Submitted by Livia Edegger on
What are some of the skills that make youth health promoters and substance abuse prevention workers effective?
After much consultation with the field across Canada, the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse (CCSA) has released a unique set of Competencies for the Youth Substance Use Prevention Workforce. Competencies are a set of measurable skills, knowledge, attitudes and values that enhance the performance of practitioners, allowing them to better meet the needs of youth and be more successful at reaching organisational outcomes. With the overall goal of raising the quality and effectiveness of prevention efforts across Canada, CCSA set out to determine evidence-informed competencies that are required to effectively prevent substance abuse and related harms among youth. The result is the Competencies for the Youth Substance Use Prevention Workforce, a resource for both directors and managers designing job descriptions, interviews and performance assessment and for front-line prevention workers for self-assessment and professional development purposes.
So take a look at the complete set of 11 competencies and consider embedding them into your organisation’s work.
By Michael Stephens - Prevention Hub Canada