Drugs awareness through learning education & support
Information
Ireland's National Drugs Strategy 2001-2008 (pdf) has placed a high level of importance on raising awareness of drug misuse. The Government has put in place certain schemes that provide practical information and education to people about drugs. It will also support the provision of facilities and services to those affected by drug misuse and will support groups attempting to raise awareness of the drug problem. A progress report for the period 2001-2004 on the National Drugs Strategy (pdf) was published in 2005.
General drugs awareness programmes
Most Local Drugs Task forces, Health Promotion Units of the Health Service Executive, the Gardai, and community or voluntary groups throughout the country operate drugs awarenessawareness programmes available in your area, you should contact your Health Service Executive (HSE) Area. programmes. For more details of the kind of education and
The Drugs Awareness Programme (DAP) is a charity and a division of Crosscare, the Social Care agency of the Dublin Diocese. This programme focuses on prevention, rather than treatment, of drug misuse. The programme's chosen method is to train and facilitate people with leadership skills to develop drug-related initiatives in their own area, e.g., needs assessment, support groups, peer education, school programmes, service development, etc. The DAP also acts as the central liaison for a drug-prevention network with contacts in each diocese throughout Ireland. There have provided details of locally based drugs treatment and rehabilitation programmes here.
The Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC) operates the AIB Schoolmate Programme, a scheme that promotes drug awareness and aims to prevent early school leaving through drug or alcohol abuse. The ISPCC has also launched drugs awareness schemes in Wexford, Limerick, Dublin, Monaghan and Clonmel.
Clubscene Ireland aims to raise awareness of drug use in the clubbing and dance music scene in Ireland. It is run by Merchants Quay Ireland, a voluntary organisation that works with drug addicts.
Community Awareness of Drugs (CAD) is a network of voluntary community workers engaged in the prevention of drug misuse primarily through educational activities and the assistance of local communities. CAD is a voluntary organisation and a registered charity. It runs drugs education programmes for parents/carers and offers training to community workers from both the voluntary and statutory sector.
Health Promotion Unit of the Department of Health and Children
The Health Promotion Unit produces a number of leaflets about drugs awareness, including:
- "Drugs - Your Choice, Your Life", which gives details about the risks of drug-taking
- A Parent's Guide to Drugs (pdf)
- Posters dealing with individual drugs, e.g., giving details of what the drug looks like, what names it might be known as, the effects it may have on you, etc.
The Health Promotion Unit has produced a Directory of Alcohol, Drugs and related services in Ireland. For more details, you should contact the Health Promotion Unit directly.
Substance use policies for schools in Ireland
The National Drugs Strategy requires that all schools have a substance abuse policy in place. The Government has set out a number of guidelines to help schools develop effective policies. The aim of any policy will be to educate pupils about the dangers of substance abuse and to put in place procedures for dealing with substance abuse incidents. Input for these policies is accepted from school management, principals, teachers, parents or guardians, students, the local community and other relevant groups (i.e., community drugs groups). Both the Department of Education and Science and the Department of Health and Children work on a joint substance abuse policy committee to establish what support schools will require in order to put effective substance abuse policies in place. All second-level schools are to introduce such programmes from September 2003. Full details of the Government guidelines for substance abuse policies in schools can be found here.
Many schools have Social, Personal and Health Education programmes in place at the moment. These courses will include an element of substance abuse awareness and will focus on trying to help children make healthy decisions about drugs.
Walk Tall is the awareness programme run in primary schools. The main aim of the Walk Tall programme is the prevention of substance misuse. The programme tries to instil in children the confidence and life skills to make important choices about drugs. It is hoped that the Walk Tall programme can prevent or at least delay children experimenting with illegal drugs and other substances.
'On My Own Two Feet' is the Government awareness programme aimed at post-primary schools and is aimed at developing the personal and social skills of young people in an attempt to prevent them from experimenting or using drugs. The programme looks at attitudes, decision-making skills and other choice skills.
Young Peoples' Facilities and Services Fund
The Young Peoples' Facilities and Services Fund (YPFSF) is used to provide services and facilities aimed at children and young people in areas that already have a drug problem or are at risk of developing a drug problem. By providing these services, it is hoped that children and young people will be diverted from the dangers of drug abuse and will instead focus on positive pursuits such as sports and community involvement. The Fund is managed by an Assessment Committee, which produces detailed guidelines for proposed local programmes and is responsible for allocating funding to programmes that it decides will be of benefit to the community.
So far, funding has been given to each of the 14 Local Drugs Task Forces. The Local Drugs Task Forces each have a Development Group, which prepares proposals for funding to be sent on to the Assessment Committee. The Development Groups are made up of representatives from the Local Drugs Task Force, the local authority and the Vocational Educational Committee (VEC). Local Drugs Task Forces have received funding for projects such as sports facilities, youth or community centres and education/awareness programmes.
The YPFSF has also provided funding for projects in each of the specially designated (at-risk) urban areas: Limerick, Galway, Carlow and Waterford, which are not serviced by a Local Drugs Task Force. The VECs and the Regional Health Authorities were responsible for preparing proposals that would help prevent drug abuse in young people and that would fit in with the anti-drug services already offered.
The YPFSF has also provided funding for a number of voluntary organisations to provide drug education and prevention programmes around the country.
The Springboard Initiative supports a range of pilot projects for children and young people at risk in disadvantaged areas in Dublin and around the country. It has also received funding from the YPFSF.
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