What's Happening Near You: United Kingdom

Mentor UK

Mentor is a UK charity which believes that prevention is better than cure and focuses its efforts on promoting the health and wellbeing of children and young people to reduce the damage that drugs can do to lives. Mentor UK thinks that a lot has been learnt about good prevention over recent years. In fact, the organisation sees that reflected back in the local partnerships, but there is still a long way to go to make a significant difference to those young people at risk of drug and alcohol misuse.

Phoenix Futures

Phoenix Futures is a provider of services for people with drug and alcohol problems, offering services within community, prison and residential settings in England and Scotland. The organisation brings positive change in the lives of individuals, families and communities affected by substance misuse by supporting service users at every stage of their recovery which includes: engagement on the streets and in communities, harm reduction at drop in centres, structured day programmes, supported resettlement and services within prisons.

DrinkandDrugs.net

DrinkandDrugs.net is a web portal for professionals in the substance misuse sector and wider health, social care and criminal justice settings - and for individuals affected by drugs and alcohol use.

STRADA. Scottish Training on Drugs and Alcohol

Scottish Training on Drugs and Alcohol (STRADA) is a national workforce development organisation aiming to support those working with and affected by drug and alcohol misuse. STRADA strives to improve the competence of staff working in the substance misuse field in order that the interventions available locally aid the recovery of those affected by substance misuse. STRADA is a partnership between the University of Glasgow's School of Education and DrugScope.

Drug education and prevention – a primary school perspective

Submitted by Andy Travis on

Mentor UK's latest seminar will look at practical ways to deliver effective drug education and prevention in primary schools through the promotion of healthy lifestyles and positive behavioural choices. It will examine how an early classroom management programme can have effects into early adulthood, how using theatre in education can effectively engage pupils, how life skills can be developed in primary school aged children, and how parents can be engaged.

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Mentor UK calls for improving personal and social development education in British schools

Submitted by Livia Edegger on

London-based drug prevention charity, Mentor UK recently submitted a response to the British Education Select Committee inquiry on Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education in British schools. PSHE education aims to equip students with the necessary skills and knowledge to lead healthy and safe lives. In their response, Mentor UK highlighted benefits of effective PSHE education such as improving students’ academic performance, fostering positive behaviour in schools, curbing social inequalities and reducing government spending on public health. Mentor UK called for PSHE education to be a statutory entitlement for all students, for teachers to receive ongoing PSHE education training and for it to be considered a core subject by the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted). Mentor UK believes that “improved PSHE teaching will result in many long-term positive impacts; on alcohol or drug use, sexual behaviour, and mental health.”

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International Inner Wheel

International Inner Wheel is the administrative body that acts as the umbrella for the organisation worldwide. We are one of the largest women’s service voluntary organisations in the world and are active in more than 103 countries. Personal service is a top priority and members find many ways to carry out projects in their local communities. They provide help in hospitals, hospices, care homes, schools, entertain the elderly and lonely and offer help to needy children and the disabled.

Matthew Scott

Organisation Name: 
TONIC
Job Title: 
Director
Website: 
www.tonic.org.uk
Describe your prevention-related activities: 
Program development
Research / science
Evaluation
Training
Policy making
Other Activities: 
Insight Research; Public Consultation
Does your prevention work and efforts focus on a specific setting?: 
All Settings
Biography: 
Matthew lead substance misuse policy for Government at the Department for Education - writing sections of the 10 year drug strategy, and heading up development of Youth Alcohol Action Plan, Youth Alcohol Guidance with the Chief Medical Officer. He developed the Drug Use Screening Tool (DUST) and training used across the UK to enable universal agencies to identify young people in need of support with substance misuse issues. Now, as Director of TONIC, he has analysed a number of Department of Health consultations on Tobacco, designed services for vulnerable young people and families with local authorities and run insight and co-design projects for a range of Government and 3rd sector organisations

Registry Questionnaire

What is your highest academic degree?: 
Masters Degree
In what area or discipline?: 
Social Research Methods

Collaboration History

I have had international collaboration in the past but not currently.

My government initiated the collaboration.

CAIS Ltd.

CAIS aims to make positive changes in the lives of people affected by drugs and alcohol across North Wales through a range of services and support, in the belief that people can and do change. The organisation works with communities and other agencies to prevent alcohol and drug related harm.

Re-Solv

Founded in 1984, Re-Solv works to end volatile substance abuse, particularly among children and young people. The organisation campaigns for:

  • Better services and provision for those involved, especially young people and their families;
  • Prevention of solvent and volatile substance abuse to be placed high on the national and international agenda; and
  • Clear educational messages to ensure that products are used for their intended purposes.

The Knowledge Network. Drugs and Alcohol Portal

In partnership with STRADA and NHS Health Scotland, NHS Education for Scotland has developed the Knowledge Network website which aims to pull together all the work being carried out by the drugs and alcohol workforce across Scotland. The site provides resources for staff providing support to people affected by problem drug or alcohol use, along with information for service users, their carers and families.

'E-cigarette Makers Give Public the Finger'- teens at risk

Submitted by Andy Travis on

Following our recent story on e-cigarettes in the workplace, this news item comments on an unusually forthright advertising campaign by tobacco companies in the USA. The highly explicit and aggressive attack on tobacco legislation may signal a return to the industry's old discredited tactics. While science can not yet give definitive answers on questions over the health risks from e-cigarettes, some experts fear that tobacco companies are deliberately targeting young people. Tactics include the usual celebrity endorsements, such at the recent Golden Globe ceremony, cartoons and sex appeal. Also worrying is development of flavours such as 'cherry crush' and 'coca cola'. Vaping is rapidly becoming cool with some young people and in many parts of the world it is legal to sell to under 18's. In a recent study 20% of American school pupils aged around 11-14 years claimed that e-cigarettes were their first experience of 'smoking' and over 60% of e-cigarette users also reported smoking tobacco. The new products may well prove to be the 'gateway' to tobacco.

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Grace English

Organisation Name: 
Auckland Castle
Job Title: 
Education and Outreach Officer
Describe your prevention-related activities: 
Program development
Research / science
Does your prevention work and efforts focus on a specific setting?: 
School
Family
Workplace
Community
Youth Group
All Settings

Registry Questionnaire

What is your highest academic degree?: 
BA HONS
In what area or discipline?: 
Children and Young Persons

Collaboration History

I have never had any kind of international collaboration with researchers, practitioners or institutions.

I initiated the collaboration

International Police Association

The International Police Association (IPA) is a worldwide membership organisation for serving and retired police personnel. It prides itself in being "A Vibrant IPA". All inclusive; Visible; International; Benefits R key; Retain all members, respecting all views; Activities; Networking in friendship; Trust and charity; IPA. In Section UK, membership is open to serving and retired Police Officers, Special Constables and members of Police Staff employed by a Chief Constable or other appropriately designated Chief Officer of the Police Service.

TONIC

Matthew Scott established TONIC after leading substance misuse policy for Government at the Department for Education - writing sections of the 10 year drug strategy, and heading up development of Youth Alcohol Action Plan, Youth Alcohol Guidance with the Chief Medical Officer. He developed the Drug Use Screening Tool (DUST) and training used across the UK to enable universal agencies to identify young people in need of support with substance misuse issues.

DASL. Drug and Alcohol Service for London

Drug & Alcohol Service for London (DASL) is a registered charity, providing services for people with drug and alcohol problems across four London Boroughs, Newham, Tower Hamlets, Redbridge and Bexley. The organisation aims to prevent drug and alcohol misuse by working within communities to raise awareness of the issues and provide training and education, particularly to children and young people.

Talk About Alcohol

Talk About Drugs is a website that aims to provide young people with facts about alcohol, and increase awareness of the effects of drinking alcohol among the under age. The project's objectives are as follows:

RSFI. Righ Start Foundation International

Right Start Foundation International is a registered UK charity and is set up as a non-profit making voluntary and community organisation. RSFI's actions focus on five strategic areas:

  • 'Anti Drugs and substance misuse programmes in UK and the Middle East;
  • Researching and developing solutions in tacking negative trends in families;
  • Building bridges between global civilisations;
  • Researching and developing programmes to empower women; and
  • Building capacity in the youth of the Middle East and North Africa to achieve their social and economic potential'.

European Drug Prevention Quality Standards - your views urgently rerquired

Submitted by Andy Travis on

Everyone engaged in drug prevention, from commissioners and funders, through to researchers and practitioners, is asked to respond to this online survey for the European Drug Prevention Quality Standards Phase II project. The results will inform the development of support materials for implementing and applying the Quality Standards. It is hoped to identify what is required with respect to content, priority target groups, and preferred formats for materials, such as online, hard copy, etc. The survey can be completed in seven languages: French, Polish, German, Hungarian, Greek, Italian and English. Please complete the survey before February 12, 2014.

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