded in
assessment frameworks
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