Action in partnership : tackling drugs in Scotland / the Scottish Office.

  • Great Britain. Scottish Office.
Date:
1999
Catalogue details

Licence: Open Government Licence

Credit: Action in partnership : tackling drugs in Scotland / the Scottish Office. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    19/76 (page 17)
    A policy evaluation of DATs and Alcohol Misuse Co-ordinating Committees, commissioned by The Scottish Office in April 1998, has now been completed. The evaluation examined the achievements of those organisations and made recommendations for future policy and practice, which have been taken into account in framing this document. Current drugs specific action Comprehensive drugs specific action continues in all service areas and is outlined below. Education and Prevention The Government place a strong emphasis on the need for effective drug education for all young people. Education authorities have been encouraged to provide health education, including drug education, within a comprehensive programme of personal and social development aimed at providing young people with the necessary knowledge and skills to enable them to choose a healthy life-style. Health education, including drug education, has a secure place in national advice on the 5-14 curriculum. The Health Education for Living Project (HELP), introduced in 1995 and updated in 1998 provides a curriculum framework for health education with a special focus on drug education. There is also a good range of learning and teaching materials 17 available free of charge to all schools. Bet AN.E Partnership The quality of drug education in Scottish schools is regularly monitored by HMI, who discuss policy and provision with education authorities. They have published a number of reports in recent years, which, in addition to evaluating provision, have given guidance on good practice in drug education and in managing incidents of drug misuse in schools. The findings of the most recent HMI report Drug and Nutrition Education indicated that there is still room for improvement in the provision of effective drug education for all pupils, in schools having policies for managing incidents of drug misuse and in education authorities working effectively in partnership with other council services. School work is, of course, one of a wide range of educational influences on young people. Local authority community education staff and a number of voluntary sector youth Organisations routinely engage with young people on issues such as drug and alcohol misuse. They use a number of different approaches such as peer education, mentoring and targeted diversionary activities. The Health Education Board for Scotland (HEBS) is tackling drug misuse in a number of ways, including the use of mass media and the Internet, and in a number of settings, including schools. HEBS's work in developing health promotion more generally provides a foundation for more specific action on drugs. The Scotland Against Drugs (SAD) Campaign, now refocused, is helping to prevent drug misuse and its consequences in local communities through a programme of information and community action achieved with the support of local organisations, including DATs and Scotland's business community. SAD is currently in partnership with Scotland's Health at Work (SHAW), the national workplace health award scheme, which was