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Purpose
To assist schools to:
• implement appropriate prevention strategies to support
young people at risk of drug related harm
• identify when a young person may have a drug use
problem
• plan and implement targeted intervention to support
young people with drug use problems
• link young people and families to services and resources
• access drug and alcohol information services.
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What is drug
misuse?
Drug misuse is any use of drugs that
causes physical, psychological,
economic, legal or social harm to the
individual user or to others by the
drug user’s behaviour.
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Problems associated with
adolescent drug misuse
• Brain development in adolescence may be
affected.
• Delayed maturation during adolescence may
impede important developmental tasks.
• Drug use disorders are often associated with
mental health disorders, suicide and a history of
abuse.
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Prevalence of drug use among NSW
secondary students 12 to 17 years
Substance
Percentage reporting
ever used
Males
Males
Females
Painkillers or analgesics
92.8
97.0
88.5
94.3
Alcohol
76.2
78.2
56.1
56.2
Tobacco
25.6
24.9
16.5
17.5
Inhalants
20.2
19.7
14.3
14.8
Cannabis
13.4
12.4
11.4
10.6
Sleeping tablets/ sedatives/ tranquillisers
(non-medical use)
16.0
16.2
8.6
9.6
Ecstasy
4.9
3.9
4.5
3.3
Amphetamines (non-medical use)
3.6
3.7
3.2
2.9
NSW Secondary Schools Health Behaviours Survey: 2008 Report
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Females
Percentage reporting
use in last 12 months
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IMPORTANT NOTE
Most young people who try alcohol
and illicit drugs do not become
problem drug users.
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Reasons young
people use drugs
•
•
•
•
•
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To experiment
To heighten sensations
To relax
To fit in with peers
Because they are available
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•
•
•
To have fun
To rebel
To relieve boredom
To cope with problems
Indicators of possible drug
use problems
• Changes in appearance and wellbeing
• Mood swings or significant personality change
• Loss of initiative
• Decline in academic performance
• Increased need for money and secrecy
• Intoxication at school
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Identifying possible
drug use problems:
Cautionary notes
• Behavioural change may be due to causes
other than drug use.
• Drug use is not necessarily drug misuse.
• Drug use may increase as a result of getting
into trouble for initial drug use and being
labelled a ‘drug user’.
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Confidentiality and
privacy
Issues of confidentiality and privacy
can arise when teachers discuss
possible drug use with students.
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Limits of
confidentiality
• Teachers have a duty of care to protect young people
against risks of harm.
• Teachers should advise the principal of concerns
about the welfare and safety of young people
• Confidentiality may be limited by the requirements to
advise the principal of concerns.
• Students should be advised of the limits to
confidentiality from the outset.
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Talking to young people about
possible drug use
• Consider who is the best person to approach the
student
• Express concerns that can be supported by facts
• Encourage the student to talk
• Listen carefully and avoid moralising
• Don’t use ‘scare tactics’
• Offer information or help
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Strategies to support
students
• Offer support and information
• Refer to the school counsellor for assessment,
support or referral to outside agencies
• Provide school based support as appropriate:
- Learning support team
- Support teachers
- Home school liaison officer
• Refer for brief intervention, if available
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Useful contacts for
schools
• Drug education consultants
• Student welfare consultants
• NSW Health:
- Area School-Link coordinators
- Drug and Alcohol Services
• Telephone help lines
• Websites
• Departmental resources
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What is the role of the
school in prevention?
Providing a safe and supportive school
environment where a student’s social,
emotional and learning needs are met is
most important in preventing drug use
problems.
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Drug prevention framework
Quality
learning
and teaching
Preventative
drug education
and proactive
student
wellbeing
Effective
approaches support for
Parent
involvement
and support
students at
risk
Safe, supportive
and engaging
environment
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Community
support
Home, school
and community
partnerships
Prevention involves interaction
between the three focus areas
Quality learning and teaching:
– Provide curriculum that engages students and meets their
needs
– Teach drug education with K to 6, 7 to 10 and Crossroads 11
to 12
– Teach drug education in a planned, sequential and
developmentally appropriate manner
Safe, supportive learning environment:
– Promote sense of belonging
– Provide support at transition points
– Build prosocial behaviours and
problem solving skills
– Promote pastoral care relationships
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Home, school and community partnerships:
– Consult parent and local community
– Develop positive partnerships
Prevention and early intervention
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What is the role of the school
in early intervention?
• The earlier a young person begins using
tobacco, alcohol or other drugs, the more likely it
is that they will later develop a pattern of
problematic use.
• Intervening early to prevent a pattern of
problematic drug use becoming established is
important.
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The Stages of Change model
CONTEMPLATION
‘Hmmm …… Maybe this isn’t good for me’
DECISION
PRECONTEMPLATION
‘What problem?’
‘That’s it … I’m going to quit!
ACT NOW
‘I’m doing something about it now’
RELAPSE
‘Oops … I used again’
MAINTENANCE
‘I’m still not using’
LONG TERM CHANGE
‘I haven’t used for ages’
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Source: Mentha, H. 2001
Referral to the
school counsellor
• The student has been suspended
• Drug use is associated with high levels of risk
• The student appears to be drug dependent
• Drug use interferes with life at school and in the
community
• Drug use is associated with other problems –
behavioural, family or mental health
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Involving parents
and caregivers
• Be reassuring and don’t over dramatise
• Help the parents explore options
• Involve the student in decisions
• Give information and/ or suggest referral
• Allow the parents to express their concerns
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Supporting students whose
parents use drugs
• Reframe perceptions of disloyalty
• Encourage discussion
• Advise young people to seek help from a trusted
relative or family member
• Promote a positive outlook
• Report suspected abuse and neglect
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Improving drug prevention
and intervention
• Learn about early intervention options
• Identify school needs from the review
• Consider how to address school needs
• Determine staff training needs
• Plan for targeted intervention
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Early intervention strategy
• Context for early intervention:
whole school drug prevention and intervention.
• Early intervention options:
1. Keep them talking – a staff resource
2. KEEP LEFT: Smoking cessation in schools
3. Alcohol – My Reality.
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Review of current drug prevention and
intervention practices
Survey results:
Strengths identified from the survey
Areas for improvement identified
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Helping students to be
non-smokers
• Ensure students and the school community are
aware of rules and consequences
• Treat smoking, firstly, as a health issue
• Include tobacco education in PDHPE
• Provide information about QUIT programs
• Implement a brief intervention (KEEP LEFT)
• Provide incentives to reduce and quit
• Display anti-smoking stickers and posters
• Use appropriate resources in PDHPE
eg Smoke screen, The Critics’ Choice
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Helping students to stay safe
around alcohol
• Treat adolescent drinking as a health issue
• Include alcohol education in PDHPE
• Provide information about alcohol guidelines for
students, staff and parents
• Promote behaviours that help students avoid
alcohol related harm
• Provide normative education about alcohol use
• Provide information to parents to help them
manage the drinking behaviour of their children
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